Just as a church is not only a place but a people, so too is a community. While each person contributes to shaping their neighborhood, town, or city, some people do so as a professional endeavor—take urban planners, for example, or architects. For Christians in these occupations, writer Rabekah Henderson explains at CT, doing their work as unto the Lord looks like designing in a way that serves as “a foretaste of the redeemed earth, a signpost pointing us toward a better way of living.”

Take former real estate developer Sara Joy Proppe, for example. Proppe founded the Proximity Project, an organization that helps churches unlock the potential of the property for the betterment of their neighborhoods. She has led churches in converting unused acreage into community gardens, dog parks, and walking paths. These environments bring people together, inviting them into new relationships.

“The built environment is such a conduit for living out the gospel,” Proppe told CT.

Whether in our homes or churches, a nearby park or an empty field full of potential, may we pay attention to the designs of our communities. And in doing so, may we honor the good work that has gone into them and seek opportunities to join in their flourishing.