Many hands make light work and this year we need many hands. Having to rebuild is a challenging opportunity for all of us at UCLife but with your help we will be a stronger presence in the lives of the young men we partner with.
After seven years of urban family missions, provided to the multi-housing industry through our program Community Life, we began dreaming of the next step in the process of having maximum impact on the lives of urban youth and families. Realizing the necessity of a sanctuary outside the urban context, Urban Community Life began UCLife, an organic farm & youth agricultural training center surrounded by the healing, repairing, and transforming properties of nature. We have a big vision; Inspire and equip generations of youth & families to become the spiritual and agricultural servants for their communities. It is a program designed to show the incredible power of ongoing presence through the vehicles of agriculture, education, and health as a powerful way to share the life transforming principles of a daily personal experience with Jesus.
Embedded in the DNA of UCLife’s wholistic vision is an intense drive to improve the spiritual and physical health of urban families, restore vital agricultural practices, and see our communities break forth like a well-watered garden.
Big vision, bigger job! In the spring of 2014, while snow fell periodically, Rustin Sweeney and his three boys broke ground on a small scale, family operated organic farm. Planted outside the city of Atlanta, on property that has a 25 year history of providing free summer camp for over 1,000 urban youth, we quickly began to grow. It was hard, character building work on four acres that had been fallow and overgrown in privet and wild blackberry for 25 years. During the summer months we have an urban youth intern program where 10-15 urban youth live with us for 9 weeks learning all the in’s and out’s of organic agriculture – from picking a site & broad forking 100 foot rows, to taking produce to market & learning entrepreneurial skills. Our program is designed to transform lives, from the nutrient dense produce we provide for our community to the character building work each young person experiences as they step out of their comfort zone and learns the skills required for a life of purpose.
Fast forward to August 2017 and the tremendous impact of UCLife on young people had caused us to outgrow our first farm! At capacity, and with a growing multifaceted vision of impacting urban and rural environments, year round, we stepped out in faith and began the search for acreage that could keep up with God’s provision. After much prayer, wise counsel, and leaning on God we finally found our own little country road for Urban Community Life. A beautiful bit of acreage on Lookout Mountain in Mentone, Alabama with plenty of room to grow our vision of being a sanctuary for those who need it most. With this new property we will have the capacity to run year round agricultural training programs and implement our two newest initiatives, ReTreat, a health recovery program, and EduCulture, our academic year program. Our whole intent is to educate for one purpose, give back by serving the world. Join us as we pray that this quiet retreat will be able to embody the love of God for our community and be a “center of influence” that will multiply His blessings.UCLife!
UCLife Mission:
The mission of UCLife is to teach the principles of Jesus Christ through vital agricultural practices, while growing a quality product that wows the senses.
UCLife Vision:
The vision of UCLife is to inspire and equip generations of youth & families to become the spiritual and agricultural servants for their communities; placing service to Christ & the world as their primary objective.
Many hands make light work and this year we need many hands. Having to rebuild is a challenging opportunity for all of us at UCLife but with your help we will be a stronger presence in the lives of the young men we partner with.