Meet the Neighbors: Sameera Stevenson

Meet Sameera Stevenson, 

 Samerra is the Leasing Consultant at our apartment community. She has a teenage son that is learning to drive. Although she has been in the job posting for about 2 years now, she has been connected to this community for a while before the job. Her mother was already living in the community and Sameera herself lived in a different complex a walking distance away. When she got the job she was eligible for a discount and moved in as a neighbor! She now lives one breezeway away from us. She is very conversational, but is less poised in conversation than her boss, Rachel. She enjoys coming to chat with us as the kids play at the pool. It makes her very happy that Enoch knows her name. She can often be found giving him special treats that are not available to the general public. 

We have invited her to church events several times but she usually responds with “we’ll have to see what our calendar has,” which is her way of saying no thank you. She is open to talking about her faith, however! A few weeks ago she came to talk to us at the pool and told us that she has been going to Bible Way Church of Atlas Road and was recently baptized! We of course rejoiced with her over the public expression of her faith. 

As with all 4 staff, we have been working to bridge the personal/professional boundaries she naturally has in place. We try to remain visible to her, be good residents, be authentic in our interactions, and give occasional (good) gifts and cards. This afternoon I will be taking a thank you card by the office with a small bag of Pepperidge Farm Dark Chocolate Milano Cookies. Last week the staff worked very hard during Resident Appreciation week and often go un-thanked. 

In many ministry settings, persistence and maintaining a long-standing relationship pays off in large dividends. This is true in apartment ministry, especially with staff. The danger with long-term ministry relationships is we can lose track of the ultimate purpose of bringing someone closer to God and settle for just being good friends. 

Who are you working to keep an intentional, longstanding, ministry relationship with? What has worked for you? What hasn’t worked for you? I’d love to talk with you about it. Reach out and let me know!