Many have not even heard of Neon and many don't even bother knowing about Neon.
In case you have no idea where it is; here is a map to locate it (the green star):
Fleming-Neon was established in 1913 by the Elkhorn Coal Corporation in the Northeast part of Letcher County (Letcher County has 23 small towns in it). Fleming-Neon was actually two separate towns which eventually merged together in 1978. Not much is known about Neon and its beginnings. But we do know some things.
The train that would haul the coal out of Fleming would stop in Neon. As others would board the train cars; the conductor would tell them to "Knee-On" as they boarded; thus the name stuck for the town even today. Now the town is still known as Fleming-Neon, but people shorten it to be known as simply Neon.
The population has declined in the past 30 years. It was roughly 1,200 people in 1980. However, the present day population is roughly 750 people.
There is little diversity in Neon with 97% of the people being white and the remainder being African-American, Latino.
The land mass of the city of Neon is extremely small being only 1.7 square miles big.
54% of the population is married and 16% of the households have no husband present. And the average family size is 2.5 persons.
The median income for a household in the city was $18,421 in 2012, and the median income for a family was $20,795. This results in roughly 45% of the population living below the poverty line (The USA poverty line is currently at $24,587). The median home price is $40,000 for an average size house.
As far as education goes; Neon recently, in 2005 closed their high school and two other neighboring high schools of Whitesburg and Letcher High School merged to form Letcher County Central High School. Before 2005; the school was started in 1925 by the Elkhorn Coal Corporation to provide education for the coal miners children. However, in 1958 the school was destroyed by a fire; therefore the classes were held in the evenings at the Elementary School building until a new building was constructed. Sadly, the school shut its doors once and for all on June 6, 2005.
My first visit to the little town of Neon was on a mission trip in April, 2000. I have been there all but four years since then and I have loved every single visit. When I first drove through the little tiny town; I was shocked at what I saw. Here are some pictures of Neon.....
The picture above is of the Volunteer Fire Department that was recently built to fit the needs of the trucks. This year we also noticed that the Library was rebuilt.
And the city of Neon in general has become a cleaner city. The street sidewalks seem to be cleaner, the sides of the streets and the trash seem to be getting cleaned up.
It has been amazing to see first hand, how God has been transforming this city.
One way that God is transforming this city is through the work of an organization called Housing Oriented Ministries Established for Service (HOMES). HOMES began in 1984 with the same mission that it has today:
HOMES mission is to provide affordable housing solutions to low income families in Letcher and the surrounding counties. These affordable housing solutions include affordable energy efficient homebuyer opportunities, quality affordable home repairs and affordable rental opportunities.
Through this organization, volunteers come and stay at an outpost in the mountains which used to be an old coal mining station. The volunteers that come and go help HOMES with completing its mission. From 1984 until now, HOMES has built 233 newly constructed homes, repaired nearly 300 owner occupied homes and has developed 36 affordable rental units.
This small organization has made a huge impact in the counties surrounding Letcher and Letcher itself, but even more specifically than that is the city of Neon.
Through 11 years of serving in Neon with HOMES I have deconstructed three homes so that new ones can be built on that same site as well as deconstructing an office building for a new one to be built. I have assisted in replacing a wood floor in an occupied home as well as painting an office building. I have began building 6 homes through the HOMES organization.
Besides the transformation that has taken place in the city; there seems to be a new hope for the people. Each year I make an attempt to go to the houses that I have helped with and talk with the owners and maybe even meet them for the first time. This is such a pleasant opportunity and time for me; the joy and hope on their faces that things are well is stunning to me with how little they have.
It teaches me that I don't need much to have the
real joy
and
real hope
of the
Gospel.
There are also many churches in Neon which are helping with the transformation of this city. And one of those churches is the church that I attend every year I go down there; the Neon First Church of God.
This church is the most hospitable and compassionate church that I have ever met. It is such a kind and caring Christian community committee the the purest Gospel of grace. Throughout the years, I have built a great relationship with many members of this church as we have been there each year.
However, my time serving in Neon, Kentucky. And my relationship with the Neon First Church of God may be at standstill for a little while.....
And this pains me.
I love Neon. I love serving there. I love the atmosphere. I love the cold, crisp mornings. I love the fog in the mornings covering the tops of the mountains. I love the bunks we sleep in (not really, but I will miss them).
But Lord willing, I will be back.
I pray that this may come true.
For when Neon gets a hold of your heart,
it is hard to let it go.
Neon is almost apart of me.
There seems to be a piece of Neon in my blood
which I simply cannot separate and get rid of out of my body.
But if I never make it back to Neon, that will be okay......
It's okay because
I know and I am certain that
God is the God of this city
and
He will always be the God of this city.
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