There are those who are hungry and we share our food; those without clothing and we find some; many who are isolated and forgotten, and we do our best to remind them that God sees and loves them. There are also people who have everything and do not know any poor people, and we make introductions which become friendships. There are people that are looking for Jesus and we remind them that He said he always was, and still is, found in the margins. There is a picture of a diverse kingdom where very different peoples join together in one song, worshiping one Lord, and we strive in every expression of what we do to rehearse and demonstrate that reality. Chesterton puts it this way, “That very multiplicity of proof which ought to make reply overwhelming makes it impossible.” It is so true. When I am asked, “what is the need” I can only say, it is overwhelming. When asked “Why would you give your life to this?” I just think to myself, well there is Ben….and Magic…and Richard….and Momma…and Yvette…..and on and on it goes. Jesus knows these names and has broken us and blessed us like bread to feed the multitude.
Poverty is the problem. Regardless of its expression, poverty strips humanity of its God-given freedom to make decisions. Poverty is so much deeper than a lack of money or material possessions and therefore cannot be solved with material solutions alone. Poverty must be understood and addressed in a holistic manner which reflects all of what it means to be human. We have bodies that get hungry, souls that get lost, hearts that break, minds that are tormented and God made and loves the whole person.
People who are made in the image of God, also live in societies that shape their reality as well. Society itself can be impoverished. If man is made in God’s image and the stripping of that image and dignity is poverty, I would argue that a society which does not bear the image of His kingdom, is a society in poverty. The problem for society is a poverty of the absence of the kingdom.
With this understanding of poverty in mind, our ministries might give food to the hungry as an excuse to share a table with them; or take them somewhere they need to go because it affords us an opportunity to listen to their stories. We invite middle class people to ‘help out’ because of the relationships that such encounters produce. Every effort is done with the prayer that His kingdom would come and will be done on earth as it is in heaven. It is Jesus' love of the entire person that heals and it is through these economically diverse communities and relationships that the kingdom becomes a little more real in our society.
Our ministries are small but they are also serious and powerful. We are that mustard seed which grows into a large tree where birds make their nests. Jesus looked at a mustard seed and saw an entire eco-system. Our prayer is that when you look at our ministries you can see a kingdom.
In the following descriptions you will get a glimpse of the diversity of ways we are engaging homelessness, hunger, isolation, depression, poverty, as well as entitlement, pride, materialism, greed and prejudice. Our communities are, themselves, rehearsals of the coming kingdom, where nobody goes hungry, people know that they are valued, tears are wiped away and hearts are surrendered to Jesus.
The Well - We Are Underground from Underground Network on Vimeo.
The Conscious Party
The Conscious Party is a gathering that happens on the first Saturday of every month at The Hub, in the heart of Ybor City. This is a place where those who don’t normally have the opportunity to be heard have an open mic, a stage, and an audience. It is a party for our friends and neighbors living on the streets, and is open to all. We share a meal with the community and use this time to appreciate the creative gifts we’ve been given. People come here and leave awakened by the beauty found in their neighbor’s story, pain, and art.
The Good Sam
The Good Sam is a ministry that serves a meal every Tuesday evening out of the kitchen at the Good Samaritan Inn on Florida Avenue. We come here to provide a meal to the homeless, but most of all to sit down and share a meal with strangers who eventually become friends. Over the years we have seen some of our homeless friends become a part of our team, serving food and caring for their brothers and sisters in need. This meal is an excuse to spend time with and listen to those that often find themselves without a friend to care or give them a listening ear. We’ve encountered Jesus working in this place and have been able to come alongside Him here and carry the burden with those in pain.
The Banquet
The Banquet is a ministry that serves dinner every Thursday at The Hub in Ybor City. This is different from your average soup kitchen in that we eat family-style, around a table, sharing food and conversation. When we started, we served in a “slop line” manner but eventually decided to move towards a more formal dining experience. We changed to a sit-down, family-style meal, and found that the spirit of this place changed in a big way. We are striving to provide a place and a meal that makes people feel valued in the way Jesus values them. This experience is comparative to a fine dining restaurant. We recognize God finds great value in us and are striving to create a meal that echoes this innate worth that we have as God’s creation.
The Well
The Well started as a resource center to meet the immediate physical needs of the local homeless community with a lounge and computer lab. Because of the lack of staff, volunteers and funding, this now operates as an open food pantry and clothing closet where anyone can come and take what they need. It is our plan to re-establish the lounge and computer lab, as well as having showers and laundry facilities available here.
Tampa Bay Counseling Center
TBC Counseling is a ministry offering mental health counseling and case management services to those that need it. Sometimes people living on the street develop serious mental conditions. This ministry benefits many people who need professional services, but don’t have the money for, knowledge of, or access to the resources they need. Services are provided regardless of the client’s ability to pay, and counselors seek funding from grants and other outside donors. TBC Counseling meets with clients and has office space at The Hub in Ybor City. Counselors are also available during meal times at The Good Samaritan Inn or at The Banquet, for free, for thirty-minute case management and assessment sessions. Counseling is offered free to all individuals, families, groups, and couples in the homeless community. Counselors have knowledge and experience working with addiction issues, PTSD, family counseling, couples counseling, depression, and anxiety and maintain appropriate licensing and liability insurance.
The Eden Project
The Eden Project is a ministry that seeks to recapture an attitude of respect, adoration, and care for the Earth and its’ people. The earth’s natural resources are rapidly diminishing which directly, negatively, and most severely affects the poor. This ministry seeks to educate on how to garden and what can be done to reduce the environmental and social impact of the globalization of our food. We are working to raise awareness of the importance of local agriculture and urban gardening. We offer our expertise and labor as a service to those who live outside of the inner city and can afford to contribute. These funds are taken and made available to poor neighborhoods that are working toward a sustainable food source in their community. We also manage a plot in a local community garden as we strive to maintain relationships with local gardeners. We have done installations in halfway houses and rehab centers as a gift to places where people are in need of healthy food. We also coordinate a composting Co-op in partnership with the Lake House that picks up compost weekly from neighbors. Our first year produced over one ton of compostable material. We are excited to see these nutrients go back into the soil of our community instead of the local dump. We believe that ecology should be both environmental as well as social, and advocate sustainable development that attends to the basic needs of human beings without sacrificing the earth’s resources. We are looking to transform the dark, desolate places of our city into the Eden that God initially created it to be.
Ybor Heights Neighborhood Association
Ybor Heights Neighborhood Association is just getting started. Several of us that live in Ybor Heights, a neighborhood that is both beautiful and poor, recently learned that our area was one of the only neighborhoods around without an active neighborhood association. For over 11 years there has not been any organizing in this community. As we noticed people in surrounding communities that had organized getting special attention from city council and other civic leaders, we realized the potential such an organization could have. We are striving to reach out and involve everybody in the community so that nobody’s voice remains unheard. The Lake House had enough friends and contacts in the community to get a board of young Christian neighbors voted into leadership. While this effort is still in the beginning outreach phase, we believe that this civic endeavor is a powerful way for our faith community to better serve the neighbors in Ybor Heights.
Ybor Heights is defined as the area bounded by Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. to the north, 26th Ave. to the south, I-275 to the west, and 15th Street to the east.
Sacred Studio
With a vision to see a diverse group of people sitting together and making art as an act of worship and exploration of Jesus, this community gathers to strive for just that. They reflect on a scripture with artistic expression and then share their pieces and ideas with each other. This gathering is creative, fun, therapeutic and as the name implies, sacred. Sacred Studios is now taking the show on the road, as they are bringing the supplies necessary to share this experience at some of our meals and other ministries in the community.
Ybor Heights Neighborhood Association is just getting started. Several of us that live in Ybor Heights, a neighborhood that is both beautiful and poor, recently learned that our area was one of the only neighborhoods around without an active neighborhood association. For over 11 years there has not been any organizing in this community. As we noticed people in surrounding communities that had organized getting special attention from city council and other civic leaders, we realized the potential such an organization could have. We are striving to reach out and involve everybody in the community so that nobody’s voice remains unheard. The Lake House had enough friends and contacts in the community to get a board of young Christian neighbors voted into leadership. While this effort is still in the beginning outreach phase, we believe that this civic endeavor is a powerful way for our faith community to better serve the neighbors in Ybor Heights.
Ybor Heights is defined as the area bounded by Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. to the north, 26th Ave. to the south, I-275 to the west, and 15th Street to the east.
Sacred Studio
With a vision to see a diverse group of people sitting together and making art as an act of worship and exploration of Jesus, this community gathers to strive for just that. They reflect on a scripture with artistic expression and then share their pieces and ideas with each other. This gathering is creative, fun, therapeutic and as the name implies, sacred. Sacred Studios is now taking the show on the road, as they are bringing the supplies necessary to share this experience at some of our meals and other ministries in the community.
Firm Believers
One of the girls in the Lake House home church loves jogging. She has recently begun inviting others to join her with the intention of sharing the love of God with those they come across along their run. Her hope is to see another micro-church community of runner/evangelists grow out of this effort. We are praying for her and those that she meets along the way.
One of the girls in the Lake House home church loves jogging. She has recently begun inviting others to join her with the intention of sharing the love of God with those they come across along their run. Her hope is to see another micro-church community of runner/evangelists grow out of this effort. We are praying for her and those that she meets along the way.
No comments:
Post a Comment