Comments on: Stretching Out Our Hands Initiative http://www.stmarksraleigh.org/content/2009/02/stretching-out-our-hands-initiative/ An active, vibrant faith community located in Raleigh, North Carolina Tue, 04 May 2010 23:45:24 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Kris Fowler http://www.stmarksraleigh.org/content/2009/02/stretching-out-our-hands-initiative/comment-page-1/#comment-71 Kris Fowler Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:29:40 +0000 http://www.stmarksraleigh.org/content/?p=2240#comment-71 Dear Pastor Ben, Thank you for the opportunity to share our vision and wishes for Saint Marks in outreach and sharing. Like others who have posted here, I am going to be in prayer for God's leading as to what we can do. We all need Love, love from our neighbors, and God's love. An idea is a way for our congregation to listen to those in need. You and Pastor Lib and our staff listen, and we, the rest of Saint Marks can listen too, in love, to those who come to us. Having a quiet place, like the parlor near the pastor's offices that can be staffed by those of us who feel led to do this, we can listen to those who come to our church who are hurting. We can share our love with them. Also we can connect them to our existing resources, and provide emergency gasoline and grocery store cards. As we keep working together, more and more ideas will come. I believe we can love our neighbors as they come to us by actively listening to them, and honoring them with our complete attention. I will do this and I have a feeling others will want to do this too. Kris Dear Pastor Ben,
Thank you for the opportunity to share our vision and wishes for Saint Marks in outreach and sharing. Like others who have posted here, I am going to be in prayer for God’s leading as to what we can do. We all need Love, love from our neighbors, and God’s love.
An idea is a way for our congregation to listen to those in need. You and Pastor Lib and our staff listen, and we, the rest of Saint Marks can listen too, in love, to those who come to us. Having a quiet place, like the parlor near the pastor’s offices that can be staffed by those of us who feel led to do this, we can listen to those who come to our church who are hurting. We can share our love with them. Also we can connect them to our existing resources, and provide emergency gasoline and grocery store cards. As we keep working together, more and more ideas will come.
I believe we can love our neighbors as they come to us by actively listening to them, and honoring them with our complete attention. I will do this and I have a feeling others will want to do this too.
Kris

]]> By: Sue Moore http://www.stmarksraleigh.org/content/2009/02/stretching-out-our-hands-initiative/comment-page-1/#comment-70 Sue Moore Wed, 18 Feb 2009 14:23:46 +0000 http://www.stmarksraleigh.org/content/?p=2240#comment-70 Good Morning Pastor Ben, I am a relative of someone in your church and she sent me this link. It truly sounds like God is speaking to you and that you are hearing! :) OK. Do you have Stephen Ministries at your church? My husband and I were trained in Pittsburgh for five days and then came back to teach members of our church to be care-givers. We are not problem-solvers. God is the problem solver. We listen to the person who is hurting, are aware of helping agencies in the county, and see this person once a week for an hour or so until they get their feet back on the ground. This is certainly a good way to outreach the community. This is just a thought that might help you guys. Also, I serve on the Helping Hands Committee which has been established for people who are truly in need. They come to the minister first. He checks with area ministries to be sure that they are not just "using the system." If they are not, and the need is real, then the five persons on the committee are called by the secretary to get their OK. I always just pray to myself while the secretary talks and then respond as I feel led. We also have an early, less formal service each Sunday in which people can come whether they have fancy clothes or not. This is an outreach. We have built a Rec. Center to call in kids and teams. All we ask is that a person open each event with a prayer of thanks to God, and Jesus Christ, for all of his blessings. Many of us have gone to Tres Dias, which is almost exactly like Walk to Emmaus except that all Christian religions are included in a Tres Dias week-end. This week-end helps to train leaders in the church. OK, I just wanted to respond...in fact, felt led to. You are allowing God to lead you. Definitely a good thing!!!Ok, I feel that I should pray for you: Dear Holy Spirit, Please guide this minister to reach out in his community in all the ways you would have him too. Give him strength and peace in all that he does. Help him to keep his eye on You because all else is sinking sand. Remind him please, Jesus, that he should aspire to the phrase, "Let not your heart be troubled" and repeat it often to himself as the devil tries to tell him lies. Remind him that the key word in that scripture is "Let." Fill Ben with Your Holy Spirit. Do not let his feet dash on the rocks. Surround him with strong Christian people who will encourage him as he attempts be be the "Light" in this dark place. Grow the UMYF, Lord. Show them how to make it fun, but most importantly, show them Jesus. Bless Ben, his family and friends and continually hold his hand in yours. Surround him with angels of protection. Give him truth and also please give him words just as You did to Moses and Jeremiah. We ask you, Jesus, to reach out into this community, Satan be bound, so that You, Lord, can fill the persons there to over-flowing with your Holy Spirit. In Jesus' Holy and Blessed Name we pray, Amen You will be in my husband's and my prayers for many days to come. Peace be with you!!! God bless you, Sue Moore PS Do you have a Corner Cupboard or some place to serve persons without jobs and food. We share the responsibility of this with other churches and groups. It is phenominal how all these agencies work together and God makes it all work to His glory!!! God bless!! Good Morning Pastor Ben,
I am a relative of someone in your church and she sent me this link. It truly sounds like God is speaking to you and that you are hearing! :)
OK. Do you have Stephen Ministries at your church? My husband and I were trained in Pittsburgh for five days and then came back to teach members of our church to be care-givers. We are not problem-solvers. God is the problem solver. We listen to the person who is hurting, are aware of helping agencies in the county, and see this person once a week for an hour or so until they get their feet back on the ground. This is certainly a good way to outreach the community. This is just a thought that might help you guys.
Also, I serve on the Helping Hands Committee which has been established for people who are truly in need. They come to the minister first. He checks with area ministries to be sure that they are not just “using the system.” If they are not, and the need is real, then the five persons on the committee are called by the secretary to get their OK. I always just pray to myself while the secretary talks and then respond as I feel led. We also have an early, less formal service each Sunday in which people can come whether they have fancy clothes or not. This is an outreach.
We have built a Rec. Center to call in kids and teams. All we ask is that a person open each event with a prayer of thanks to God, and Jesus Christ, for all of his blessings.
Many of us have gone to Tres Dias, which is almost exactly like Walk to Emmaus
except that all Christian religions are included in a Tres Dias week-end. This week-end helps to train leaders in the church.
OK, I just wanted to respond…in fact, felt led to. You are allowing God to lead you. Definitely a good thing!!!Ok, I feel that I should pray for you:
Dear Holy Spirit,
Please guide this minister to reach out in his community in all the ways you would have him too. Give him strength and peace in all that he does. Help him to keep his eye on You because all else is sinking sand. Remind him please, Jesus, that he should aspire to the phrase, “Let not your heart be troubled” and repeat it often to himself as the devil tries to tell him lies. Remind him that the key word in that scripture is “Let.” Fill Ben with Your Holy Spirit. Do not let his feet dash on the rocks. Surround him with strong Christian people who will encourage him as he attempts be be the “Light” in this dark place. Grow the UMYF, Lord. Show them how to make it fun, but most importantly, show them Jesus. Bless Ben, his family and friends and continually hold his hand in yours. Surround him with angels of protection. Give him truth and also please give him words just as You did to Moses and Jeremiah. We ask you, Jesus, to reach out into this community, Satan be bound, so that You, Lord, can fill the persons there to over-flowing with your Holy Spirit.
In Jesus’ Holy and Blessed Name we pray,
Amen
You will be in my husband’s and my prayers for many days to come. Peace be with you!!!
God bless you,
Sue Moore
PS Do you have a Corner Cupboard or some place to serve persons without jobs and food. We share the responsibility of this with other churches and groups. It is phenominal how all these agencies work together and God makes it all work to His glory!!! God bless!!

]]> By: Jill Wiencek http://www.stmarksraleigh.org/content/2009/02/stretching-out-our-hands-initiative/comment-page-1/#comment-69 Jill Wiencek Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:04:16 +0000 http://www.stmarksraleigh.org/content/?p=2240#comment-69 Ben - We may also want to provide a resource guide of programs and assistance that is available. I have included a link below for a program called Angel Food Ministries, a family can be order a box of food for $30, but the amount of food received is worth almost $60 and is meant to assist in feeding a family of four for about a week. There are no qualification, minimums, income restrictions or applications. Each month there is a new menu of what is provided in the each box. There is a place on the main page to put in a zip code and it will tell you the closest location (there is one about 5 miles from St. Marks). http://www.angelfoodministries.com/ Ben -
We may also want to provide a resource guide of programs and assistance that is available. I have included a link below for a program called Angel Food Ministries, a family can be order a box of food for $30, but the amount of food received is worth almost $60 and is meant to assist in feeding a family of four for about a week. There are no qualification, minimums, income restrictions or applications. Each month there is a new menu of what is provided in the each box. There is a place on the main page to put in a zip code and it will tell you the closest location (there is one about 5 miles from St. Marks).

http://www.angelfoodministries.com/

]]> By: Julie Gibson http://www.stmarksraleigh.org/content/2009/02/stretching-out-our-hands-initiative/comment-page-1/#comment-68 Julie Gibson Mon, 16 Feb 2009 22:54:50 +0000 http://www.stmarksraleigh.org/content/?p=2240#comment-68 It would be great to work together with the other churches along Six Forks. I am praying that God will lead us to do the thing (or things) that God is dreaming for us to do! I think if we will all spend some time praying for God's vision, this will be something phenominal! I can hardly wait to see what God is going to do!! It would be great to work together with the other churches along Six Forks. I am praying that God will lead us to do the thing (or things) that God is dreaming for us to do! I think if we will all spend some time praying for God’s vision, this will be something phenominal! I can hardly wait to see what God is going to do!!

]]> By: Pastor Ben http://www.stmarksraleigh.org/content/2009/02/stretching-out-our-hands-initiative/comment-page-1/#comment-67 Pastor Ben Mon, 16 Feb 2009 19:18:38 +0000 http://www.stmarksraleigh.org/content/?p=2240#comment-67 Joshua, Thanks for the comment. Right now we send all of the food we collect to North Raleigh Ministries. NRM is a cooperative ministry orginally organized by the 5 churches of North Hills that sit along Six Forks Rd. It has since expanded and is doing great work. Part of our work going forward will be to get very clear about what NRM is already doing. We don't want to duplicate efforts. If NRM is already doing it then we can work to further/better resource them. If they are not doing it and it is a need then we can see what St. Mark's can do to address it. Joshua, Thanks for the comment. Right now we send all of the food we collect to North Raleigh Ministries. NRM is a cooperative ministry orginally organized by the 5 churches of North Hills that sit along Six Forks Rd. It has since expanded and is doing great work. Part of our work going forward will be to get very clear about what NRM is already doing. We don’t want to duplicate efforts. If NRM is already doing it then we can work to further/better resource them. If they are not doing it and it is a need then we can see what St. Mark’s can do to address it.

]]> By: Jo Jenrette http://www.stmarksraleigh.org/content/2009/02/stretching-out-our-hands-initiative/comment-page-1/#comment-66 Jo Jenrette Mon, 16 Feb 2009 19:10:18 +0000 http://www.stmarksraleigh.org/content/?p=2240#comment-66 Hi Pastor Ben, You gave a very moving sermon this past Sunday. I am not sure how to help the needy, but one thing that would be helpful would be to create a profile of the person(s) coming to St. Marks for help, if that is possible. For example, are you seeing single men or families or single women with children? There may not be a trend of this type. Do you see trends in day/time of day that they come? If St Marks could provide a meal and then transportation to a facility that could help these families, that would be a start. Then we could fundraise for facilities set up to help the needy? It is very hard, but I don't know if a church can handle these families on an extended basis ---although it pains me to say this. But this would only be a very short term bandaid for a huge problem. Long term these folks need medical attention (possibly mental health care), housing and employment. I am not sure what assistance is available on this front either. Here is an interesting site to allow folks to volunteer time, etc. to community efforts: http://usaservice.org/page/content/calltoservice/ Thanks for your passion for mankind! Jo Jenrette Hi Pastor Ben,

You gave a very moving sermon this past Sunday.

I am not sure how to help the needy, but one thing that would be helpful would be to create a profile of the person(s) coming to St. Marks for help, if that is possible.

For example, are you seeing single men or families or single women with children? There may not be a trend of this type.

Do you see trends in day/time of day that they come?

If St Marks could provide a meal and then transportation to a facility that could help these families, that would be a start. Then we could fundraise for facilities set up to help the needy? It is very hard, but I don’t know if a church can handle these families on an extended basis —although it pains me to say this.

But this would only be a very short term bandaid for a huge problem. Long term these folks need medical attention (possibly mental health care), housing and employment.

I am not sure what assistance is available on this front either.

Here is an interesting site to allow folks to volunteer time, etc. to community efforts:
http://usaservice.org/page/content/calltoservice/

Thanks for your passion for mankind!
Jo Jenrette

]]> By: Joshua Foote http://www.stmarksraleigh.org/content/2009/02/stretching-out-our-hands-initiative/comment-page-1/#comment-65 Joshua Foote Sun, 15 Feb 2009 21:26:04 +0000 http://www.stmarksraleigh.org/content/?p=2240#comment-65 Ben, I will be there on Wednesday and I have an idea of one thing we as a church body can do. I was wondering what kind of food distribution system we have in the church now? Food pantry ect ect? Ben,
I will be there on Wednesday and I have an idea of one thing we as a church body can do. I was wondering what kind of food distribution system we have in the church now? Food pantry ect ect?

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