Faith Reach needs your help. We need your personal stories!

I was doing some clean up and found this in a Facebook Note. It is worth repeating here...

Friends of Faith,

Faith Reach needs your help. We need your personal stories!

Faith Reach was started to communicate the outward work that God is doing through Faith Church. It has 3 major goals.

* Provide regular news and invitations of opportunities for you to get involved.
* Provide background information on the ministries that we are inviting you into.
* Provide an avenue for you to tell your stories about how God has impacted you or impacted others through your involvement in outreach ministries.

We are well on our way in providing the first two goals. However, they mean nothing without your stories! Without your stories, Faith Reach is just another website and the invitations are hollow. As Christians we are called to share the Good News. That is done most effectively by telling our personal stories of how God has worked in our lives. That is the way these ministries, these invitations, and this website will become an active part of God's plan.

The Personal Stories link on Faith Reach takes you to it's sister blog site. There are several stories there now; like a story from the returning South Africa team, or experiences at the Downtown Rescue Mission worship service. These stories make these actions personal, connectional, and give glory to the Christ that works through them and us.

So, please share your stories. Contact me and I'll help you get your story told. If you wish to remain anonymous on the web, we can do that, but the story itself is important. Just drop me an email at ms@presby.org

It is through your stories of "Christ in you" that life will be breathed into these "Dry Bones" of electrons on a page (Ezekiel 37:1-14).

Thank You!

In His Service,
Dave McGhee

2009 Operation Hungry Homeless Christmas Banquet

by Dave McGhee

I and several others from Faith spent about three hours at the 2009 Operation Hungry Homeless Christmas Banquet on Saturday December 12th. This is an annual event in which a number of local churches involved in ministry to the homeless work together to provide a hot meal, access to donated clothing, and some loving attention to some of Huntsville’s most marginalized citizens. This is a sister event to the Homeless Picnic in July that I reported on previously here. The cold wind and impending rain outside contrasted with the warmth and friendliness inside gave ample evidence of the need for such an offering.

St. Bartley Primitive Baptist Church organized and hosted the event this year. A number of other churches were also involved. Faith provided drinks and ice as well as about a half dozen bags of clothes. St. Bartley is typically one of the main organizers of this event. This year however they also hosted the event. Faith Church has hosted the event for the past several years but due to the Fellowship hall fire, along with timing and logistics, we could not make that offer this year. This loss was sorely missed within this community of providers. St. Bartley did a magnificent job!

Frank has a wonderful “God thing” story to tell! So if I can’t convince him to share it in this blog, please get him to tell you about it!

Once again, as I did in the summer picnic article, I need to remind us (and myself) to throw out any stereotype ideas we have of the homeless! These were clean, friendly, and very polite folks that could easily be you or I. And to be brutally honest, the worst smell was some alcohol breath which I’m sure you’ve already experienced at one of this year’s Christmas parties. Philip, Billy, Howard, and I helped out with the men’s clothes. We had some time to take stock of what was there and had the pleasure of helping these gentlemen find what they needed. I say gentlemen and I mean it. They were very polite, taking only what they needed, helping each other find what they needed and minding each others bags on occasion. Acquaintances shared greetings and travel tips and points of contact in other cities like Chattanooga and Nashville. Every one thanked us and more than a few wished us blessings and a happy holiday!

Here are a couple observations regarding needs for future clothing donations. Socks are always in high demand! Any Boy Scout or infantryman will tell you dry socks are the key to life. Also there were lots of requests for underwear shorts. With Faith’s resources, I would think that focusing our future clothing contributions on new socks and underwear would be very welcome? As far as men’s pants sizes, 30-34 waist sizes are in high demand.

I almost didn’t go to this event. I knew I had a good experience at the summer picnic, yet these stereotypes we have can have a powerful hold on us. Additionally I am not a great people person and last week was very long week with lots of people interactions that wear me out. These anxieties along with trying to find a new place in a “questionable” neighborhood just about had me convinced not to go. The Lord convinced me to trust in Him and go. And I found myself being very amiable and having a pleasant time! I even started to recognize some faces of folks from St. Bartley. Tim from St. Bartley made me feel very welcome. Thanks Tim! I hope this becomes a regular thing.

In closing, Frank relayed to me that the number of folks served at this banquet peaked a number of years ago at around 400. He shared, that was a particularly good year of cooperation, support, and participation among folks serving this community. This tells me that this need is all about the supply of willing providers. The demand is always high. I heard just recently (I wish I could remember from whom) that the poor will always be with us (Matthew 26:11), but no where does it say they should be the same poor! In sharing the Kingdom we should be continually helping the poor move ahead.

A Letter From A Visitor:

Dear Members of Faith Presbyterian Church,

I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye before I left for Atlanta, as events would have it when I put my 2 weeks notice in, I worked that Sunday and was completely in bed with a sinus infection my last Sunday in Huntsville.

But I wanted to thank all of you. I only attended for about a month and a half, from mid-August until in October when I left. It was not a very long time. But your kindness and Christ-like actions made a profound impact on my life.

The last seven years of my life have been tumultuous for my faith. I grew up Roman Catholic, and got a rude awakening to the rest of Christianity in high school. The one thing that has single-handedly driven me from Christianity were Christians themselves. It has been a very painful path. So when I first came to your church, it was with great trepidation, fear, and honestly, a lot of anger. I even “tested” it the Saturday before.

But you took me in. You invited me to lunch, and to the C3 group. You listened, and did not condemn me for my upbringing. You were understanding, and looked at me with (as I think Becca Phillips put it during the kids’ sermon one Sunday) eyes of love. I had been convinced by so many that God’s love did not extend to me. You all challenged that. Christ says “whatever you do to the least of these, you do unto me.” And I want you to know your treasure is in heaven, because Christ is IN YOU. Really and truly in each one of you and in your congregation.

I for so long felt outcast, a pariah. But not at Faith Presbyterian. I saw, on September 11th, you work diligently with members of other faiths (Catholic and Muslim among them!) for His Glory. I witnessed the Blood Drive you hosted. And the beginning of a food drive. I witnessed Christ in action. There is something I heard growing up, that our lives may be the only Christ, the only Bible, someone ever knows. Another thing I was taught was “Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary use words.” (St. Francis of Assisi) Thank you for LIVING Christ.

I won’t lie and say I came back to Atlanta and am hunky dory and peachy. I won’t lie and say there isn’t a skeptical or cynical bone left in my body. There is. There are many things I have to work out. There is still some anger to let go of. Forgiveness to be had. Baby steps. Baby steps. But thank you for renewing in me a faith I thought I had lost. I was lost but now am found, blind but now I see. His Amazing Grace brought me to you. (and by the way, if I’m ever in Huntsville, it will bring me back!).

Thank you. With love, A Visitor at Faith