After the continued growth of the South St. Pete house church last fall, the leaders felt like it was time to expand. The expansion resulted in the Hammock house church. It has become melting pot with students, recent graduates, middle aged, homeless, single and married, but despite all of the differences they have been united as a community with a desire to impact their neighborhood.
As they began to explore what their mission would look like, they took note of all the kids on their street who often come from broken families and are exposed to drug dealing and constant fighting. With a heart to show these children the love of God, they began to modify their meeting to accommodate the kids. After sharing a meal, they take time for a bible study while offering the kids crafts, music, sports or their own bible study.
While there was some resistance in the beginning from parents and some of the kids, they've been able to make an impact on their street. On average, they see 3 to 4 kids a week in their meeting, and they've had the opportunity to welcome as many as 10 kids in one meeting. While they may not always know exactly what to do next, they know God is at work around them and in them.
If you would like information about visiting the Hammock house church you can contact Sarah.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Created
Sometimes it's hard for us to quantify the work we are doing in the community. Some churches spend countless hours trying to calculate the attendance, involvement and impact of their ministries. People looking in from the outside are sometimes looking for concrete numbers to trace the effectiveness of our ministries. So, without the facts and figures, how do you measure your impact?
Last week, I was sitting at my desk in the Hub, and I had the honor of witnessing the testimony of a changed life. A local police officer had heard of the work Created has been doing in our city and wanted more information to see if some of the officers could work with Created to help the women in our city. As he spoke with Joann, he noted that while the ministry sounded great, if he was going to get his bosses involved, he needed some concrete facts and figures, something to show the effects. Without that information, the staff of Created tried to reinforce the fact that lives were being changed even if wasn't proven on paper. It was proven in the ladies. The officer noted there had some women he hadn't seen in a while, and he hoped the best for them but was concerned that something much worse had happened.
The officer then witnessed something that couldn't be proven through paper, facts or figures. One of the Created ladies came around the corner, and he saw a changed life. He knew her. Well... he knew the old her. And now as he sat in the Created offices, he saw the new her. She began to share her story about finding God's grace and love and how he changed her life. Shortly, after that another one of the ladies came around the corner. He knew them both before, but it was different now. He was listening the story of God's grace, and he could see this new life overflowing from them.
It was proof that couldn't be shown in numbers, charts, brochures or budgets. It was lives changed. At times we may feel discouraged, but we should all be encouraged by the story of a changed life.
-Lindsay
Last week, I was sitting at my desk in the Hub, and I had the honor of witnessing the testimony of a changed life. A local police officer had heard of the work Created has been doing in our city and wanted more information to see if some of the officers could work with Created to help the women in our city. As he spoke with Joann, he noted that while the ministry sounded great, if he was going to get his bosses involved, he needed some concrete facts and figures, something to show the effects. Without that information, the staff of Created tried to reinforce the fact that lives were being changed even if wasn't proven on paper. It was proven in the ladies. The officer noted there had some women he hadn't seen in a while, and he hoped the best for them but was concerned that something much worse had happened.
The officer then witnessed something that couldn't be proven through paper, facts or figures. One of the Created ladies came around the corner, and he saw a changed life. He knew her. Well... he knew the old her. And now as he sat in the Created offices, he saw the new her. She began to share her story about finding God's grace and love and how he changed her life. Shortly, after that another one of the ladies came around the corner. He knew them both before, but it was different now. He was listening the story of God's grace, and he could see this new life overflowing from them.
It was proof that couldn't be shown in numbers, charts, brochures or budgets. It was lives changed. At times we may feel discouraged, but we should all be encouraged by the story of a changed life.
-Lindsay
Links of Hope
Links of Hope was created in 2008 with a goal to teach impoverished women a marketable cottage industry so that they can provide for their own families with a sustainable income. Through personal relationships, they have been able to train over 40 women in Honduras, Costa Rica and right here in Tampa in the art of jewelry making. If you are interested in supporting Links of Hope you can do so by donating old jewelry, beads or gift cards to supply the women with the raw materials they need to create jewelry. You can contact Beth at elizabeth@linksofhope.org
Saturday Lunch
As our network continues to expand throughout Tampa, it's even more exciting to see the growth in Pinellas County. Scott and Danielle Haefele have been leading their house church in reaching out to the ever growing homeless community in Williams Park and St. Vincents. Every 2nd Saturday they meet at 9:30 a.m. to prepare around 200 lunches for those in the community. Through these lunches they've been able to be tangible examples of God's provision, as well as build and strengthen relationships with so many of the homeless community in St. Pete. In the last three years, they have tripled their volunteer involvement. As they continue to grow, they'll be able to expand to more Saturdays providing lunch for their community.
The Lake House
Click on the link below for a video to learn a little more about The Lake House..
The Lake House
You can also follow their blog here: lakehousetampa.blogspot.com
The Lake House
You can also follow their blog here: lakehousetampa.blogspot.com
UBUNTU
The word actually has its origins in the Bantu languages of southern Africa. For some of our Underground network, it’s where they come together in community. Desmond Tutu gave the word some definition by saying, “A person with Ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when other are humiliated or diminished, when others are torture or oppressed.”
The philosophy of Ubunutu is community at it’s best, and that’s why the core team of this house church chose this name for their gathering. In 2006, a group of six people began to meet as a church. At the time, they were all maintaing their separate ministries, but they were able to come together to meet and experience life together. In 2007 as Underground was beginning to form, they decided it was time for a name and found Ubuntu as the perfect word to describe what was happening in their home church.
For Ubuntu, it’s not just about getting together once a week for bible study and dinner. It’s about experiencing life together. For some, it’s been their community for years and for others, it was just a season. The growth of Ubuntu cannot be measured by their weekly meeting, but by the ministries its people have created. The same mission that brought them together as a community is the mission that inspires and drives them to expand the kingdom. We were not meant to live life alone, and Ubuntu is a perfect example of the change that can occur when we choose to live life together with others.
Ubuntu meets Sundays at 6:00 p.m. If you would like to visit, contact Wil at 813.765.9166 or wsekajipo@yahoo.com
The philosophy of Ubunutu is community at it’s best, and that’s why the core team of this house church chose this name for their gathering. In 2006, a group of six people began to meet as a church. At the time, they were all maintaing their separate ministries, but they were able to come together to meet and experience life together. In 2007 as Underground was beginning to form, they decided it was time for a name and found Ubuntu as the perfect word to describe what was happening in their home church.
For Ubuntu, it’s not just about getting together once a week for bible study and dinner. It’s about experiencing life together. For some, it’s been their community for years and for others, it was just a season. The growth of Ubuntu cannot be measured by their weekly meeting, but by the ministries its people have created. The same mission that brought them together as a community is the mission that inspires and drives them to expand the kingdom. We were not meant to live life alone, and Ubuntu is a perfect example of the change that can occur when we choose to live life together with others.
Ubuntu meets Sundays at 6:00 p.m. If you would like to visit, contact Wil at 813.765.9166 or wsekajipo@yahoo.com
The MiLK House
Every Thursday night on Martin Luther King Blvd., there’s a group of people who gather for dinner and bible study. Their current life situations are as different as their pasts. But they’re all united under the same passion: to be community.
We are all new creations in Christ, but there are few that understand that more than the MiLK house. Some have struggled with addiction and some with homelessness. They are employed and unemployed. Some of their stories would surprise you. Some would inspire you. But when they gather together as a community, they find a common ground. For some, this is the first time they’ve experienced support through a community. They no longer have to fight their battles alone, but they can do it with the support of the house.
The MiLK house meets on Thursday nights at 7:00 for dinner and bible study at 1217 E. MLK in Tampa. If you’d like any more information, contact George at 813.562.7603 or John at 813.385.8671
We are all new creations in Christ, but there are few that understand that more than the MiLK house. Some have struggled with addiction and some with homelessness. They are employed and unemployed. Some of their stories would surprise you. Some would inspire you. But when they gather together as a community, they find a common ground. For some, this is the first time they’ve experienced support through a community. They no longer have to fight their battles alone, but they can do it with the support of the house.
The MiLK house meets on Thursday nights at 7:00 for dinner and bible study at 1217 E. MLK in Tampa. If you’d like any more information, contact George at 813.562.7603 or John at 813.385.8671
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