Highlands Mercy Ministry Training: Part II

Hope will be continuing Mercy Ministry Training at Highlands Presbyterian Church of LaFayette Georgia on May 2, 2009 from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm. Please feel free to join us! Contact Heather at the Hope offices for more information.

Spring Cleaning: How can we do better?

Hope is currently working with Highlands Presbyterian Church of LaFayette Georgia to take a look at how they can become committed to reaching the poor of their community. Within this question, thousands more seem to lie beneath the surface.

How poor is poor?
What is our "community"?
What does commitment really mean?

Where do we start?

This process can, and almost definitely will be, overwhelming. Bryant Myers, in his book Walking with the poor, approaches the matter as follows:

"When Christians say that they accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, they are also saying that they intend to to announce this fact in every facet of their lives and by every means available to them: by life, deed, word, and sign. ...The gospel is not a disembodied message; it is carried and communicated in the life of Christian people."

Our lives matter. If we are going to truly transform our community for Christ, it will take much more than added programs and projects. This is about how we treat the people we walk past every day, the grocery checker, the gas station attendant. It is about making or not making eye contact. It is about taking that sometimes very scary step of getting to know someone who is very unlike ourselves.

Here are a few questions to help you or your congregation to get started:

1. What are we already doing?
2. Where do we live?
3. Where do we work?
4. What do we consider our immediate community?
5. Who do we know?

Please feel free to contact Heather at the Hope for Northwest Georgia with any comments or questions.

Mercy Ministry Training at Highlands Presbyterian

This Saturday, March 28th, Hope will be holding a Mercy Ministry Training at Highlands Presbyterian Church in LaFayette, GA from 9 am to 12 pm. Topics of discussion will include the History of Poverty, Holistic Development, and Ways to Do Harm, among others.
If you are interested in having Hope come to your church, please contact Heather Wilson at heather.hope4nwga@gmail.com.

Jobs for Life Graduation Celebration

Congratulations to our Jobs for Life Graduates! The picture above was taken this past tuesday, when our Jobs for Life class concluded its final session. Graduates of the program have been putting the training into practice even before graduation. One graduate began new employment one month prior to the class finishing. Another participant is planning to attend nursing school, beginning preliminary requirements this summer. Even as early as this May, one participant is going back to school for higher education.

We are very excited to see our JfL participants putting their new found "soft skills" into practice. Each will receive a certificate of graduation as well as the benefit of adding this class to their resume.

Hope plans to begin a new Jobs for Life class at Chattanooga Valley Presbyterian Church in Fall of 2009.

Clothing Give-away

Hope will be hosting their second clothing give-away on February 25 & 26 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. All items are free. Please come and join us for this event at Chattanooga Valley Presbyterian Church at 3371 Chattanooga Valley Road in Flintstone, Georgia. For more information, call the church office at 706.820.2833.

Mercy Ministry Training

Hope for Northwest Georgia will be conducting a Mercy Ministry training course at Highlands Presbyterian Church in Lafayette, Georgia on March 28 and April 25. Topics of the course include Poverty, Mercy, and Community Outreach. Participants will learn how to help the needy and broken in their community in a way that brings glory to God and meaningful, lasting change into the lives of all who are involved.
If you are interested in having Hope come to your church for Mercy Ministry training, contact heather at 706.820.2833.

Clothing Give-Away

From January 14 - January 16th, Hope for Northwest Georgia is hosting a Clothing Give-Away from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Items include shoes and year-round apparel for Men, Women, and children of all ages. All items are in good to new condition.

If interested, please stop by the office or contact Heather.