manna?

Bridging Families Out of Homelessness

Posted by Rich

Two years ago, 35-year-old Rita Pulley and her two children were sleeping on a stranger’s couch.  That was before she came to the Bridge (southwestleadership.org) - a Phoenix ministry that has helped homeless families back on their feet since 1989.  Pulley was extremely grateful for the free apartment, career guidance and chance for a fresh start.  But it was the everyday activities with her assigned church team that she says grounded her and kept her on the road to financial and emotional recovery.

“When you come from a world of drugs where there is no commitment, you’re used to doing your own thing.” Pulley explains.  “My church team demonstrated commitment, and they modeled stability.”

The program’s volunteer church teams, each from one of 11 local churches, role model a healthy family environment by hosting monthly dinners; planning family-oriented outings; providing emotional support and inviting the family to church.

“They provide an emotional connection to the community.” says Bridge program director Amy Seizer.  “With that connection you have the possibility for healing.

— S.L.  (From the most recent issue of Outreach Magazine)

Hands On Ministry – An Opportunity to Serve

Posted by Rich

Two single mom’s need your help. 

The Community Housing Partnership of Good Samaritan Ministries operates a 28 unit transitional housing program for people who are homeless and want to get back on their feet.  We need to move one single mother to her new apartment at Windscape and we need to clean another unit so a single mom who is residing at the local emergency shelter can have a place for her and her daughter to live.  The moving can take place any time between Friday morning (9/3) and Monday evening (9/6).  Anyone have a truck?  If we can’t find a truck I will rent one.  The cleaning (two bedroom unit - different location) needs to take place either Sunday afternoon/evening or Monday morning.  If you would like to be a part of this ministry opportunity, call Rich Campbell at 566-4576.

If you would like to know about future ministry opportunities through the Community Housing Partnership, or learn about taking a short-term missions trip into generational poverty (it’s a whole different country!), call Rich as well.

Church = More Secular Than Culture?

Posted by Mike Boyink

"We have a church in North American that is more secular than the culture. Just when the church adopted a business model, the culture went looking for God. Just when the church embraced strategic planning (linear and Newtonian), the universe shifted to preparedness (loopy and quantum). Just when the church began building recreation centers, the culture began a search for sacred space. Church people still think that secularism holds sway and that people outside the church have trouble connecting to God. The problem is that when people come to church, expecting to find God, they often encounter a religious club holding a meeting where God is conspicuously absent. It may feel like a self-help seminar or even a political rally. But if pre-Christians came expecting to find God—sorry! They may experience more spiritual energy at a U2 concert or listening to a Creed CD.”
Reggie McNeal, “The Present Future” Jossey-Bass, 2003

Via http://www.nextreformation.com/html/general/present.htm

Does anyone have a copy of “The Present Future” that I might borrow?

Heal Your Church Web Site > Web Sites Are Easy

Posted by Mike Boyink

But we go on… presenting our churches like products - telling people why they’ll like our church (Relevant! Great Music! Fresh Coffee!) but so rarely simply telling the stories of what our church, our faith, and our God has meant to us, and the true change seen in our lives because of it. What is it going to take to wake the modern church to the power of connecting the two, and filling our websites with our own stories?  Full Post >>

By yours truly - my first shot at guest-blogging on someone else’s site.  I’m happy to see that, for the short time MannaIs.org has been on the web, it’s closer to being a site based on stories than what I’ve done in the past.

Matthews Band Gives DNA in Bus Waste Case

Posted by Ed and Lois

Monday August 30, 2004 (Fox News)

CHICAGO — The Dave Matthews Band (search) says it is cooperating with authorities to determine what happened when a tour boat with more than 100 passengers was doused with raw sewage.

A lawsuit by Illinois’ attorney general contends the band’s tour bus emptied its septic tank while crossing a grated bridge over the Chicago River on Aug. 8.

The band issued a statement on its Web site saying members have offered to provide DNA evidence (search) to help authorities determine the source of the sewage.

In its statement, the band also said that if its bus is found to be responsible for the incident, the band will “work quickly to make amends, with the people on the boat and with Chicago.”

“We care deeply about what happened to the people on the boat that day, which was terrible, and the damage that occurred to Chicago’s environment,” the letter states. “We are not attempting to avoid any responsibility we may have for the incident.”

Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s lawsuit against the band and driver, Stefan Wohl, accuses them of violating state water pollution and public nuisance laws.

No criminal charges have been filed.