Firewood for the Homeless Mission

This coming Friday, April 16th, the youth ministries of the church is looking for your excess Firewood, to collect and donate to the Homeless folks at “Tent City.”

There are a few hundred homeless people living in make shift tents and homes underneath the bridges and in the woods around downtown Nashville in what the city considers “emergency temporary housing.” The most established and highest populated of these areas is called “tent city.” In working with some of the other churches and agencies that work with these communities one of the expressed needs they’ve asked for is firewood. They do not have electricity or gas set ups to cook food any other way than on an open flame, as well it is a source of heat when it gets cooler at night. Firewood is seen as an ongoing need for these homeless populations.

If you have a pile of firewood or brush wood that is around your property and you would like to put it to use with some people who could really use it. Email me (Gavin) at gavin.richardson(at)hfumc.org with your address & location of firewood donation on your property, plus any special instructions. If you know of construction sites that have scrap, untreated, lumber that can be donated as well. We will be driving around this Friday and collecting as much as possible and delivering it to Tent City later in the afternoon.

Shalom,
-gavin

During many of ya’lls second week of Spring Break we are going to try something that has been leaning on my heart for a number of years. That is beginning to get to know and help the homeless population in and around our city. We are still working out our details as destinations for each day, but here’s the basic set up.

Wednesday – Friday April 14- 16th We will be helping out some of the local missions and homeless first hand through some of our church agencies and friends.

Saturday Morning April 17th, I am encouraging families to sign up and participate in “Walk a Mile in My Shoes” to help raise awareness, some money, and to meet many of those who are homeless in our community (and see of the folks we met days prior).

Saturday Evening April 17th, I am encouraging families to pilgrimage all the way to Franklin 1st UMC (EastSanctuary at 6pm) to hear Shane Claiborne speak about Kingdom work he’s been a part of as peacekeeper in Iraq, serving those in need alongside Mother Theresa, and his work with his friends as part of The Simple Way.

It is sure to open the eyes of what is out there, spark the imagination of what is possible, and change yours & my families lives forever if you allow it.

shalom, -gavin

We traditionally throw a bit of a Super Bowl party for our Room at the Inn guests. Terri Donaldson is helping to coordinate Here is our Current List of Needs

Updated: Jan 28th 4pm

Set Up Cots
1. Jennifer Elder
2. ___________________

Prepare meal, serve & clean up (5:00- aprox. 7:30)
1. Parker Smythe
2. Austin Chariton
3. Russell Vannozzi
4. Aaron Longe
5. ______________
6. ______________

Innkeepers (7:45 p.m.-5:00 a.m.) ADULTS
1.______________
2.______________

Breakfast & Clean-up (4:30-aprox. 6:30 a.m.)
1. Clayton
2.______________

Sandwich meat (24 sandwiches)
1.______________

Bread (to make 24 sandwiches)
1.______________

Apples/Fruit (12)
1. David McCoy

Chips (12 individual bags)
1. Aaron Longe

Milk (one-half gallon)
1. Hurdle

Orange Juice (one gallon)
1. Aaron Longe

Eggs (3 dozen)
1.______________

Sausage Biscuits (24 total)
1.______________

Browned Ground Beef- 1 lb. (for sloppy joes)
1.______________
2.______________
3.______________
4.______________
5.______________

Manwich Sloppy Joe Mix (1 can)
1.______________
2.______________
3.______________
4.______________
5.______________

Chips
1. Sarah Gullha
2. Erin Lusk
3.______________

Baked Beans
1. Donaldson

Hamburger Buns (8 count)
1. Savannah Hall
2.______________
3.______________

Desserts (12 servings)
1. Savannah Hall
2.______________
3.______________

Soft Drinks (three 2-Liter bottles)
1. Sydney Incoraia
2.______________

Pickles- Dill chips (one jar)
1. Savannah Hall
2.______________

*If you are bringing food, try to bring by Sunday morning if possible.

**Have items in kitchen no later than 4pm

***We are always in need of fellas to stay the night and people to help with the morning breakfasts. This cannot be handled by youth alone, so don’t be shy parents. &:~D

If you’ve spent any time on the 3rd floor when I’ve led prayers, I have probably mentioned that we pray for the people who are nameless & faceless in our world. Admittedly, many times I am thinking of people overseas and in foreign lands that experience hardship that we are cannot fathom. Increasingly though we mention our own ‘invisible’ people who live right here in our midst.

So it isn’t hard to imagine that I am completely compelled to find this video collection of interviews with people who are homeless. (Note: I haven’t seen all the videos, so there might be some choice language in a few. As of now I haven’t found any.)

Drew from InvisiblePeople.tv on Vimeo.

Mark 12:30-32 (NIV) : Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Luke 10: 25-37 (NIV) : On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

He answered: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins[e] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”