WINTER 2019 NEWSLETTER
““Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.””
HOW DO PEOPLE END UP HOMELESS?
MEET RICKEY
The recorder was lying on a table between us, like the spinner on some game that landed on him instead of me. It was pointing at Rickey, the homeless man at the heart of Community of Hope. I was there to listen, to write, and to learn. Like most people, I thought homelessness was a consequence of poor decisions, but Rickey was about to teach me that losing one’s home is a far more slippery slope, beyond choice, beyond control, and sadly too often, beyond hope.
Once a Navy Seal, Rickey had served his country for 31 years. He told me about his life, while tenderly twisting a tiny ring on his pinky finger that once belonged to his first wife. His voice cracked when he said, “I loved her very much,” remembering the moment he found out she was sick. After her death, he eventually remarried, and again, sickness showed up, this time to take everything he had as his wife’s medical bills snowballed beyond what he could pay. When she too passed away, he found himself at the mercy of insurmountable bills and those who had the power to intercept his trickling income.
Left with nothing, Rickey, an honorable decorated veteran who worked hard and did everything he was supposed to do, now found himself homeless. The man who once fought for his country would now have to fight, among other things, the cruelty of stereotypes. All he needed was for someone to give him a chance.
Finally, someone did. He met Mandy Probus, who introduced him to the people who would soon make up Community of Hope. Rickey became the heartbeat of COH, as the strong yet simple desire to see him have a safe place to live roiled into a mission to create a community where more friends like Rickey can have homes. Thanks to our generous donors, he is the first of many more to come.
SUMMIT CROSSING PARTNERSHIP
We are thrilled to be one of the local ministries that Summit Crossing Community Church is featuring in their 2019 Advent Giving initiative. https://mysc3madison.org/advent-giving-local-community-of-hope
Building a Legacy of Ambitious Generosity
What do you do when you’re raising money for a new church building and God sends someone out of the blue to give you theirs instead? You donate a huge portion of the money to help house homeless people, of course! Or at least that’s what the souls at Essential Church of Huntsville would do. We are incredibly thankful for the generous donation of $5,000 presented to us by the Essential Church family in October!
And you would think that might be the end of the story ... but instead they turned around and donated an additional generous donation as part of their “Christmas Kick-Off” event!
Lastly, they have committed to lift 20 homeless friends up off the streets by Essential Church's five year anniversary on Feb. 21, 2021! This will be accomplished by partnering with COH and other local organizations. Right now, that means 19 more friends in roughly 14 months. Together, we look forward to this blessed challenge!
In short, we are very thankful for the generous hearts of Essential Church, and we are honored to serve and partner with them for the long haul!
BEAUTY FROM ASHES
MEET KAREN
Once upon a time, Karen Nabors was minding her own business, donating to good causes, and keeping a sensible distance from the people who sent her reaching for her door locks at traffic lights. Then she got a call from a woman named Mandy Probus, asking her to notarize a lease for a homeless man. His name was Rickey.
Suddenly, homelessness had a face and a name, and Karen was forever changed. Soon she would be well-versed in the homeless world, learning what it means to “fly a sign,” being welcomed into sprawling homeless camps, and giving rides to homeless friends so they can wash their laundry and keep their jobs. In her words, she had moved from giving of her things to giving of herself.
During her time with Community of Hope, she has been severely tested as to who deserves to be loved, but she describes how God used her own journey with an alcoholic mother to help her love people when their own families cannot.
“It’s draining,” she says. “When you have people in your life you expect certain things from, especially family members, and when they don’t walk out their role — when they don’t meet the conditions we’ve set for them — then love is not unconditional.”
She says that’s when God sends others, like her, who can love those who’ve hurt their own families beyond their limit. She sincerely loves the alcoholic homeless woman the way she hopes someone would love her mother. She looks knowingly at me and smiles, “Beauty from ashes.”
Time and again, God has taught her to love people “right where they’re at,” reminding her that He is always enough to help her do that. She calls it having a God-heart, when serving others transforms a person from being guilt-driven to being compassion-filled, like the Good Samaritan who chose to see the one who needed his help.
“Being seen is everything, because when we pretend not to see the homeless, it sends them the message that they’re less than human, unworthy of being looked upon.”
She says the homeless friends she has met through Community of Hope want relationships and friendships. They don’t want to be viewed as a project, because a project is not a human — it’s a thing. But when God intervenes in the brokenness and overrides the system, Karen says something lovely happens: getting to the end of the journey and being glad you walked it.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The Collision of Dreams, People, and Needs
As we look forward to the New Year, here are some of the things on our mind:
SHORT-TERM GOALS:
• 5 more campers! Our year-end goal is to raise an additional $64,000, which would be enough to get 5 more RVs fully prepared for residents.
• We NEED PEOPLE. As we start lifting more friends off the street next year, we will need volunteers for missional teams, as well as dedicated help with operations and development teams. The opportunities are so wide open within all this that if you’re at all interested, please talk to us!
BIG PICTURE GOAL: We are continuing to pray and search for the right piece of property (30- 50 acres) that will become the master-planned COH space. Finding just the right place is very important to us – this will be the place that our friends call home, and a beacon of light to the larger community.
IN THE NEWS
Check out some local press coverage we’ve been honored to get!
https://www.waff.com/2019/11/14/non-profit-hosts-donation-drive-after-death-homeless-man/
HOW CAN YOU BE A PART OF ALL THIS GOODNESS?
Volunteer: As we’ve mentioned, we need you! Visit https://hsvcommunityofhope.org/volunteer to get more info on how to plug in!
Pray: Please faithfully pray for COH and our homeless friends. Some specific needs are:
As you know, it’s cold outside, and for our homeless friends, this is more serious than busted pipes and frosty windshields - sub-freezing temperatures can be miserable and dangerous. Please pray they will stay safe as they endure another winter.
Our team – pray for continued wisdom and unity.
Sufficient finances for COH to lift homeless friends off the street and purchase property.
Donate: Help us reach our year-end goal! Also, please particularly consider becoming a monthly donor with us. Such partnerships will be one of the key fuels that the COH engine runs on.
OR
SEND CHECKS TO:
Huntsville Community of Hope
PO BOX 423
Huntsville, AL 35804
OR
DONATE THROUGH:
(Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases)
Community of Hope is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Receipts for tax deduction purposes provided upon request.
Connect: Visit us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/hsvcoh/ or https://hsvcommunityofhope.org
Spread the word to all your friends!