God is Great

As I listened to Dick Wilson, one of the founders of Christian HELP, speak at our annual Harvest of Hope, his message was clear- God is Great!

Over the past 15 years, God has taken ordinary people to extraordinary places in this ministry. The numbers alone http://www.christianhelp.org/ speak for themselves, but it is the stories of the people we have ministered to that really have an impact.

The team and volunteers who came together just for this event to happen continue to amaze me. When God laid it on my heart to do a video, I thought I would have to find outside talent. Little did I know, that Lech, our IT guy had such talent. He put together a video that brings tears to my eyes everytime I watch it. God brought Kristy Owens back to us as a volunteer coordinator. She was able to pull off our silent auction. (Not without some hiccups, but we wont go there!) Phyllis Mabery gave her testimony (I cry every time!), and organized and obtained so many items for the auction that we ran out of space. Way to go Phyllis! Chris Whitehead did all of the decorating and with her daughter Kim and a whole army of volunteers and team helpers made the place look amazing. Vicky and her husband Christian took care of the signs, Madge and Rob made sure our guests had snacks and punch. Ken (our extreme makeover guy) made sure everyone knew where to go. Jackie, our development coordinator made all of this happen!

My thanks goes out to the table captains who secured all of the guests. Without you, we would have had empty chairs. And to Karen- talk about calm under fire!- who made sure everyone had a seat...

And to all of the others- too many to name- you know who you are. My sincere appreciation goes to all of you for making this event so successful.

I was talking to someone the other day about giving. When you are a Christian, you understand the phrase that it is better to give than to receive... I believe when you give, you truly receive more than you give. God blesses those who give cheerfully. The smiles (through the moments of stress) on the faces of those who gave of their talents, and those who gave of their treasures, and those who shared both, were proof that this is true.

It is my prayer that we will continue to reach out to the community and change lives through the direction of the Holy spirit. If you have not seen our ministry and would like to, please e-mail jackie@christianhelp.org. If you would like to support us financially, please go to the main Christian HELP page and hit donate now. I really believe that you will be blessed.

God is GREAT!

-amen

Time for hope

The bible tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, " declares the Lord, "plans to give you a hope and a future."

Next week is our Harvest of Hope annual fundraiser. It is the single largest event (other than the job fairs) that we put on each year. It is our wish to be able to continue to give hope to those around us who have lost their jobs or do not have enough income to make ends meet. Sometimes hope is lost to illness, sometimes to other tragedies. Each day our counselors pray with clients and try to help them to restore their hope. Please pray about how you can be a part of this event.

We are reaching out to people who want to make a difference in the lives of their neighbors. By providing job leads, supplemental food, and other services, we can make a difference. If you want to be part of this process of transforming lives- please let us know...

There are many ways to serve:

• Volunteer your time and your talents at Christian HELP or from home
• Support us financially through one time or automatic giving
• Bid on our silent auction items or donate an item for bidding
• Adopt or sponsor a family for Christmas
• Pick up a Dove card at a participating location (Chik-fil-a, Qdoba, Centra-care, some area churches) and buy a gift for a needy child
• Donate food to our pantry
• Adopt a room (2008) and help us to finish our makeover project
• MOST IMPORTANTLY- PRAY for our ministry daily

We appreciate all of the people who make this ministry successful. God is in control of everything we do and we give him the highest praise. His word gives us the hope that we can be an instrument to help those in need find the future He has planned for us.

Call us or e-mail today - 407-834-4022 forhelp@christianhelp.org

Read about us

Christian HELP is starting to get noticed. We are regular contributors to Look UP Orlando Magazine (available in many Churches and in our Lobby), we have an article on the Insight Business website http://www.insightbusinessupdate.com/human-resources/hire-better-for-less.html, we have a weekly employment column in the Winter Springs/Oviedo Voice, we have been featured in the East Orlando Sun, and we have an article coming up in the Seminole Neighbors newspaper.

What does all this mean? It seems to mean that we are getting busier and busier. A typical Tuesday now can bring 45 job seekers looking for assistance. As we start rolling into Christmas, it means that we will need families, churches, and businesses to help us with family adoptions and sponsorships. We will need volunteers to help with picking up gifts, sorting gifts, and being Christmas elves.

If you are interested in helping out- please call us at 407-834-4022 or e-mail forhelp@christianhelp.org.