This is my speech from our Harvest of Hope event on October 3:
I am going to ask you for
a moment to close your eyes and imagine for a moment that you are sitting in
your bosses’ office (if you are a company owner, your accountant’s office) and
he or she says to you, I am so sorry, but business isn’t good, we need to close
our doors. Let your thoughts go to your
family, how will you care for them? Do
you have enough money in the bank to pay your bills? For how long?
Can you live off of $275 a week, if you qualify? What will you sacrifice first? Second, third? Do you have family you can go to? Will they help?
You can open your eyes
now. This is the conversation our
counselors have with clients daily.
People like you and me.
A year ago I shared a dream; a dream of communities coming together to support their
own. I believe since that time we have
seen progress. There are many people who have stepped up to say "I am
here, send me". This year the dream
continues as we strive to do more; to build on 20 years of experience,
connections, and partnerships.
The theme for this year,
and every year, is Think big, don't limit God. As we plan and think about the
next 20 years, or even the next year, our prayer has been for God to send the right
people into our path. Again and again,
we see it happen.
Finding jobs, reducing
hunger, and providing hope is what Christian HELP strives to do every day. The team of volunteers and small staff we
have is dedicated to excellence. Our goal is to model the commandment of God to
Love your neighbor as yourself.
Learning more, doing more,
giving more, and loving more, gives us great joy. We always say we "get to
work for Christian HELP" and it is a privilege. When I tell you I love my job,
I mean it with my whole heart.
Hunger, homelessness, and
joblessness are still realities in our community. There are shortfalls in
services, skills gaps for jobs, and financial holes that need to be filled. It
is only when we work together, that we can begin to see an end to the suffering
of our friends and neighbors in need.
In Matthew 25:40, Jesus
says "Truly, I tell you, whatever you have done for the least of these
brothers and sisters of mine, you have done for me." Whether it is providing a meal, a roof over
someone's head, or the tools they need for success, we have a calling to help
our fellow man.
Think big, don't limit
God. What is His plan for you today? Many of you here today have invested
in this ministry for years, some for months, some are wondering who Christian
HELP is. God brought each of you here today for a reason.
As we look at Christian
HELP over the next 20 years, and what God has called us to do, we can rejoice
in His direction. This year we are launching new programs including the Central
Florida Jobs Initiative. This program is designed to equip job seekers with the
tools they need to become excellent employees by focusing on changing the
attitudes, habits, and behaviors that keep them from being successful.
God sent several people
into our path to get this program off the ground. It has been a labor of love and a TRUE
collaborative effort to understand the needs of employers and job seekers,
design a curriculum, find space to hold classes, sign on agency referral
partners, work with employers to hire graduates, and make this a first rate program.
From researching best programs and practices nationwide to making this a
reality, this has been a team effort. We need more people and sponsors to join
our team.
We dream of adding a
social entrepreneurial program as well, and God has provided us with several
talented people to work on making this a reality. We can still use more help.
The goal of this program is to start a business providing both transitional
employment for our job seekers, and revenue back into Christian HELP for long
term sustainability.
One of the biggest
challenges we have right now is space. We have our VISTA volunteers and 3 of
our employees working off site. We can no longer hold our boot camps at
Christian HELP because there is not enough room for everyone to park. We have
chairs lined up outside the food pantry that remind us of the bread lines
during the depression. As one client said it so well, "it is humbling to
come to a point where you have to wait in line with a ticket for food, so your
children will have something to eat. "
You can walk away today
and say, what Christian HELP is doing is good, glad I had the opportunity to
hear about it. You can walk away and say, all that is nice, but it is not my
problem, or you can come alongside us, and say “I want to make a difference”. Christian HELP is made up of you and people
like you, willing to invest in the lives of others.
Think big, don't limit
God. God has all the right people and resources to change lives.
We see limits, God sees
possibility. We see heartbreak God sees potential, we see hopelessness, God
sees promise.
How has God called you to
help? Investing in Christian HELP is an investment in your community. Whether
it is time, talent, or treasure (or a combination of all 3), you can make a
difference for someone today.
