Christmas Greetings! In today’s world of emails, we often receive wonderfully heart-warming stories intended to strengthen our faith in humanity and help us get into “the Spirit of Christmas.” What bothers me about them, however, is they are often just that - nice stories written by a creative writer. Because it is Christmas, this month's email will simply provide a burning bush story that is very real! It is also a great example of someone responding to their vocational calling as found in Hebrew 13:2 'Be ready with a meal or bed when it's needed. Why, some have extended hospitality to angels without ever knowing it.' It is shared by Debbi Butner, the recipient of one of our Life Journey Ministries grants..

Carolyn Schoenborn,
Life Journey Ministries Founder and Executive Director

**************************************************************

I truly believe that God led me to Life Journey Ministries. I was experiencing stirrings inside and trying to determine what God was asking of me. Through Life Journey Ministries my relationship with the Triune God strengthened in ways I never imagined. I began to realize the freedom I had to live my life in response to God’s calling and in acceptance of who God had created me to be.

Through the daily devotionals, on-line group participation sessions, coaching and lots of prayer I began to realize that I was the vessel God wanted to use to develop a ministry focusing on homeless families. I am being used by God as the leading force for putting together a ministry called Family Promise of Forsyth County (in North Carolina) an affiliate of the national Family Promise organization.

Many people think of the homeless population as adult individuals, primarily males. However, homeless families are the fastest growing segment making up 40% of the national homeless population. Family Promise of Forsyth County will assist homeless families with children to transition from homelessness to self sufficiency through compassionate guidance, shelter, and education in cooperation with a network of interfaith congregations and community organizations.

Our first program is developing an Interfaith Hospitality Network which will help homeless families while they search for transitional and permanent housing. The network will serve approximately 3-5 families at one time. They will be hosted in the evenings by 10-13 interfaith congregations rotating to provide shelter and meals in their facility for one week at a time.

The network also has a day center where the Executive Director and social worker will help provide case management. It will also have laundry/shower facilities, area to store some personal items, and most importantly a permanent address for applications. Families will also have personal access to a computer and phone. The network will use a 15 passenger van to transport the families between the congregations/day center, kids to school, parents to public transportation, or to job/social services.

With a social worker on staff to provide case management the critical needs of the families can be addressed and means to resolving those needs can begin. Once the family’s critical needs are being met then transitional or permanent housing can be sought. Through the IHN program, nationally, 80% of the families find housing; guests without jobs often find them or enter a job training program. The national average stay of a family within a network is 56 days.

God used Life Journey ministries to help me realize that he would prepare me and the community for the calling he had placed before us. As I experienced what Life Journey Ministries was offering I truly felt like I had my personal apostle Paul story. Even though I had been an active Christian all my life, I felt as though the scales had been removed from me, that the new creation I am in Christ was exposed. God’s fingerprints have been all over this ministry and in the community and my eyes are open to seeing the fingerprints and recognizing His glory!

Praise be to God!

Debbi Butner

If you would like to speak with Debbi or learn more about Family Promise, you may contact her at debbi@lifejourneyministries.org