January Update
January 31, 2005
I grew up in farming country. My first job, as a fourth-grader, was to walk with three other friends behind a tractor pulling a trailer in a field that had recently been cleared. In the clearing there were remains of tree stumps, large and small rocks, and various other kinds of debris. My job was to help load the debris on the trailer so it could be hauled out of the field. But, the owner had a larger vision of a large and profitable harvest that would supply the needs of his family and his community. That vision plus wise stewardship of the process eventually produced exactly that. He understood that in order to reap a harvest the ground had to be prepared.
Since coming to Montrose, we have been preparing the soil. We have worked with individual believers who have been reached from the drug culture, the street kid culture, and the ex-offender culture. God has also given into our stewardship some from the churched culture. Sometimes preparing the soil in the lives of the religious is more challenging that preparing the soil in the lives of totally unchurched people.
2004 has been a year of progress. Some of it is not visible to the naked eye, but like Paul we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen (II Corinthians 4:18a). Here are some of those places of progress:
· Alpha House continues to effectively serve men in recovery. A new Jesus in the Steps meeting – a Bible based approach to working the 12-steps - was established there this year.
· Yupon House was established as a ministry to young mothers and their children from the street culture.
· A new partnership was formed with a government-sponsored orphanage in Guatemala City. Christmas presents were provided for boys and staff and a Christmas program was provided by our partnership through Iglesia Cristiana la Juda. In January of 2005, Tony McCurdy, an Alpha House resident moved to Guatemala City for a six month term of volunteer service with the orphanage.
· We began an outreach to the children in Houston’s 4th Ward. In June we held a weeklong arts camp on the Gregory Lincoln Elementary School campus. This was followed this winter by 10 weeks of character education classes for kindergartners – second graders. We are developing relationships with the school’s leadership and with parents in Allen Parkway Village – the site of a future (we hope) Harbor house church.
· We partnered with Todd McCombs of Innovative Outreach International to assist him in establishing a 5th Ward ministry to ex-offenders. That ministry is thriving under the leadership of former Alpha House resident, Tom Murphy.
And then there are the stories. I’ve shared them from time to time. You can see them at my blog. Changed lives continue to be the real story here. We are calling men and women to authentic apprenticeship with Jesus Christ. As they respond, he is faithful to transform their lives. We see before our very eyes the words of Peter coming to pass . . . you also, like living stones, are being built i nto a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (I Peter 2:5).
Thank you for your support of this ministry. Your prayers, your words of encouragement, your volunteer service, and your financial support are profoundly important….and we are deeply grateful.