A New Beginning
April 15, 2006
Harbor's journey into discipling men in recovery (Alpha House) seemed like something we happened into. It's only in looking back that we can see God's hand at work. In a couple of weeks the Alpha House is moving from some 50 year old apartments that we were renting to a 75 year old house that needed significant repairs and renovation. And the best news is that Harbor (well, Harbor and the bank) will own this five bed-room home with it's two garage apartments.
When Harbor moved to Montrose seven years ago, we came to be an outpost of the love of Jesus Christ for this community. We didn't know of the abundance of half-way houses nor did we know that God would bring a young man named Karsten into our lives. He was a recovering addict who had been sober for several years, and he began to bring young men in recovery with him. One day we woke up and well over half of our church was made up of people in recovery.
We quickly realized that people who have been traumatized (that includes a whole lot of folks including addicts) can't be reached and discipled by getting them to come to church once or twice a week. So, we rented an apartment next door to our home and four young men became our first recruits. We learned and grew in our capacity to minister effectively. And our ministry grew to two apartments with the capacity for as many as eight men.
Then last fall we learned that the apartments had been sold and would be torn down. We began to look for a new place and asked God to allow us own a place. We wanted to own so that our presence here would be more permanent (something that is important to those we are trying to reach) and so that we could begin to develop assests for future ministry.
One morning this past December I was having breakfast with a guy who rarely attends church but who wanted to have some ongoing spiritual conversations with me. We'd been meeting regularly for about a year, and on this morning I told him about our desire to own a place. I said: "We've got a real dilemma. We have no assests so we can't buy a place, but we believe God wants us to own a place to give the ministry permanence. About three weeks later, he showed up at our front door to tell us that he and his partner wanted to "loan us their credit." They would make the $60,000 down payment on the house that we had found and would borrow the money to buy the house. When we paid them back the down payment, as long as we kept making the monthly payment, the house would be ours.
Our friends Doug and Kim Moncure have already given $10,000 toward the repayment of that loan. (That's another story that I hope to tell soon.) We are asking God to stir the hearts of others to help raise the remainder. And we believe God is going to do that.
About the time our friends were completing the purchase of the house, I ran into Omar Garcia, Minister of Missions at Kingsland Baptist Church. KBC has a remarkable group of volunteers who have provided both labor and materials for many of the needed repairs and renovations to our new location. They are moving some walls, painting inside and out, replacing some light and bathroom fixtures, and more. A couple of dozen volunteers have already spent two weekends working and they will return two more times the last two weekends of April.
We are amazingly grateful to our God for his provision and direction. There are many details to this story that aren't included here. And what's most exciting is not the house or the apartments or the volunteers - it's the changed lives that result from this ministry- men who have broken out of years of addiction to drugs, spent years in prison, and lost so much of their youth and early young adult years are now gainfully employed, going to college, serving other young men and women in recovery. It's amazing.
And now, we need your help. Though KBC, Harbor and others have provided much of what is needed to make the house and the apartments livable, we still have some very specific needs. Would you join us in praying for God's provision for these things? Could you or do you know anyone who would (1) provide money to make these renovations or (2) offer an in-kind gift from their business. These are listed from most expensive to least expensive. Thank you for praying and for any help that you can offer.
Kitchen - the house has a tiny kitchen that needs to be structurally enlarged. As many as 14 people will be living here. This is a major need and a major expense - it could cost as much as $35,000 - $45,000. We will never be able to function at capacity until this is completed.
Flooring for the living room and dining room - the existing ones are worn out and must be replaced. Cost: $5000 - $8000.
Floors throughout the house need to be refinished - the remaining floors are hardwood and need to be refinished. Cost: $10,000 - $12,000
Bathrooms - the first floor bathroom needs to be totally remodeled. Upstairs needs a new bathtub. Cost: $3,000-5000.
Carpet on the stairs - Old and rotten. Needs to be replaced. $250-$500.
Locks - three deadbolts for the house and three locks for the sliding glass doors in the apartments. Cost: $250 - $300