Hugh’s July 2008 Newsletter

Dear Friends;

One recurring problem we have in our mission to work with and minister to the poor and homeless population of Raleigh is that of how to disciple those who have decided to follow Jesus. I know many of you represent various churches that would be more than happy to have these people attend your Sunday worship services and, in some cases, that has happened. However, we have to face the fact that many of them have had bad experiences with the church in the past, many are not comfortable surrounded by people who are obviously from a different class than they are and some are “pre-christian” - you cannot take it for granted that they have heard of the Sermon on the Mount or The Parable of the Good Samaritan.

Because of this, we have decided to put together a weekly gathering of sorts, where we can build some structure, begin to build relationships across class boundaries and build some accountability with each other as followers of Jesus. We envision a time of bible study and discussion, followed by community time where we discuss our prayer requests, our struggles and triumphs. Monthly we plan to eat together, each bringing items as we are able. While many of those who gather with us will be homeless or poor, we envision the participants being from a variety of class backgrounds and ethnicities. In fact, we are committed to it, celebrating the diversity found in the Kingdom of God. You may be homeless, an accountant, a pastor or a banker, but we are all equal in the Kingdom of God.

If you look at the description I wrote above, you will see it does not look like “church” and that is on purpose: we are not starting a church. The people I serve do not need (nor will they participate in) a lecture. They need discipleship, accountability, relationships, models, inspiration, to be loved and someone to love. In fact, we all do.

Right now, several of us are working s an Ad-Hoc planning committee, working on putting this together and discussing the finer points. Everything is on the table as we discuss times, frequency, venues, styles, order, and so on. As you can imagine, we need your help in the following areas:

Prayer

A lot of prayer has already went into this, but we need much more. We need prayer that we will be guided to make wise decisions, that resources are provided and that, above all, we glorify Him as we embark on this additional phase of our ministry here. If you would commit to pray for us, we would be very grateful.

A Venue

We are looking for a place within walking distance of Moore Square in downtown Raleigh. We envision starting with 10-15 people, so we do not need a huge space initially. For several reasons, we do not want to do it outside nor in a private home. Oh, and we have very little budget (practically none), so very inexpensive or free would be good. We are very partial to doing it on Saturday afternoon late, but ultimately, I suppose venue will determine time. If you know of such a venue, please reply to this email email me and let me know.

Financial help

The way we are envisioning it, the only real expense will be whatever we need to spend on a venue. We already own Bibles, prayer is free and monthly meals are potluck. However, we may need help to pay the rent if we have to. Any donations you wanted to send specifically for this (info on how to do that is here) would be very appreciated. If you would like to be kept up to date on this aspect of the planning, please reply to this email email me and let me know.

As we add additional ways we minister to the poor and homeless of Raleigh, it brings new challenges, new relationships and new chances for growth. As always, I thank you for supporting me, for praying for me and for allowing me into your lives, wallets and email inboxes. Together, we can work to demonstrate to the world what love in the Way of Jesus looks like.

Love wins. Always.

Hugh Hollowell