Walk4Change-Coraopolis

This Saturday NOH@Coraopolis held their 1st annual Walk4Change (W4C) at the Frank Letteri Stadium. There was a festive atmosphere as we partnered together to bring more help to the people in Coraopolis.

Here's a QUIK TAKE on the day:

• Breezy & 70 degrees
• 50 Walkers
• Fresh grilled dogs
• Bro Marlon from WAMO Sunday Gospel
• Door prizes
• $1300 RAISED for the CORY site!

Walk4Change 2008 Coraopolis

Click on the PICTURE to see more!

Special thanks to LEAD SPONSOR ESB BANK , Jackie & her team for making it a special day!

What a privilege to be a part of something positive for the community. Save the Date: On September 6th, the NOH in Penn Hills will hold its 2nd annual W4C in Boyce Park. Details will be posted.

Leaders Summit

This is the weekend of "summits." Today, I attended the Leaders Summit at Allison Park Church with about 150 other leaders from around the Pittsburgh area.

A lot of quality teaching compacted into 4 hours topped off with a delicious, catered lunch.

First session co-led by Eric Ferguson, missionary in Nicaragua and Christine Gatabazi who pastors Global Mission Church in Kigali, Rwanda

Impacting facts:

• $100/month will pay for a pastor of a new church in Nicaragua.
• At the Bible College in Kigali, Rwanda, there is one full-time teache for over 150 students.
• $50 buys a student's books for a year at the college
• The global PEACE Plan is doing great things in Rwanda
• Joybean Coffee Co. was created to produce income for many projects to help the Nicaraguan people…and it tastes great!

Second session: Jeff Leake shared 10 steps to being an effective spiritual breakthrough retreat prayer partner. Best unspoken principle: remember to be relational when helping someone. Working through life issues should be a normal and compassionate process; done best when we remember that we all need support to live the best life God intends

Finished up with Ron Johnson, who through colorful and transparent anectdotes, demonstrated what it is like to step out and follow God. The goal isn't perfection, but obedience. God is aware of our human-ness and is pleased when we step out to follow Him to the best of our ability, with honest effort.

I left grateful for the opportunity and the excellence with which the event was conducted and looking forward to our next gathering. Thanks to the many organizers, including Nick Poole Andy Lehmann and Debbie Lynch.

Today during the Non-Profit Summit in Pittsburgh, I and Site Director, Lucinda Wade (Coraopolis) had the opportunity to hear keynote speaker, Robert Putnam, professor at Harvard University.

He shared about social capital and its positive impact on our organizations as well as in areas such as school test scores, infant mortality rates, career success, teen pregnancy rates, and premature death rates. For example, joining even ONE social group decreases your risk of premature death by 50%, which is as much as quitting smoking!

How does ethnic diversity affect social capital? Increase in ethnic diversity correlates to LESS trust in community, neighbors, government, each other. Diversity can threaten the benefits of social capital…EXCEPT in places where something else takes precedence, or “trumps” race. What is this “something else?”

Two examples were presented: the US Army and evangelical mega-church, Lakewood Church (TX). Both are ethnically diverse AND display a disproportionate number and strength of social relationships across race. Within both, discrimination was infrequent/disallowed and new identities that cut across race were created. These are keys to overcoming the difficulty diversity represents.

In light of NOH’s context of operation being local, evangelical churches:

Those in Christ have a new identity; old is gone, new has come
(1 Cor 5:17). This, not ethnicity, unifies us. “There is neither
Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all
one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28)

The Church experiences multiple layers of commonality: one’s relationship with God; relationships with others who believe the same; the congregation’s shared mission of spreading the gospel. This is an exponential dynamic for social capital within the church, rather than just shared mission.

“Spiritual capital,” created from the belief in the eternal value of the shared mission, is foundational to the social capital. God, the most diverse, the creator of the universe, has established the importance of social capital because His concern from the beginning of time has been relationship.

If all other relationships flow out that with God, the results must be positive, life-giving, trust-filled, etc.

May we, through the local church, promote lasting change in our communities by providing help to anyone, in settings of trust and relationship that flows only from the love of God.

Spring Newsletter

The NOH Spring newsletter is out! Check it out on our HOME PAGE. In it you'll find stories about lasting change happening through the women's home, AngelFood ministry, care managment and more.

If you'd like to get on our mailing list and receive a personal copy, just send your name and address to us at info@networkofhope.org .

Great Day!

Kate & I went to the PCO Women's Home today for a brunch gathering with the PCO staff and other local inner-city pastors.

1st--great spread! omelettes made to order, half the size of our plates with breakfast sides galore. thanks guys and gals for your hospitality and your servant's hearts!

2nd--great group of pastors. each with a heart for seeing the Church (that's capital "C") in the city coming together to fulfill its mission. there's a kindred spirit & encouragement to break bread, or in this case, eggs, with others working toward the same goal.

3rd--great tidbit--there are 88 separate communities in Pittsburgh. charm and challenge all in that little fact. much to be experienced, much to do!

4th--great laughs--there's nothing like recounting stories of shared experiences-and being able to look back on all of them with laughter.

5th--great hope--being given to the residents of the men's & women's homes. you can see a sense of relief, belonging and purpose in each of them. Pastor Brian & Angie & their staff do amazing work by giving literally their day-to-day lives to affect others with hope, truth, compassion and meaning--self-less-ly

thanks for letting Network of Hope be a part of it all and thanks for a GREAT DAY!

Passing the Basket

One of the largest outreach programs that I coordinate at the Allison Park Church site is the Give-A-Gift program. In 2006, we served 75 shoppers and provided 3-4 gifts to 191 children. In 2007, our goal is to increase those numbers.

Every year it gets a little tense in the weeks before the event as the Give-A-Gift team scrambles to gather gift donations and schedule shoppers. We always want to serve as many shoppers as possible, but then “What if we don’t receive enough gifts?” The tension level rises because the “shopper/donation factor” is not easily managed and ultimately out of our control. We do our best to promote the event to potential shoppers and contributors, then we try to manage what comes in.

As I worked with our Give-A-Gift team this year, attempting to balance the shopper/donation factor, I was struck by a God-thought. In the scriptures, there is a well known story of a crowd of people being fed with a boy’s lunch - a couple of fishes & loaves of bread. Evidently this lunch was not enough to feed the large crowd of 5,000, but Jesus instructs his disciples to pass the basket of food. What I realized is that in coordinating and volunteering for the Give-A-Gift outreach, we have the opportunity to experience what the disciples experienced that day.

Imagine with me how the disciples felt as they stood before the large crowd, holding a small basket, containing a small amount of food. I can imagine how incredulous they must have looked, as they turned to look back at Jesus in order to make sure they understood him correctly. I can only imagine how it felt to pass the basket to the first person (with a brave smile) and see that first puzzled face look up from the basket with questioning eyes. Can‘t you see the disciple shrugging his shoulders and saying “Go ahead, take some for yourself and pass the basket”. I‘m sure the scene was repeated many times as the disciple watched the basket being passed. The biblical account states that everyone in the crowd ate their fill and when the disciple received the basket back - there were leftovers!

The amazing coordinators and volunteers with the Network of Hope do the best that they can to gather gifts and schedule shoppers. Once they’ve done the best they know to do, they have the opportunity to pass the basket and watch a miracle happen. What a privilege!!

Weekend of "Two's"

What a great weekend for NOH!

2 Give A Gift Events happened in Valencia and Allison Park. Over 300 children will receive many gifts this Christmas. Five more events to go between now and Dec 18th!

2 Benefit Concerts happened as well--in Gibsonia and the North Hills. The combined effort brought in more than 40 garbage bag-fuls of gifts and over $1200 in cash and gift cards!

I was personally at the Johnny Angel & Friends concert and it was fantastic! What a great show filled with energy, entertainment and true talent. Words fail about how enjoyable it was!

THANK YOU to the PERFORMERS who shared their time and talent. Show your thanks by supporting them in the future. Just visit their websites for upcoming performances.
Greater Harmony Chorus
Jana Snavely
Johnny Angel & the Halos
Mike Profozich
Pete Hewlett
William Dell & Wee Jams

THANK YOU also to the MANY VOLUNTEERS who have done so much before and during the events to make them successful. You are the hands and feet that turn a good idea into a reality.

Greater Harmony Chorus

Donna Knapp is a former employee of NOH and long-time member of the Greater Harmony Chorus, an award-winning Sweet Adeline International chorus. They have been generous supporters of NOH and this year their giving continues as they present "Harmonize the Holidays," a free concert for family and friends.

Admission is free, and they will be collecting toys and cash donations to benefit the Give-A-Gift program.

The show starts this Saturday, December 8th, at 7:30 PM at Richland Elementary School in Gibsonia.

Come out to sing along and help a family in need this holiday!

Remembering

John Szymanski (1931-2007), our food bank coordinator for many years, passed away on Sunday, December 2nd after a long, good fight with cancer. Today I attended his Celebration of Life service, which some call a funeral. The former is much more appropriate for this one who lived fully and lived well before us all. It was a touching time surrounded by fondness as we recalled all that he represented, all he had done and all that he will now experience in his new, whole life.

I wish there was time to write all that John has meant to me and others, but these are a few of the words that immediately come to mind about this authentic man: love, integrity, knowledge, compassion, sacrifice, selflessness, service, committment, kindness, humor, gentleness, faith, strength, wisdom, community, empathy and hope.

Maybe you'd like to post a comment about John as an act of modern remembrance. Please join us in this celebration of one with whom we are fortunate to have been associated.

Johnny Angel & the Halos Concert Gift Drive

Holiday music is one of the best parts of this season, so we're bringing just that to you, this weekend, from some of Pittsburgh's best talent.

JOHNNY ANGEL & THE HALOS, Pete Hewlett, Bill Dell & Wee Jams, and Jana Snavely are GENEROUSLY donating their time and talent as part of a concert gift drive to support the Network of Hope's Give A Gift program.

Admission is FREE-we just ask that you bring a NEW, unwrapped gift (no stuffed animals, please) for infants, kids or teens. We particularly need gifts for older kids and teens.

Doors open at 5:15 PM. Enjoy the sounds of the season while helping a family in need.

Hope to see you there!

ON THE RADIO

NOH's Kate Gordon and Deana Leone will be guests on the John & Stephanie Show (101.5 FM) on Monday, November 26th at 4 PM. We'll be promoting Give-A-Gift and the upcoming Johnny Angel concert. Tune in to hear the latest!

Angel Food Boot Camp

Kate and I are at the Angel Food Boot Camp this week. After some severe trial & error, & error with our GPS system, we finally arrived and are ready to share about Network of Hope.

Angel Food is a ministry that allows anyone, from any income bracket to purchase groceries each month. Groceries are available in boxes of various items, worth approximately $60 for only $25 per box. Individuals may purchase any number of boxes they desire and the program also accepts food stamps as payment. It is often times a gateway for people with multiple needs.

Here are some notes from the sessions:

Steve Donaldson, from Rural Compassion
...the church needs to move beyond its "walls," physical and otherwise, to help people in fundamental, practical ways
...we need to participate in helping people become self reliant, yet interdependent, but NOT dependent
...we want people to become all that God has designed them to be and experience God's best for their lives.
...church is the spiritually based social architect for our communities.
..."The question, 'How big is my church?' should be replaced with, 'How big of an impact is our church making in our community?'" (Bishop Vaughn McLaughlin).

Great stuff! It's about being in RELATIONSHIP with those around us.

Help for Addiction

The Alliance Against Drugs and KDKA are sponsoring an
Open House Resource Fair titled "What Help Looks Like"
tomorrow, November 2nd from 8:30 am-1 pm
at Orchard Hill Church. The event is for adults only.


Bruce Edwards, Site Director for
the NOH Allison Park location,
will participate in the event.






Marty Griffin & "The Real Deal," from KDKA will broadcast
his show from the event, which will include a live discussion
with a panel of experts in the field of drug abuse and addiction.

Network of Hope currently offers Celebrate Recovery at our
Allison Park location on Wednesdays at 7 PM on the 2nd floor.
You can contact that location by calling 412-487-7220.

Quilting for Hope

A beautiful, hand-made quilt was raffled off at Fall Fest with the proceeds benefitting Network of Hope. Mike Kunkel (left) is the winner!

Thanks to the hard work and generosity of the APC Quilters, Joann Bouda, Heather Collins, Nancy Forsythe, Susan Gray, Beth Haubach, Teja Hough, Nancy Laser, Sally Lippert, Helen Marcellus, Anne Martinez & RuthAnn Sesti, for putting their personal touch into supporting NOH.

The APC Quilters meet on the 2nd & 4th Saturday of each month from 9 am-12 pm on the 2nd floor at Allison Park Church. New members are welcomed. Contact Beth 412-492-8696 or Nancy 724-443-3507.

Change of Seasons

This is a great time of year; I couldn't imagine living without it. Crisp, colorful leaves, bright sunshine on cool days, apple cider, a favorite sweater..... We've been fortunate to have unseasonably warm weather this month, but I caught myself the other day wishing for the change of seasons to hurry! (you have my permission to remind me of this when I'm stomping the January slush off of my shoes). Looks like we're on our way as the beautiful foliage is making its transition known.

Join us in the celebration this weekend:
FallFest
Saturday, Oct 27th
11am-4pm on the campus of Allison Park Church (APC)
2326 Duncan Avenue, Allison Park, 15101

Admission is FREE and there will be plenty of activity for all ages: craft show, giant inflatables, pumpkin painting, train ride, food and MORE! The APC Quilters will be raffling off a hand-made quilt to benefit NOH programs.

We're asking everyone who attends to bring a non-perishable food item to help stock the NOH Food Bank for the holidays.

For more information, contact Bruce Edwards at 412-487-7220 or see our website at NetworkofHope.org

AngelFood Ministries

Deana and I have the exciting opportunity to speak at an AngelFood Ministries http://www.angelfoodministries.org/ bootcamp on November 6 & 7. What is AngelFood? It's the new way to do Food Ministries. Instead of giving food away for free, this organization has devised a way to distribute food through local churches in a co-op sort of way. Everyone pays $25/month and receives over $65 in quality food. Churches love this ministry. AngelFood has over 4,000 churches distributing food to their communities.

We were asked to speak because of what we are doing here in Pittsburgh through Network of Hope. The main topic of interest is the Life Management System (LMS). Many AngelFood churches are now reaching hurting people and they have no way of effectively ministering to them. That is where the LMS comes in. It is specifically created to surround individuals with multiple needs with the support they need, all by using your local church & community volunteers.

It's so cool to be a part of a ministry that other churches are looking to replicate!!

sweat equity

Equity…the residual value of something after your subtract all the liabilities.

Sweat…what you do in the ‘Burgh when it’s 87 degrees with relative humidity of 75%

Sweat equity…what you build up during a VBS (vacation bible school) week.

It started today at 6 AM, when I awoke to begin the first day of VBS week. Ordinarily words like sweat, AM, and humidity are not those I embrace, but today they were. I got to work alongside a great group of teens, which is energizing to say the least, and at best, reminds me not to take myself too seriously, ever.

Our VBS theme this year is “Treasure Beach,” based on the verses in Matthew 6:20-21, which say, “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” We’re anticipating a powerful week where kids will learn that they are God’s treasure and that the most important things they can commit themselves to are giving, celebrating God, helping, and receiving the gift of salvation.

The lives of these young people are precious; they are the treasure which must be stored up. Investing into their lives is one of the “funnest” privileges God could give me. There’s something special about putting your heart, mind and body to work for things of eternal value. The “liabilities” of heat, discomfort and fatigue come up short on the bottom line in the cause of Christ.

Sweat equity…worth the investment.

seeing clearly

Yesterday, 2 things reminded me about the view of what's to come.

First, when I woke up, I immediately put a drop of re-wetting solution into each eye. Contact lenses get extremely dry during this time of the year, so a drop in each eye brings relief as things come into focus. That first blink makes me long to see that way all the time--sharp edges, exact focus, brightness.

Then, I cleaned my car windows. They needed it badly. The film had formed--you know the one that you don't notice until you open the car door and realize there IS no fog today. So I did the best I could to reach my Civic's tight corners (cleaning the windows was definitely NOT considered in the design process). It's amazing the contortions a human body can make in the name of cleaning (my poor neighbors). Needless to say, the drive following this effort gave new meaning to the phrase "crystal clear".

The verse from 1 Corinthians 13:12 came to mind. It says, "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."

It doesn't say a foggy mirror or streaked mirror, just mirror. Most mirrors seem to give a pretty good view of things. So, it would seem, do my contacts and car windows. Even though I could see out of both pretty well, my vision greatly improved once they had been cleaned.

This verse reminds me that the BEST is yet to come. As good as things are, there is better on the way. It excites me to know that there is a clearer, more perfect view promised.

Now I "see" God through His creation, through His word, through the church,...and it is good, it's beautiful, so much to admire. These are 'mere' reflections of God. Soon, I shall open my "eyes" and the subtle fog of this world will lift, and I'll see Him face-to-face, vivid, clear, crisp, bright and alive; no longer the reflection, but God Himself. And I will be truly "seeing" for the first time.

Perspective

I am one who has always loved my uninterruputed sleep but over the past 7 months of being pregnant, I'm coming to grips with the fact that I might not see one of those uninterrupted nights for at least a decade...so I'm trying to make the best of these quiet moments. Although I wish I could say that I have spent the time in prayer and meditation (which has happened), I have also learned that the "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" runs nightly from 2-4 am and Oprah's re-runs air from 1-2 am. But what I want to blog about is a time late last week when I was reading my Bible and God showed me such a powerful life lesson that it has stuck with me throughout the week. It's the simple story of David and Goliath. A story I often just skim over because I know the story inside and out. Yet this time, I really read it. I'll pick up the story in 1 Samuel 17:22 - David has just entered the Israelites camp and has heard Goliath mocking the army. For 40 days, Goliath had been doing the same thing. David saw the Israelites run in "great fear" of this man. He also heard them say "Do you see how this man keeps comning out? He comes out to defy Israel....". David responds to them (I believe in disgust and amazement of their lack of faith) by saying, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?" What God showed me in this passage is Perspective is everything. The army had been dealing with Goliath for 40 days. Goliath had basically sucked the life out of the Israelites and they were living in fear. They also began having "group think" - they all began thinking alike. David on the other hand, just entered the situation and saw things completely different. He was outraged that someone would speak out against His God, the Living God and I think he was ashamed at his brothers and the Israelites that noone would stand up to this mocking fool. He had no fear of him. How often do we end up in a "groupthink" pattern of life?? We have been beaten down by the realities of life and we allow others words to penetrate our hearts. Instead of believing the truths of God, we begin believing in the words of man and in what we see. Not only do we need to fight against these kinds of habits personally but we also must have people who we allow speak into our lives that have that fresh perspective-- a God truth perspective!! We cannot grow in our faith without the kind of perspective David had...

The Season of Change

I look out my office window and see several trees in the yard. The biggest one has a bunch of empty branches spreading out to the east and west. But here and there are some dead leaves on the branches, hanging on for dear life, blowing in the wind, refusing to let go. It's as if they are in denial about the fact that they are dead, that they don't have a chance, that their future is doomed.

Looking at those doomed leaves reminds me of an illustration I read by R.A. Torrey. He was writing about the difficulty we as Christians sometimes have as we are in the process of being conformed to the image of Christ. Sometimes we have old habits, behaviors, or thoughts that we just can't seem to get rid of. We try everything to get rid of that part of our old life - we pray, we read the Bible, we fast, we ask someone else to help us. And some days we have victory. Some days it feels like we have finally been made free, and we are certain that we will never struggle with that part of our old selves again.

And then the next day comes, and we fall again, and now we feel worse than before. So we work even harder at conquering the "old man" that refuses to leave. We may continue with that pattern for years, having times of victory and freedom, only to experience the disappointment and shame of falling again. R.A. Torrey said those old habits and behaviors and thoughts are like those leaves on the otherwise empty branches. They don't know they're dead, they don't know that there's no hope. They are still hanging on for dear life.

But then the seasons change. It's March and time for winter to leave and spring to come, in all its glory. It's time for change, a time for NEW LIFE. The life-giving flow begins to emerge from the roots of the trees, up the trunk, the whole way to the tips of the branches. And before we know it, evidence of that new life becomes apparent. Those old dead leaves that were so brave and strong and persistent are no match for the new buds that are on their way! They have no choice but to make way for those new buds. They, in their deadness, must bow and surrender to the new leaves, so full of life and vitatity.

Even though all of the bending and swaying those branches did all winter long may have resulted in most of that old life being cast down and thrown away, nothing that tree did could make some of those stubborn dead leaves give in and let go. But when the time is right, when the tree just allows that life giving flow to touch the ends of those branches, that's when the rest of the old leaves lose their grip.

It's not wrong to pray and read the Bible and fast and be accountable to others as we allow God to change us and make us in the image of His Son. But it's the life-giving Spirit that is really doing the work. It's not in our power to change some of the "old man" that just won't give up. But it IS possible through the life-giving power of the Spirit. Take heart. Allow the Holy Spirit to do His work. Wait for the spring to come. It's a season of change, a season of life. And it's on its way!