Hughson
Happenings
SUMMER 2009
PASTORAL PERSPECTIVE
If you’d have told me 15 years ago that I would consistently have lunch with
drug dealers, I’d have told you that I didn’t know any. But 15 years changes
everything. Just a few days before Easter weekend I received a text from a
young drug dealer in our neighbourhood, asking me if I could go out for
lunch with him. John needed someone to talk to and not knowing who to go
to, he turned to me. So we went out for sushi and talked about the mess his
life is in. John’s children attend some of our programs. Through tears at
lunch he told me that he could never be forgiven for all the terrible things
he’s done. He explained that the good he could accomplish with the rest of
his life would never outweigh the bad he has done. He believes he deserves
hell, but he wants something different for his children. That’s why he called
me to meet with him. He doesn’t want his children to end up living life the
way he does. He told me that he tried living honestly but because drug
money comes so quickly and easily and honest money is hard to earn and
pays substantially less, that he always ends up selling, which always leads
to broken lives… lives he knows he has shattered. Shattered lives he believes
God could never forgive him for. I looked at John and told him two
things. Firstly, I shared with him that no one will have a greater impact on
his children than he will. He needed to be the example for them to follow.
Secondly, I shared that he hasn’t disqualified himself from God’s grace. God
can change his life. While fighting back tears he told me it was too late for
him but he needed my help with his children. I told him I would point them to
Christ, just like I pointed him to Christ, and we left the restaurant. As we
drove our separate ways, I sent him this text, “God is crazy about you!”
John saw me a couple of days later. He was picking up his kids from one of
our ministries. He put his arm around me and asked if he could come on
Easter Sunday. He wanted to make sure God wouldn’t be angry if he
showed up at church and strike him with lightning. I joked with him that
there were no guarantees about the lightning but that I knew God would love
if he came to celebrate Easter with us. He told me when he read my text he
had to pull his truck over at the side of the road he was crying so hard.
John didn’t show up Easter Sunday. Next week we’re going out for lunch
again (maybe Vietnamese this time) and I’ll tell him about God’s grace
again. I believe one Easter this young man will celebrate the reality of the
resurrected Saviour with us. One Easter John will know forgiveness. One
Easter his children will know the love and example of a Christian father because
God is crazy about him!
Thank you for your partnership with us. I can’t believe 15 years have gone
by since I was called here and didn’t know when I started I’d eat lunch with
local dealers… but God did!
May you have a blessed summer!
Pastor Dwayne
SOCCER
This summer God has blessed us with 250 children to
participate in Hughson’s soccer league. Almost 60 of
the children need to be fully sponsored and a number
of others require partial sponsorships. As the overall
cost for the league is also subsidized by partners like
you, we are praying God will provide us with $5000.00
this summer for our soccer league. You can sponsor
a child for $50.00. Most of the children playing are
from unchurched homes and wouldn’t have the
opportunity to play an organized sport if not for this
league. A number of the children are refugees whose
families have recently escaped horrific circumstances
and find themselves living in downtown Hamilton. As
we share the gospel with the children each week and
develop relationships with the parents, please pray
that God will transform lives. If you are interested in
sponsoring a child or some children to play soccer you
can designate your gift to the Soccer Fund.
FOOD DISTRIBUTION
Usually the donations we receive at Christmas for
food distribution allows us to generously offer food
hampers to families and individuals all year long. This
year, however, with the increase in unemployment
and the number of families and individuals finding
themselves living in poverty, we have depleted our
supply of resources helping others. As I write this, we
only have $14.00 left in our benevolent fund. We are
praying that God will provide $5000.00 this summer,
through our partners, for our benevolent fund so we
can continue to generally assist families who can’t
afford to purchase food. You can cover the cost of a
hamper for only $25.00. Most of our food assistance
occurs though our Coffee’s On ministry highlighted by
Paul Havercroft in this newsletter. If you want to make
a donation to assist us with food distribution please
designate your gift to the Benevolent Fund.
COFFEE's ON
Coffee’s On! This is our greeting each Friday morning at
9:30am at Hughson St. There are usually five to ten people
waiting outside for the doors to open (we do have a small
space inside during inclement weather) so that they can join
us for our weekly drop-in. The Lord has blessed us with a
good group of volunteers who welcome these neighbours
and talk around tables to get caught up on the latest happenings
in their lives and share the grace of God with them.
We greet anywhere from 15-30 people during the morning
who come and go as their schedule allows. Many will stay
for most of the morning, while some come simply long
enough to look through our Clothing Room for something
new to take home and to receive their monthly food hamper
from our cupboards. We are thankful for an abundant supply
of clothing to give away so that two or three times a year
we are able to open our doors on a Saturday afternoon for a
larger give-away that attracts 150-200 people. Many of
those are new immigrants who deeply appreciate the variety
we offer. If you have some clothes to pass along, they may
be brought to the church during office hours. It’s always a
good idea to phone us first just to make sure we’ll be here.
Our Food Cupboard is open for people to use once-a-month
for some help with their groceries. We supply canned and
dry goods to about 27 families a month, most with children.
With the increasing financial pressures during these times,
we are seeing an increase in those numbers each month. It
is wonderful to see how God has provided the finances and
donations necessary to maintain this ministry, and we continue
to rely on faithful partners to help us while always looking
to God to provide in new ways.
At some point each week we stop and share the Verse-ofthe-
Week. One of our volunteers will take one or two verses
of scripture and simply share what they mean in a personal
way. The ultimate blessing of our ministry is to be able to sit
across the table from someone who understands for perhaps
the first time something of the grace of God as we
share with them each week.
Pastor Paul
YOUTH
“Only two more weeks to go!” These were my encouraging
words to my Jr. High leaders as we wrapped up another difficult
night at Impact, the outreach gym night we offer every Monday
evening through the school year. “I can’t wait!” was the consensus
reply I got from the leaders. They’re tired, and rightly so.
And not just this group of leaders, but also the Sr. High crew
and many others who help out with youth throughout the year.
They’re tired because at each and every program they give and
give and give demonstrating Christ’s love and grace to youth
who often don’t find much love or grace in their day to day lives.
They’re tired because this group of neighbourhood youth have
an abundance of energy and most often don’t know how to
channel or control it. They’re tired because they’re full time students
or work full time at demanding jobs and then come to volunteer
and need to be fresh and full of energy.
So I wasn’t surprised when I heard the response, but I was encouraged.
They’re tired because they care and they want to
see the best for these kids. And the kids see it! They know
when someone is being real and truthful with them, and they
respect it. That’s why I always try to share with my leaders the
successes I’m privileged to experience throughout the week
when I see the youth at school or in the neighbourhood. I let
the leaders know about the time recently when a young boy
whose behaviour had been terrible at Impact and had to be removed
came up to me and apologized on his own volition. Or
the girls who share with me how much they like talking with the
female leaders because they actually listen. Or the time a
youth asked me to walk him home so he could talk to me about
his home life and what was actually going on with him.
I’m encouraged. It has been a long and tiring school year but
so much good work has been done, and so many seeds have
been planted that I’m sure God will provide a bountiful harvest.
Please continue to pray for the youth of the North End, but also
remember the leaders. Pray that we’ll be rejuvenated and energized
through our summer ministries, and that the work of the
Holy Spirit will continue in our lives and in the lives of the youth.
Blessings,
Pastor Mike
CROSSTRAINERS
Each summer, Hughson St. Baptist Church provides a half day, six
week day camp for children in the North End. Last summer,
through a generous donation from Mission Services, we were able
to provide all of the children with a hot and nutritious lunch every
day before camp. Unfortunately they are unable to provide the
same opportunity for us this year. Not only did the lunch nourish
the children but it allowed us to develop strong relationships with
them and with some of their parents who helped us serve the food.
We are praying for $4500.00 this summer to cover the cost of
camp ($3000.00 for lunch and $1500.00 for the camp itself). If you
are interested in assisting us in sponsoring children for day camp
you can designate your gift to the Summer Ministry Fund.
THE RUMOUR IIS TRUE!!
If you’ve heard that Aimee and I are expecting twins in
November, your source was reliable. God has not only blessed
us with Ethan (7) and Abby (5) but we are thrilled that twins are
on the way (a little surprised but nonetheless thrilled). Please
pray for the adjustments we need to make with two newborns
entering our lives again (to give an example...Aimee called to
tell me we were pregnant when I was in Ottawa for a few days
and then called a month later to tell me we were having twins
when I was speaking in Vancouver – I was home for a few
weeks between Ottawa and Vancouver). Pray that we wisely
adjust our schedule for the next couple of years.