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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.