Friday, January 22, 2010

President Obama Honors MLK by Serving DC's Homeless

On Monday, January 18, President Obama headed to SOME (So Others Might Eat) in the heart of Washington DC to serve the homeless community in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Check out the article and video!
SOME is one of CSM's fantastic urban ministry partners in Washington DC! Learn how YOU can serve with us at SOME or similar organizations in our nation's capitol!

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

CSM Ministry Partners Answer the Call to Help Haiti!


Here are a few great articles about some of the ministries CSM partners with throughout North America as they answer the call to help Haiti after last week's devastating earthquake...


Chicago
West Side shelter takes in Haitian refugees

Denver
Colorado medical charity Project C.U.R.E. was in Haiti when quake hit

Nashville
Nashvillians who love Haiti answer call for aid

San Francisco Bay Area
Bay Area volunteers gather medical supplies

Learn how YOU can partner with these ministries hands-on through CSM!

Praying for the Haitian People

“Incline your ear, O my God, and hear. Open your eyes and look at our desolation and the city that bears your name. We do not present our supplication before you on the ground of our righteousness, but on the ground of your great mercies.”
– Daniel 9:18

Check out How to Pray Regarding Disasters - put together by the Christian Emergency Network.

We continue to lift up our Haitian brothers and sisters in prayer as we come to the close of the first full week since the devastating earthquake hit. Please pray for the large Haitian communities throughout the US (NY, Miami, Chicago, Philly and Boston) where many families are still waiting to hear whether their relatives and friends have survived this catastrophe.

Looking for reputable places to make a donation? Check out Charity Navigator!

Friday, January 15, 2010

Orphans in Haiti



We were passed along this video by one of our staff members who is personally connected with this family. As we seek to cover the country of Haiti in prayers, here are some specific ways to be lifting our brothers and sisters up to the Father:

-Please pray for Amos and his loving family as they wait to be united!
-Please pray for the 1.2+ million orphans in Haiti and for the children being added to that number daily.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Please pray for Haiti!


Yesterday a strong earthquake shook the small country of Haiti, bringing with it a toll of destruction and death.
Please pray for our Haitian brothers and sisters as they recover from this event.
Please pray for many within our communities here in the United States that have loved ones back home in Haiti that may have passed away, be hurt or missing.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Call to Action in New York City!


On January 25, 2010, the NYC Department of Homeless Services will be needing the help of 3,000 people to conduct the Homeless Outreach Population Estimate (HOPE). Volunteers will be canvassing parks, subways, and other public spaces to count the number of people living unsheltered in the city.

Collecting this information is vital to provide resources to our homeless neighbors!

Learn more on HOPE's website!

Not able to make it on Jan. 25, but still want to serve in New York? Learn more about partnering with CSM!

Monday, January 11, 2010

Today is Human Trafficking Awareness Day!


Did you know that modern day slavery is a serious issue facing not only cities throughout the United States and Canada, but rural and suburban towns, too?? It's true - women, men and children are being sold into slavery TODAY.

Human trafficking is a real issue and our goal is to help raise awareness and free the captives! Today, Monday January 22, 2010 is Human Trafficking Awareness Day. Would you spread the word that there is a problem and there is something we can do about it!

Here are some ideas...
-Post this in your Twitter or Facebook status:
"is taking a stand against human trafficking! 27 million people are enslaved TODAY. Learn about it // notforsalecampaign.org"

-Read President Obama's speech on announcing January 2010 as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month

-Learn more about human trafficking specifically in the United States (www.humantrafficking.org)

-Learn how you can take action through the Not For Sale Campaign.

Wednesday, January 06, 2010

New Year, Fresh Start


“…anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins.”
2 Corinthians 5:17 in The Message

May 2010 be full of opportunities to love your neighbor, the courage to be Jesus' hands and feet on this earth, sweet time to rest and reflect on His Word and strength to follow Him no matter what happens in the next 12 months!

Tuesday, January 05, 2010

A Different Kind of Need


Below is a reflection written by a past CSM New York trip participant...

Although all the places at which we helped on our recent mission trip to NYC were inspirational, I think my favorite was the one we did on our last day. It is called “God’s Love We Deliver.”

GLWD was formed in the mid-1980’s at the height of the AIDS crisis. A woman named Ganga Stone took groceries to a friend with AIDS who had just been released from the hospital. A few days later she visited again, and found he had not had the strength to prepare the food. So she started to deliver prepared meals. One day her pastor encountered her on the street making a delivery and asked what she was doing. She explained. He said, “You are not just delivering meals; you are delivering God’s love.” The name stuck, and over the years their mission has expanded to serve anyone with a serious or terminal illness who is unable to prepare his or her own meals. There is no means test or waiting list. About 3200 personalized meals are delivered in person by a volunteer each weekday.

Unlike the other places we served, this one was clearly well-funded, with a dedicated headquarters building in lower Manhattan. GLWD receives a lot of corporate support, both monetary and volunteers, and is a favorite of the entertainment industry. Joan Rivers just donated her $750,000 prize for winning “Celebrity Apprentice” to GLWD. Grateful clients who can afford to do so also support this mission. After our orientation (and nice refreshments) in their air-conditioned building, our group was split and my group set out on the subway for our deliveries, which turned out, surprisingly, to be on the upper west side, one of Manhattan’s most exclusive neighborhoods. We assembled the meal bags and got our marching orders at a Catholic church “substation” uptown. The food had been delivered by van earlier.

We had only six meals to deliver – but they were widely scattered over many blocks and it took us several hours. Most of the meals were delivered to health aides, but by luck of the draw, I got the last and best client meeting. This was in an absolutely gorgeous apartment hotel on 79th near West Park.

Our leader Jessica and I made the delivery, to the top floor. There was our client, Irene, standing alone in the hallway to meet us. She was elderly and frail and had no teeth, but was nicely dressed, could walk unaided, and was absolutely delighted to see and talk to us. She wanted to know all about each of us and shared that she was an RN, had lived in Newark among other places, and had worked in summer stock in Connecticut. She now has scleroderma, which is progressively affecting her ability to breathe. She gave us each a big hug. I believe our visit was more precious to her than the pureed food we brought. May God bless you, Irene!


Learn how YOU can serve with CSM in New York City!