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Working With Ithaka Land Trust
During the summer we had an opportunity to work with a transitional housing organization called Ithaka Land Trust.
Family Life Fun Night
We started the night with everyone gathering together and reminding everyone the reason we were celebrating Family Life Services and their impact on the community. The meal was prayed for and the fun began! It was truly an amazing time to come together and celebrate the joy of this organization.
Building Trust In A Community
Next Step Ministries is coming up on our third summer in Colorado Springs.
Opening Eyes to the Community
We will get to experience what they are actively doing within the community and how they are serving their students.
Collaboration in Colorado Springs Community
Next Ministries in Colorado Springs has been involved with something called Brothers Redevelopment. Brothers Redevelopment is a Denver-based nonprofit organization that provides housing and a variety of housing-related services for the region’s low-income, elderly…
Community Event with Family Life Services
An additional component is that this event will create community awareness and involvement.
Grounded
It’s easy to get caught up in the logistics of it all. Sometimes I could define working for a ministry as being a logistics master. I don’t know about you but that sounds gross.…
Pray
As Next Step sinks deeper into the Colorado Springs community, I’m seeing trust being built among relationships. Homeowners, organizations and their volunteers, and even the random other ministries I meet with or sit down…
Just Keep Serving
During the summer, I often visit worksites on Thursday to check in and see how students, staff, partnerships, and projects are doing. On one of my check-ins to Mission Medical Center (they provide healthcare…
Go Team
The second summer in Colorado Springs has just wrapped up. I remember not even 3 months ago heading to Wisconsin to meet the team of Next Step staff that were committing to serving the Colorado Springs community.
Summer Buzz
First United Methodist Church is buzzing with Next Step staff, students and leaders.
Coming Together
Since starting work in Colorado Springs we have partnered with our host church, First United Methodist Church. FUMC has welcomed us into their community in a huge way that many may even take for…
Good Vibes
Here is a brief update of what happened throughout the week:
Hunger
I want to challenge you to pray for hunger. Perhaps you’re hungry for God already and that’s not a problem, great.
God Answers Knee Mail
It may not have been the first summer we saw the answer, but even now we’re seeing partnerships form that are impactful in a way that is overflowing to everyone involved.
Super Powers?
2018 is here. Woohoo!
What Season Are You In?
A word from homeowner Gloria Loggins: Time doesn’t stand still, does it? How often do we hear these words? Where did the time go? Just a few months ago – in fact it was…
Thin Places
I recently attended a Wednesday Night youth gathering at FUMC and was pleasantly surprised.
Oasis
Quality of living hasn’t been like this for Patricia in years. Not everything is perfect, but everything is just right.
Direction
With anything new, there’s always big questions and a desire for direction.
Upside Down
A story from Mission Medical: “Mission Medical Center does a very “soft” ask for a donation from our patients. If they do not have the ability to give something, they will be seen by…
Just Ask
The following week I poked in to see how the crews and projects were doing. The leaders and students placed at Gloria’s home were rock stars and were able to do more than we ever imagined. To my astonishment, Gloria received new windows, a remodeled bathroom, and much much more than we initially discussed. Call me Thomas.
Martha, and Paint
How often do we go through life and wonder, “who is this helping?” Or how is what we are doing impacting anyone?
Burning Bush
How have things been going in Colorado Springs? Well, busy.
Prayer
Often times I pray and it feels like I’m throwing words into the air. You can’t even see it. How frustrating. Yet to a homeowner I recently met, that was far from the case.
Same Church
Pray that this summer the community doesn’t see different churches working together – but the same church working together.
Stories at the Edge
When we come together, eat together, and discuss with one another – we become equal through listening. Simply people made in His image and doing life together, trying to figure out what that means, and loving each other through it.
The Least of These
As we served the families a home cooked meal, sat with them and heard their stories, the Kingdom of God became alive right there before our very eyes.
Kingdom Come
It’s hard to experience a place like Catholic Charities and not be changed. Seeing the community it creates and how the homeless love one another opens up the gospel right before my eyes.
Listening to the Community
The same way I learned to speak into the life of a jail committed youth, will be the similar process of getting to know Colorado Springs. How dare we enter a community and begin telling them what they need, rather listening and hearing their needs first?