2010 Ministry Report

“A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall be come straight, and rough ways smooth. And all mankind will see God’s salvation.’”
Luke 3:4-6 / Isaiah 40:3-5

Dear Friend:
We have been blessed with a wonderful year at the Sparrow’s Nest, and God has inspired us with the theme, “Making the rough places smooth.” In our teaching we have focused on themes from the book of Isaiah and have been challenged by exhortations such as ... “Learn to do good. Seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow .. Divide your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into the house; when you see the naked, cover him… Give yourself to the hungry, and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in the darkness … and the Lord will continually guide you. (1:17, 58:10-11)
The specific ways that we have been able to “make rough places smooth” during 2010 include serving over 3,400 hot meals and over 2,000 bags of groceries to needy adults and children, over 900 uses of our free showers and laundry services, over 1,200 families served through the clothing ministry, and over 1,200 hot breakfast meals to the homeless on Saturday morning through our new Breakfast Club ministry. In addition, weekly tutoring for at risk middle and high school children along with our inner city youth ministry are thriving with a devoted staff that is continually introducing innovative ministry strategies.
This year, our team developed a new approach to ministry at Christmas by planning a special event focused on the children, youth, and young adults that participate in our ministry on a regular basis. About 150 children and youth along with their families shared a meal with team members and volunteers, followed by a youth focused concert and special speakers that spoke directly into the life circumstances of inner city youth and families. We then shared Christmas gift bags that had been specially prepared through conversations with parents of the participating youth. Everyone agreed that the event was a huge success.
Please continue in prayer for these ministries and be aware of the following specific goals for 2011:
1. As an ideal setting for ministry to those in need, we hope to connect with more churches and church groups as a place for consistent mission involvement – a place to “plug in” as well as to “sow in.”
2. We currently operate under the umbrella of Missionary Church International. This year we hope to establish independent non profit ministry status.
3. In order to more effectively serve approximately 120 meals each week, we would like to install kitchen equipment and obtain an approved food service plan.
As we offer hope and share God’s love and mercy, our prayer is to strengthen our ministries and to grow in effectiveness in our efforts to bring about transformation in individual lives and families.
Will you please help this Christmas season and give generously to support the ministry of the Sparrow’s Nest’s to needy children, youth, and adults in our community? Prayerfully consider a year end gift, monthly support, and the possibility of regular volunteer involvement. We would love to share this ministry with you!