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Church seeks avenues to help the homeless

 

SAN ANTONIO -- Fulfilling the Lord's mandate to feed the hungry and serve those needing help, church members here have often gotten together and taken food, clothing and other help to the sites where the city's  homeless people gather. Recent changes in local ordinances, though, have restricted such distributions.

 

In response, some congregations have begun exploring ways to aid others through a new city initiative. Northside's People Helping Ministry leaders recently invited representatives of the city's Haven for Hope organization to talk with them.

 

Sam Schiflett and Elder Ellis Henton of the church organized the session. Haven for Hope's Vice-President For Program Operations, Scott Ackerson, and Becky Hamann, manager of spiritual services, described the agency's charge, operating model, philosophy, and challenge.

 

Acknowledging the potential for mistakes, Schiflett said that Northside's outreach hopes to strike an effective balance between wisdom and compassion. The church leaders recommend readings and advocate acting thoughtfully in the ultimate best interests of those being served.

 

Those present explored the ways in which the church might serve through Haven. Ackerson and Hamann  invited the members to contact the agency once they decided on where to start.

 

Down the road from Northside, Rob Dennis of the San Pedro congregation says that, recently, "I took the leadership team down to Haven for Hope to see if they thought we might be able to do some volunteer work down there." The youth minister describes a part of the facility called the Prospects court that provides safety.

 

Other facilities in the program provide resources that can help the homeless get further down the road to self-sufficiency on a long-term basis. The web site states that Haven partners with "78 governmental, non-profit and faith-based agencies … to transform the lives of the homeless."

Expect Soul-Stirring Singing for “An Evening”

 

SAN ANTONIO -- “An Evening of Spiritual Harmony” will take place at the Northside Church of Christ on Saturday, Sept. 25, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Lynette Kennedy, coordinator for this annual event states, "An Evening of Spiritual Harmony has been a pleasure to present to the South Texas area for the last six years.

 

"With the groups we have in the line-up this year, we look forward to bringing just as much enthusiasm and spiritual uplift to those in attendance through the soul-stirring a cappella singing the groups are guaranteed to provide."

 

The group, Sanctified, of A.R. Records out of Dallas, will be making its first appearance at the songfest, as will Melody of Praise, young singers from the Eastside church in Austin.

 

Anxious to return to the program is Sterling, a male quartet joined by Northside’s Randy Fly, and the Soldiers of Power. Other returning groups are One Voice from Austin, and the Northside Ensemble.

 

The Southwestern Christian College Summer Tour, students who attend the college in Terrell, will also harmonize throughout the evening.

 

Everyone is invited to attend. Although there is no admission charge for the concert, donations will be accepted and are tax deductible. They provide scholarship opportunities for Austin/San Antonio high school students, as well as financial assistance with improvements to student housing at the college.

 

A fellowship meal will be served immediately before the singing program. This year’s menu is a choice of smoked pork loin or grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, a roll, and iced tea.

It will be served from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Christian Heritage School Gym just behind the Northside church building.

 

The prepaid meal ticket price for people ages 11 and up is $9 and for children 10 years old and under, the ticket price is $5. Checks are payable to the SwCC Fund.

Light refreshments will be served in the Education Wing immediately following the concert. For more information, contact Lynette Kennedy at (210) 659-4233 or Laura McKnight at (210) 337-2044.

David Allen, Minister of Northside Church of Christ, can be reached at (210) 494-1907. The building is located at 16318 San Pedro Avenue off of Hwy. 281 at Thousand Oaks.