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Dear Friends,

Where is the Spirit Leading Us?

In October of 2007, the Urban Ministry family came together to plan, dream, celebrate, worship, and pray during our Futures Conference held at First Lutheran Church.  We looked back on our 40 year history filled with many accomplishments and blessings.  Potter's House Community Kitchen celebrated its 25th anniversary on Christmas Eve.  Partnership Village completed its final apartment building in May.  In the fall, our CROP Hunger Walk regained its position as the second largest CROP Walk in the nation by beating Durham and raising a record $227,000.  A Thursday morning breakfast was started by Lutheran Church of Our Father and a Tuesday morning breakfast will be started by area Episcopal Churches in early 2008.  That means we have full breakfasts for our Weaver House residents every day of the week! In December, Bill Mangum’s Holiday Honor Card, “New Passage” raised over $187,000, another record!

At the Futures Conference we looked toward the future with the question, “Where is the Spirit leading us?” It was clear throughout the Conference that the Spirit of the Lord was leading us “to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, and to announce the time as come for the Lord to save his people."
(Isaiah 61:1-2)

Our hope at Urban Ministry is to better educate the community about poverty, hunger, and homelessness.  One goal for 2008 is to promote a better understanding of Guilford County’s recently adopted Ten Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness.  An exciting new model of care, Housing First, is a core element of the Plan, and Guilford County is blessed to have one of three pilot programs in the state.  By the end of 2007, nearly 40 chronically homeless individuals were placed in permanent housing and are receiving services to support their individual needs.  The simple idea behind “Housing First” is to get homeless people housed as rapidly as possible.

Yes, there still is a lack of housing for the homeless and a great need to offer more supportive services.  But the Spirit of the Lord is leading Urban Ministry and our entire community in a direction to find ways to fill these gaps and to hasten the day when all of God’s children will go to bed with a roof over their heads, food in their bellies, and peace in their souls.  God bless you for caring and sharing!

Peace and Shalom,

Rev. Mike Aiken, Executive Director

Skip MacMillan, Chairperson of the Board of Directors