FHL had another Kindness Day recently – a day to just be kind with others. This latest outreach was held on September 10th, 2016. Two groups of volunteers from IUPUI assisted FHL at two locations, one group met to organize and clean the FHL warehouse and the other group assisted in a Neighborhood clean up at the Butler-Tarkington area.
FHL Week is about a week of faith-based outreaches in the Indianapolis area. But that doesn’t stop volunteers from outside Indianapolis from coming to help and being blessed by God for so doing.
This past week a group of young volunteers from Evangelical Community Church in Bloomington , IN came in their van with their youth pastor, Rob Girvin to help out with the FHL Warehouse stocking shelves, lifting refrigeration units and doing general clean up both inside and out. Before coming down to Indianapolis, the group stopped by the home of a local disabled woman who works from home and blessed her with some groceries that the children had donated.
Listen as Merlin talks with this youth group about how volunteering with FHL to help others has blessed them
Merlin spoke with one of the winners of the FHL $50 Challenge at the 25th Street Baptist Church on 525 W. 25th. during FHL Week 2016: a group of clients from a soup kitchen.
The 25th Street Food Ministry serves a group of very appreciative clients with a community soup kitchen (what is called a “reverse soup kitchen”) and they in turn wanted to give back to the volunteers who serve them. So they put together a meal prepared by a working chef who volunteered his time.
Listen as Merlin interviews the clients of a very special soup kitchen in Indianapolis, 46208
The residents of Hope Indianapolis at Hawthorne Place Apartments got together and decided to make a change for their community and address the food insecurity some were experiencing. As a result, Hope Indianapolis Food Pantry opened for the apartment residents during FHL Week 2016 providing hope to those who are in need. Hawthorne Place had been operating a food pantry for some time with Faith, Hope and Love as a sponsor.
Merlin spoke with some of the potential clients and the women running this new food pantry about what they think this food pantry will mean for their community.
It was an exciting step forward for this community as its members worked together to make it happen and FHL was there to support them. Merlin also spoke with a volunteer from the original Hawthorne Place food pantry to get her perspective on the changes they have experienced.
One of FHL’s Staff received a kind gift marking FHL Week 2016 this year. It’s a beautifully worked cut glass picture celebrating Faith Hope and Love!
Since 2005, every other year we celebrate one of the words of “Faith Hope and Love” – the year of Faith, the year of Hope and the year of Love. So for the 12th year of the Annual celebration of backyard missions, we are celebrating Love. As stated in Ephesians 2:10:
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Although we planned and worked hard to put together projects and outreaches, they were already in God’s plan – even before we were born.
In the final weeks of this year’s FHL Week preparation, we found that the projects are in line with bringing the love of God to the neighborhoods. For example:
The $50 Challenge
This idea was inspired by a documentary about 2 young American men who went to Guatemala. They wanted to experience living there for several weeks on a dollar a day – the standard cost of living in a rural village. As soon as they got there, they tried to connect with the locals to learn from them how to live on just a dollar a day. They immediately planted vegetables, learned the way of living and ways to stretch every penny. After several days, they got sick and after several weeks, they lost a lot of weight. In the end, they appreciated what they have in the US but most especially, they experienced what it felt to live like many people around the world (and thousands of people in the US) with very little money or resources.
I thought why not offer a seed money of $50 to the best 5 projects that can multiply it and engage the local community to serve. The main aim is to encourage the groups to be resourceful and engage and involve the local community in solving the hunger issues in our city.
Our first entry happened July 13. The leader of the feeding ministry of Barnes UMC celebrated her birthday by celebrating every clients’ birthday today, no matter when their birthday may be. She decorated the dining room with balloons and special table cloth. Many volunteers provided delicious food, keepsakes and a large birthday cake for everyone!
Another FHL Week Challenge Project is also very creative. As part of a soup kitchen, clients will be cooking for the volunteers on July 28th. This means that clients will be going around the community to find donations to cook a delicious meal for the volunteers. They are planning to make it really special to show their appreciation for the volunteers!
For more information about the FHL $50 Challenge or the FHL Week Sponsorship Challenge
A vision to help one another extended to neighborhood associations helping other neighborhood associations. Some of the projects and outreaches are:
All of this year’s projects are propelled by love. God has already established and decreed these things to transpire.
Some special things are happening during FHL Week 2016. I know God is pleased to see unity through the practical application of the Kingdom. I may be looking too deep into the occasion. Perhaps throughout the years, it became part of me – a backyard mission to serve one another unconditionally, not an event but a lifestyle of Love just as our Lord had shown us some 2000 years ago.
Here is a complete list of projects and outreaches for the FHL Week 2016 (July 24-30).
Thrivent Financial Associates is really getting into the spirit of FHL Week 2016 and is reaching out to support the Indianapolis community with volunteers, seed money and an advertising plan for an outreach.
If you are a business (or organization) in the Indianapolis area, won’t you consider joining Thrivent Financial and create your own outreach? All it takes is:
Do It and download the form. Fill it out and mail it to FHL.
To celebrate the 12th Annual FHL Week, Faith Hope and Love Community is giving away $50 each to 5 food pantries in the 46208 zip code area and the surrounding neighborhoods as seed money to improve their pantry site, serve the clients better, food drive, etc. you name it! Only 5 will be selected based on the creativeness of the project. Simple fill out the Project Proposal Form. It’s designed to help you to think creatively and specifically about what kind of outreach you will start with $50 of seed money.
Each participant will fill out a form to provide detailed information on your creative pantry project.
The deadline to submit the completed form is July 18th
Email the form to merlin@fhlinternational.org or snail mail/hand-deliver to Merlin at:
MLK Community Center (care of FHL Community)
40 W. 40th St.
Indianapolis, IN., 46208
The key to this fun-filled project is collaboration, partnership and engagement of the community. Please call Merlin at 317-572-5793 for any questions or for any assistance in putting your project together.
FHL Community Inc.