Welcome To My Corner Ministry

Saturday Feb. 21 I was moved in a powerful way to begin a new ministry in the Tampa Bay area. For quite some time the plight of the homeless has been wearing down on me. They stand along the many Interstate exits asking for food and money. On the coldest nights of the year they are camped out under the underpasses or in hobo camps just off the highway. I have wanted to so something to make not only a physical impact, but a spiritual impact on them as well. That Outreach is ” My Corner Ministry”.

My Corner Ministry

Basically it is adopting a high traffic intersection in your area where the homeless abound and providing small hygiene packages and food items to them, along with sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. I am not sure about all of the details on how this will work, but I want to start hitting the street the first week in April. Until then I will be collecting supplies to start building the kits to hand out to those in need.

It all starts here. God has put a call on my heart to serve the homeless in my area. I realize it can’t be huge all at once. But it can be one person at a time.

My Plan:

• Adopt a corner or off-ramp in my area
• Provide hygiene items for those who are in need
• Share the love of Christ with them so they know that someone does care

What I Need:

• Prayer
• Small bottles of soap, shampoo, and talc powder
• Adhesive Bandages
• Disposable Razors
• Toothbrush and Toothpaste

My Hope:

• To clean people up and give them confidence to get back in the game!
• To let people know they are NOT invisible and that someone out there cares.
• Share the love of Christ with those in need

More to come as this ministry comes together. I plan to start in April. If you are interested in participating please contact me.

In Christ,

John S.

Tampa Area Boyscout Leads By Example

When I got this email today I was almost overwhelmed. This young man is the epitomy of what it means to be the hands and feet of Christ. His ministry far surpasses anything I could have ever dreamed of with My Corner. Pleas read this and if you are interested in helping him and his mission, please send me a note.

My name is Jeanne Karstendiek, my son Victor is the Boy Scout doing the homeless project from Wesley Memorial UMC.  We are going to try to attend the Emmaus gathering in September.  If you could send out an email as well to the groups that we will be there or have someone pick up items donated.  My son Victor is compiling “urban survival kits” for the homeless in the Town and country area (of Tampa Florida).  The kits are donations of backpacks, blankets/sleeping bags, socks(desperate need), rain ponchos(desperate need), toiletry and first aid kits, flashlights with batteries, sunscreen, and bug spray.  If anyone is able to donate please have them bring them to the gathering.  Or if they are in the area we are handing out these kits on Sunday Sept. 27th from 8-12 at our regular breakfast for the homeless.  Born Again to Ride ministry will be providing motorcycle demos, music(christian rap group), and testimonies for the morning.  We will also be feeding and mending the homeless through first aid.  Anyone is encouraged to come out and help.

I can be contacted by phone or email at any time.

Why Do We Look So Far To Help Others In Need?

I have often wondered why we as Americans look so far away to help people who are in need. I myself drive past a dozen or more almost every day. They are under the freeway underpasses, or riding an old bicycle around your town, or pushing a shopping cart full of cans, or maybe even attending school with your kids. Yet we walk right by them without a moments notice time and again.

Living in America we see this on a regular basis. Maybe it is because we feel like everyone is as capable as we are of getting a job, or that they should call on their family to help them out. Truth is, we really don’t feel comfortable being that close to desperation. We don’t mind a temporary exposure to it, but as far as seeing it every day it just isn’t something we stomach very well. So we hide from it. We look away when someone walks up asking for change, or if someone is holding up a hand-made cardboard sign. “Don’t make eye contact”.

On the other hand we see countless churches and non-profit organizations reaching out across the seas to foreign lands in search of helping the needy. Sure, there are organizations here for our homeless people, but who is seeking them out? Should the church leave American citizens to the government to deal with in lieu of helping people in other countries?

Photos of Homeless youth from Rebeccas Community

You do have to pick and choose where you use your resources. And I know how tight it has been for a charitable agencies. But there are so many families who have been devastated by financial ruin over the last two years who are struggling to have a roof over their head. They are struggling to provide a healthy environment and supplies for their kids to get their education. Yes, there a few places that cater to these people, but they are few and far between.

As the church of Jesus Christ, we need to be more compassionate and offer our resources here before sending them abroad. I don’t just mean financial resources. I am talking about our people; the would-be missionaries in our congregations. Those who want to work and serve the Kingdom of God, not for reasons of self ,or to say they went to a far away land, but for the purpose of giving as much care as possible with the small amount of time we have in our lives. That is what reaching out to Americans in need does. It increases the amount of help we can offer the needy with our resources; financially, physically, and monetarily.  And it keeps you involved on a daily basis. After all, it’s hard to lose hold on something that is in your face every day.

Jesus said, “”The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” – Mathew 25:40

Won’t you join me in helping out those here in your own neighborhoods and towns in need? For more information on how you can help  email me at jshelton8@tampabay.rr.com

John Shelton

My Corner Ministry

To help homeless, first accurately count them

“I felt compelled to post this article from May 2009. It spells out the ones forgotten when you think of homelessness, the children. If this is true in one county in Florida, what is it like where you live? What can you do about it?” John Shelton – Editor

Published Saturday, May 2, 2009

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A single mother of three rents a garage from another single mother of three living temporarily in a foreclosed home belonging to a third party. The house dweller fails to use the first woman’s rent payment for the utility bill as promised and everyone is scrambling for new shelter.

It’s an actual case in west Pasco with social workers now trying to assist the woman who made her rent payments in good faith. So here’s a question: Are the kids considered homeless? Depends upon whom you ask.

A recently completed homeless count in Pasco County would say “no” because the youngsters had a roof over their heads on the day of the survey. Yet, the federal guidelines for serving homeless children in the public school district says “yes” because the families are doubled up in a makeshift living arrangement due to economic hardship.

Therein lies one of the problems confronting advocates, social services agencies and churches serving the homeless: counting heads. Successful passage of HB 597 in the Florida Legislature on Friday is an attempt to change that. Among the provisions of the bill is creation of a single definition of homeless to include people and families living in doubled-up homes or in motels.

The just-released results of the Pasco coalitions’s count illustrates the problematic definitions. On Jan. 28, volunteers calculated 4,527 people in Pasco were homeless, an 11 percent increase over a year ago. But the same survey identified just 4 percent, or 181 people, as children. The state average is 21 percent and last year’s Pasco survey calculated that 1,400 children in Pasco, or 35 percent of the total count, had no place to call home.

All indications are the number of children was undercounted this year. Pasco School District social workers report helping more than 1,800 homeless children with enrollment this school year, including providing assistance obtaining supplies, clothing and transportation. Many of the children reside in doubled-up households or in motels.

Extrapolation of the district numbers with the Jan. 28 single-day count would push the county’s homeless population to more than 6,100 people, or a nearly 50 percent increase over a year ago. It’s an eye-opening jump attributable to a recession, high unemployment and increasing foreclosures. Nearly two-thirds of Pasco’s 5,000 foreclosure cases involved primary residences.

Why does it matter? Because the community, as it maps a 10-year plan to assist the homeless, needs an accurate accounting of the far-reaching problem. Too often the public perception of Pasco’s homeless is defined by a rousted encampment in the woods or a panhandler seeking beer money on a street corner. Children are an afterthought.

Ignoring the problem is unrealistic. It’s too expensive and results in higher hospitalization and public safety costs to the public and diminished educational opportunities for children. Multiple studies show the annual cost of feeding, incarcerating and proving health care to a chronically homeless person is tens of thousands of dollars higher than a comprehensive assistance program. Just think of the public safety costs accumulated this week when Pasco deputies evicted a homeless encampment from private property in Hudson and investigated a stabbing involving a homeless suspect in Land O’Lakes.

While advocates continue devising the 10-year plan for homeless intervention, one church in Holiday isn’t waiting for the written document. The Community United Methodist Church, where the Rev. Dan Campbell doubles as pastor and president of the Homeless Coalition of Pasco, is closing in June. It will reopen as a Joining Hands Community Mission Inc., a one-stop resource center and shelter to help homeless families with public assistance, employment searches and other tasks.

It’s a commendable mission. The unprecedented and much-needed community effort in west Pasco will allow people to progress from an emergency shelter to transitional housing to a permanent home — the true aim of any homeless program.

What If It Was You?

What if……….

• You lost your job
• Your home
• Your family
• Your hope

What if……..

• You had no food
• You felt no love
• No one cared about you

What if…….

• Someone gave you a hand
• Someone shared the love of Christ with you
• Someone gave you hope
• Someone fed you
• Someone helped you remember what it’s like to be needed

What if………..

You can make a difference in peoples lives just by letting them know they are not invisible. We can help. Contact us at My Corner Ministry on how you can make a difference in your own little corner of the world.

John Shelton

My Corner Seeking Your Donations

Less than a year after the inception of My Corner Ministry we are at a Crossroads. Due to a lack of materials this humble attempt at serving the homeless in our community has come to a stand still. We are in desperate need of your help. We are not asking for money. We are asking for items to be used in service to the homeless community. For only a few dollars and a small amount of time you can give hope back to someone who has lost all hope. Please take a look at the list below of items needed. If you find in your heart that you would like to contribute, please send the items to the address listed below. God bless you all!

MyCornerMinistry, 37604 Church Ave, Dade City FL 33525

Items needed:

• Gallon Zip Top Freezer Bags
• Travel Size Soap/Shampoo/Sanitizer/Toothpaste/Deodorant/Sunscreen
• Toothbrushes
• Non-perishable food items; jerky, tuna, crackers, trail mix, etc.
• Wet wipes
• Deodorant
• Small Bible

The Mission Still Exists

I knew when I took on the idea on MyCornerMinistry that it wasn’t going to be easy. I also knew I couldn’t feed the world single-handedly. But I really wasn’t prepared for how hard it would be to face these people that society has so irresponsibly let down. And it is everywhere.

From street corners, to Interstate off ramps, and small patches of woods within the small towns. People are living like animals, tossed away by society, and invisible to the public eye. They come from all backgrounds and all walks of life. Many are mentally disabled. Some just lost it all with nowhere to turn.

They need someone to care. They need to know they are not invisible. These are human beings. They have needs just like you and I. They need love and they need hope. We can’t cure homelessness with a pill. We can give it a shot in the arm though with a little compassion and a lot of heart. We can make a difference, one human being at a time.

God’s Subtle Reminders – “We Are Here”

Yesterday I was returning home from two day road trip. I was on my cell phone on the outskirts of Lakeland Florida when I noticed a man carrying a bag crossing an intersection. It took me a moment, but I realized he was carrying aluminum cans. Still on the phone I watched as he crossed the median into the far lane of traffic. Then I saw them, what used to be shoes on the bottoms of his feet. The rubber was literally peeling off in shreds as we walked.

The light changed and I headed through it ending my phone call. I couldn’t get this guy off my mind. I know how bad my feet hurt when my shoes get just a little worn. I could not imagine walking in those, nor what kind of shape his feet must have been in. Quickly I thought “If there is a place close I will buy him some shoes“. I then remembered there was a Dollar General less than a mile up the road.

I ran into the store and looked for shoes. They had one kind, black walking shoes. I thought to myself, “He was walking. What size? 10 1/2. He looked like a 10 1/2.” I grabbed the shoes and headed to the checkout. Then I saw they had some grocery items. Hurriedly I found some chicken salad and cracker lunch packages. I headed again to the checkout where I found a nice chocolate bar. The entire ticket rang up at $20.

Out to my truck I went, out onto the highway, made a u-turn, and got back to the intersection where I saw the guy; all in less than 5 minutes. He was nowhere to be found. I drove up and down the stretch of road a couple of times. I looked in a couple of shopping centers and restaurant parking lots. He had vanished.

I left that place driving down the road with my left hand on the wheel, and my right hand still on the bags containing the food and new shoes. I was hurting. I couldn’t forget seeing those shoes.

Psalm 103:21 (New International Version)

  ²¹ Praise the LORD  all his heavenly hosts,
       you his servants who do his will.

I suppose I should be disappointed that I spent the money and was unable to give these things to the man in need. But is that not selfish of me? Upon further review I believe God intended this to be a reminder of the ministry path he has placed me on. I have spent a great deal of time recently lamenting over other ministries I am involved in and anguishing over the direction it has taken. I had all but forgotten about MyCornerMinsitry the last few weeks. Now, God made a point of calling me back to the task.

My focus is clear. We must help those individuals who have no home, no love, no hope, and no food to find a home, find love, find hope, and be fed with the bread of life that is Jesus Christ. That is the mission on MyCornerMinistry.

Changing Lives – Homeless or Not

It’s amazing what can happen when God moves a human being to step outside themselves and serve others. That’s is the amazing part of MyCorner Ministry. Much like the 1980’s movie “Pass It On”, the Outreach that is My Corner Ministry continues to grow. Peoples lives are being changed, and not just the lives of the homeless. Every day people are seeing first hand the cruelty and dis pare of homeless America. It’s not just something you see on TV. It’s up close and personal, and you realize these people are human beings in need of love like all the rest of us.

I want to challenge everyone who reads this entry to step outside their little comfort zone and find your way to a corner of homeless America. There you will receive the gift that God has given those of us who have been willing to serve.

If you have a story, won’t you please share it anywhere in the comment sections of this site. We would love to hear from you.

Let’s Just Call Him Paul

When I conceived the idea of My Corner I had no idea how it was going to work or how it was going to affect lives. The program officially started on April 1st. I was so excited, yet for two days I saw no one at the corner I had adopted. It took me a couple of days to breathe. Sooner or later someone would be there.

A couple of days passed. I decided that if I saw anyone in need at ANY corner I would give out a bag that I had with me. Later that week I was down in the port area on Tampa Bay calling on a customer. I had missed my turn and was turning around in the parking lot of a market when out of the corner of my eye I saw this guy leaning on a pay phone. I had already gotten headed towards the customer. So I decided when I came out I was going to go back and see if I could find this guy and give him the items.

After making the sales call I headed back to the market. My disappointment hit at first glance because the guy was not at the phone. After a moment though I saw he was sitting across the street on a crate eating something out of a tin can. I pulled up and rolled down my window.Immediately I could see that he had months of dirt on him and had scabs that were bloody on his arms and face. He was noticeably intoxicated; I would guess Methamphetamine. As I called him up to the truck he at first had the look of “Are you talking to me?” (He had convinced himself of his invisibility as many homeless do.) He came to the truck and I tried to get his name, but could not understand him. I said “Here this is for you” as I handed him the package and said “God Bless you”. He spoke back the only clear thing I could hear him say, “God Bless you too”.

Tears began to well up in my eyes as I pulled away. On paper I didn’t think this was going to be so hard. That is the way our society has gotten. We are numb to it all. I kept wondering what his name was. After a short period of time I felt the presence of God come upon me. I felt the comforting hand of the Holy Spirit on my shoulder, and a whisper in my ear say, “Let’s just call him Paul”.

When You Move On Gods Call

Yesterday was the official roll out of My Corner Ministry. As I headed out towards the corner I had chosen to adopt I had mixed emotions. There was no one standing at the intersection. Ok, that was good. But then again, I was so much expecting to be able to serve someone on the first day. But, it wasn’t about me.

Several months ago when God spoke to me about this ministry I began sharing it with others. Several small groups from my church, Crossroads Community in Wesley Chapel, offered to help provide items for the bags I was planning to hand out. At the time I encouraged them to find there own corner and begin doing the same thing. And on the first day of “My Corner Ministry” the community was served in the way God intended. Below is an email from my sister in Christ, Eleanor, who is the small group coordinator at Crossroads.

Thanks John,

 

Our small group put together some bags for the homeless and were planning to get them to you. But Bryon, a new convert in our group, took them to downtown Tampa and got the blessing. They asked him “who do you represent?”  He answered, “God.”  I thought that was a great answer; many people try to push their church or denomination, but he went in the Name of the Lord. Hallelelujah!

 

Thanks for the inspiration! Our small group was awesome this semester. I love seeing people grow in their faith through small group bible study.

 

Eleanor

The world is a better place today because God placed a call and people listened. Not only that, but I know that not only were the people who recieved these small gifts blessed, but the ones doing the giving as well. The greatest blessing you will receive this side of Heaven is being the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. Do your part today to serve in your “Corner” of the world.

John S.