Mid-Year 2008 Ministry Report

Michelle Gibson on the left and Beverly Beeson on the
right are two members of our Denver volunteer team.
Their new friends were grateful to receive some hope
and a hand with lunch on June 5.

19,075 SACK LUNCHES...AND STILL COUNTING

From January to July, our volunteers have handed out 4,993 sack lunches. That’s a 12 percent increase over our pace from 2007. Through snow & sweltering heat, we’ve seen some great stuff.

In Denver, a complete stranger (Solomon) observed what we were doing, then walked up and gave us $15. In Tulsa, someone in the crowd (Al) spontaneously stepped forward following one of our street sermons to sing a song. It was his way of testifying how God helped his life.

We’ve had a grown man (Fred) break down in our arms as he shared his heart and described his battle with depression. Please pray for him and his wife, Patty, who needs healing in her legs.

We also passed out lunches at a "watering hole" where we ministered to a man who had just been beaten and robbed. One of our volunteers prayed with him until paramedics arrived.

These are the real-life needs we see as we reach out with God’s hands. Going back to 2003, He’s given us more than 400 volunteers who have now passed out 19,075 sack lunches.

And given Tulsa’s emphasis on downtown redevelopment, we recently sat down with other faith-based groups to brief the mayor’s office about the importance of our work to lift up lives.

By having a seat at the table, we believe we can shed some light on the other revival that’s taking place downtown – a revival in the hearts of the homeless.

GLAD ABOUT THE AD

Did you see our positive press? One of our big corporate backers – Williams – placed a full page ad about Filling The Void in the July issue of Tulsa People magazine. The ad re-caps our roots and salutes our community service awards.

MILE-HIGH MISSION: IN THE MAKING

July marked four consecutive months of outreaches for Filling The Void in downtown Denver. Our volunteer turnout there is terrific (and growing). And we've seen our boxed-lunch supplier (Corner Bakery) give us $200 of free food one day. These things are great big steps to help get us off the ground in a new city. Our next Denver outreach day is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 11.

BY GEORGE!

One of the men we serve is going from the streets to being gainfully employed. George just told us about his new job at a highly-respected hotel chain where they're paying him a couple extra bucks per hour because he's bilingual. We'd love to promote their brand name here, but some things are better left unsaid so that we don't hinder the future hirings of others who need a second-chance at a new start.

GRILLIN'-N-CHILLIN'

Special thanks go to the Milliken family for taking care of our Tulsa volunteers. On May 17, they hosted a cook-out at the their home to give our team some time to rest and renew. The big-bash came complete with shish-ka-bobs for dinner and cake for dessert. We're always amazed at how we're blessed in so many ways. Thanks to everyone for helping us perform good deeds for those in need!