Because of the snow and ice Friday, some Helping Up Mission staff didn’t get in and teleworked from home – including me and Spiritual Life Director Mike Rallo.
With Executive Director Bob Gehman on vacation, Tom Bond, Director of Programs, and Kris Sharrar, Director of Development, handled our weekly Friday Chapel. Appropriate symbolism – the first Chapel service of the new year and Tom and Kris, both graduates of our Spiritual Recovery Program, handled everything.
Tom talked about the new year with the guys – asking them to think where they were a year ago and things they are thankful for today. Then he shared some of his own story, starting with that morning.
“I started this morning swearing under my breath about shoveling my driveway…which turned to thanking God out loud because I CAN shovel and it’s MY driveway.
And that I wasn’t shoveling out to go to work……..but to come to my other home.”
Then Tom showed a video we took of the original 1029 E Baltimore Street building where we all lived and worked until 2010. It was shot the day we closed it down for demolition. The guys were sitting in the renovated chapel on Friday.
“I talked about how far God has brought us. I showed the little area where Bob’s office was and talked about the he years spent in that cramped space….making believers out of believers about the vision he had for the mission.”
There were 2 graduates Friday – Rick & Jack – the first of 2014! And 10 new guys entered our program.
Kris read some Scripture and shared a few words. There was an emotional moment when Kris acknowledged one of the new guys as someone who had helped him as he started in recovery here at HUM.
A Great HUM Start for 2014!
Pastor Gary Byers
Deputy Director