By Hank Luhring, Chair, Mission of the Holy Spirit Board of Directors
At a recent Sunday
service, Pastor Keith Josey announced that Tiffani Satterwhite had just
been accepted to Mary Baldwin College! All the kids at the Mission of
the Holy Spirit were very excited. Tiffani is a shining example of how
the Mission works with kids to succeed despite the problems they face in
their lives.
The Mission has
developed into a community of people looking out for each other,
celebrating their successes, and also being there when life is not so
good. To me, the Mission is a vivid example of Christianity in action.
These kids who face tons more obstacles than most of us come to the
Mission and leave with hope: the hope that, despite the bad, God's
kingdom is manifest here on earth.
The Mission is
doing more than ever. The Sunday service has anywhere from 60 to 80
people in attendance. On Tuesday and Thursday evenings we average 23
kids, being served by 4-8 volunteers. We provide meals on these two
nights, as well as on Sundays. So far this year, over 5,000 meals have
been served to children at the Mission. We delivered Thanksgiving
baskets to over 50 families last month.
We are helping
more children and more families than ever before, and are doing it for
less. Funding is down 56% from its peak in 2007, yet we serve more kids
with more programs.
Because of this,
your contribution is more important than ever. It's through your
generosity that we can keep the buses running, pay to heat the building,
provide meals on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and operate a food
pantry so that families don't go hungry.
Your tax-deductible donation to the Mission helps tremendously. As
we transition from a season of thanksgiving to one of Christ coming
into this world, your donation will help these children overcome
adversity through Christian hope and good works.
