Elim and Strong Tower Shelter Opened on Valentine’s Day in N.E. Minneapolis
(The following is the update Sue Watlov Phillips provide at Elim Church Service on Sunday 2/23/20.)
PRAISE GOD! WE opened the shelter on Valentine’s Day! WOO HOO (as Pastor Becky says).
I read a Card I received and gave to others on Valentine’s Day…. “God’s deepest desire is that we let Him love us…. And freely love Him in return. Once we realized we’re loved- no strings attached - it’s our turn to look around us and reach out to our world with the same grace filled love. Wishing you a Valentine’s Day filled with amazing love.” The shelter opening was/is amazing love!
Thank you to Elim Church and Strong Tower for your prayers and providing space for over 80 men, women, and couples to have a safe warm loving shelter at night.
Praise God and thank Junail, Freddy, Dewayne, and Rome for stepping up and cooking meals each night for our guests and for some private donations to provide food.
This Dream of a Shelter now a Reality, was shared by Pastor Becky and the Shelter Board team as we looked for space to have a shelter. As we read and prayed Proverbs 3:5, 6 “Trust the Lord with all your heart, do not lean on your own understandings. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct/make straight your paths.”
God kept calling us back to Elim, where we were providing cold weather shelter and would we do more. Strong Tower Church, next door, joined us in saying ‘Yes we are open to our space being a shelter’ - 12 weeks ago.
I asked Monica Nilsson, a Christian friend and experienced shelter director, to help us look at possibilities.
Elim’s Leadership team gave us the go ahead to explore Elim as a possible temporary shelter site, God opened the door to us applying and receiving $250,000 of funding.
Elim and Strong Tower leadership teams Leaders said Yes unanimously and in less than a month – working around all of our events scheduled (not always perfectly) hiring staff, getting bedding, equipment, supplies, contracts, we were opening !
Wow!!!!…. God says move - hang on and keep up!
Days before we were to open - I asked, What about food? God called some of us to donate and buy food…..Weds night live, JRLC Faith Summit, and my brother’s Legacy Fishing Retreat donated food left over from their events and Junail, Freddy, Dewayne, and Rome (MICAH Board Members and Freedom from the Street Members who have experienced homelessness) committed to cooking meals each night for our guests … so as people come in, sit down with their crutches, walkers, suitcases, and backpacks by them and be able to have a great meal and know he love of God’s people.
Mark 14:7 Jesus was asked after he was anointed with expensive perfume, why the money was not given to the poor…. “The Poor will always be with you”… (true.. verse continues)…. “and whenever you will you can do good for them”.
Matthew 25:34-40 Jesus says days before He goes to the cross… “Then the King will say to those at His right hand, Come O Blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me…. And then righteous said….. Paraphrased - when did we see you like that and when did we do that?
Jesus said Truly, (pay attention when Jesus says truly) I say to you as you did it to the least of these (those with the least), you did it to me.
Is Jesus Calling you to help us at the Shelter? Please continue to pray and ….
1. Sign up and Volunteer from 6:30PM -8:30PM a night a week or month
a. To love and just help people with suitcases, walkers, crutches as they come in and get food.
b. Help serve a meal
2. Donate money for food for 80 people Dinner about $75-100 (about $1/person) Breakfast $50-75 (about 75 cent/person) - Checks payable to Tasks Unlimited – shelter’s fiscal agent. Shelter Food in memo line.
3. Provide a meal - Your family/group for 80 people one night
If Jesus is calling you to help:
Junail and I will be at this side door after the service to answer questions, take donations, and sign you up to help.
As Jesus said in Luke 12: 34, For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also.