Our VisionThe Key to the Mission
The key to this mission is the gospel of Jesus Christ. We believe that no lasting change will occur apart from that. In order for there to be change in someone’s life, there has to be change in that person’s heart. I used to know several people in the downtown homeless shelter that had been staying there for at least three years. These individuals had no desire to get off the street or out of the shelter and into housing. Many of them were on some kind of medication for depression or a psychological problem; because of their social security, they would have been able to finance a small apartment. Some of them were getting food stamps and/or welfare. The problem for many of them was not the money, but the will. They were comfortable in their present situation and they did not have the courage to make a change. One rewarding thing for me is after some of them started going to church, gotten off drugs and involved with some kind of ministry helping others, they did find a way off the streets, out of the shelters and into housing. What gave them that courage to change their lives was their faith in Jesus Christ. As we pursue our work to fulfill our mission, we must never forget that everything we do is through the power of God and for his kingdom. It must never be humanistic or socialistic. The First Step: Networking
Part of our mission is to bring together like-minded individuals and organizations and share support and resources in order to fulfill the mission. What is important here is networking with different ministries, individuals and organizations that have a heart to help the homeless. There are a lot of ministries and churches that want to help the homeless, but lack the resources and know how about how to go about doing it. The first step is to have gatherings for the homeless on all parts of the island on a small scale. I want to help these ministries get started. We are still in the beginning stages of reaching the homeless. There are sporadic outreaches throughout the island and larger ones during the holidays, but there are still pockets of homeless relatively untouched. One place that I am focusing on is Waianae, where there is a large homeless population. When I started ministering out on the beach, the first thing I wanted to do was find out if there already was a church or ministry working with the homeless and offer my support. What I find among ministries and organizations is there is a lot of overlap. Sometimes it is as if we are competing to help the homeless. That is why it is vital to network and communicate with one another and offer our expertise so that the same services are not provided to the same people. For example, one organization may have connections with a food provider, while another can provide transportation or manpower, while another can get clothing or blankets. Ministries should be working together, not against one another. So many times its comes across as a pride thing: “Oh, our ministry is doing such and such. What about yours?” That is not what it is about. The Second Step: Island Wide Rallies
The next step in the mission is to get homeless ministries together to hold island-wide rallies to both minister to the homeless and to inform the public about what is going on. Here we can gather the strengths of different ministries, for example, food, evangelism, music, media and helps. Ministries and churches need to come together to show their unity and purpose to the community and be a testimony to the power of Christ. As a well known song goes, “They will know we are Christians by our love.” I believe we have the makings of a revival. A revival occurs when first the churches and then the community is stirred up and there is a mighty move of the Holy Spirit which brings many to repentance. I know that many churches have been praying for and anticipating a revival in Hawaii, but true revival does not only affect the churches, but the community. I know that the people of Hawaii desire to do something about the homeless situation in their neighborhoods; I read about it in the papers every day. During Thanksgiving there are three major distributions of hot food in Honolulu alone. There are so many volunteers that want to help that some have to be turned away. During the Christmas season there is even more hype to do something for the homeless. We need to harness that energy into something that will really make an impact on the homeless situation in Hawaii. |
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The Third Step: Gathering Support and Resources
The next thing that will be necessary to carry out this mission is support and resources. That is why ending homelessness in Hawaii will not happen by any one group. It will take several groups, churches, organizations and even the public pooling their resources to make it happen. Even before we hold the rallies, we need to make sure that the support services are already in place for those who give their lives to Christ and will need follow up. We cannot just turn them away. These people will have been delivered from drugs, alcohol, violence, abuse and other problems. They will need additional support to completely be freed from these strongholds. I believe this will come through a combination of social services, education, as well as spiritual guidance through the Bible. One idea I had is what some term “recovery houses.” People, especially leaders of the household, who get affected and changed through the gospel will go through a six-month rehabilitation and discipleship program where they gain inspiration and strength through the Bible while at the same time acquiring life skills, and help with marriage, raising their families, anger management, drug/alcohol rehab., etc. There are many good materials out there, for example, a Bible-based version of the 12 Steps. In addition to this, career counseling and guidance will need to be taught, so that people going through recovery will eventually be able to find a job and secure housing. The Hawaii Youth Challenge Model
I have seen such a recovery model in doing ministry at Hawaii National Guard Youth Challenge, a little known but very effective program out at Barber’s Point. I and four other pastors would go out to the Youth Challenge facility every Sunday evening and hold a one-hour, Bible-based meeting. At the meeting we would hold inspirational talks, skits and activities accompanied by Christian contemporary music. We would focus on practical matters in daily living as pertains to the Bible. Afterwards, all the pastors and helpers would offer to pray one-on-one with any cadet who needed prayer. Then during the week the cadets would return to their daily routines which included learning life skills, discipline and respecting others while at the same time working toward a high school diploma. The program lasted five months and was tough, like boot camp, and many cadets would drop out. The Sunday meetings gave the cadets the strength, inspiration and hope to keep going and to try the best they could. Sometimes almost the entire class would attend these meetings, and according to the cadres (like staff sergeants) many of the cadets had turned their lives around drastically The Result: Changed Communities
Vital to this mission is resources. Hawaii Youth Challenge works because of the time, resources and manpower that goes into it. There are several such faith-based recovery houses operating in Hawaii now, but they are struggling for lack of resources. The public can help by offering whatever resources they have available. The mission of Corvette Center Ministries is not only to feed the homeless and meet their immediate needs; this is only the beginning. To create lasting change, the homeless will need access to necessary support services through finances and the widespread donation of time and resources. The goal is to provide the homeless whatever they need to successfully recover and take care of themselves so that they can take care of their own families and eventually return and make an impact on their communities. Our motto is: Transformed lives, changed communities. Appeal to the Public
I am appealing to the public, especially the Christian public to help us end homelessness in Hawaii. Fulfilling this mission will not only take the cooperation, coordination and prayers of many different churches, ministries and organizations, but it will require the help and resources of many generous individuals, businesses and agencies to see any effective and lasting change. Search your heart and think about what you can do. Christians and the church should be in the forefront of any large social issue. The Bible tells us that we should take care of the needy. This is the time for people of faith to take a stand for the gospel. Only Jesus Christ can save and transform lives. Let us all be a part in seeing individuals, families and communities changed in the name of Christ. Thank you and God bless you. |
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