human-rights

Neighborhood Innovation

September 13, 2013 Merlin Gonzales Backyard Missions, FHL Indiana, Self-Sustained Food Pantriy

Innovation applied to our neighborhoods

You probably have heard by now that iPhone just unveiled 5C and 5S both with iOS 7 and the later with fingerprint sensor and 64-bit processor. Even with all the innovations, some tech experts are saying that they are losing the ground in the smartphone war.

No, I’m not going to lead you to follow this trend, but let me ask you a question, “What If we put as much emphasis on missional community innovation as we do with smartphones?”

Here’s an example: One of the self-sustained food pantries that FHL planted is having a Baked Sale on Sat. 9/14 to raise funds for their pantry. What’s innovative about it? It’s an old concept that was upgraded. The local residents are coming together to sustain their food pantry. Last month, a family did a garage sale and used the money to buy food for the pantry. These methods maybe archaic but they are morphing into neighborhood transformation.

This is grassroots movement in steroids! The local neighborhood has a sense of ownership of their pantry. They now come together not just for food but for camaraderie and relationships.

Unlike technology innovation, grassroots movement is powered from ground up instead of from top down. This approach can create a legacy not a legend. This approach can transform a neighborhood, a city and a country. These neighborhoods will win over hunger, homelessness and crime. Instead of losing ground, they will conquer the land with ever increasing innovation to solve challenges together.

FHL Week 2013: Heal the Land

August 7, 2013 Merlin Gonzales Backyard Missions, FHL Indiana, FHL Week, Kindness Weekends

We were blessed to work with Great Lakes Region INROADS Inc, for the first time to mobilize volunteers for this cleanup. INROADS sent about nine of the twelve volunteers who participated in the neighborhood cleanup. A local homeowner , who owns two homes in the area, helped with the cleanup for the first time as well.

Our thanks to Keep Indianapolis Beautiful for arranging to have a thirty yard dumpster placed in the cleanup area. This dumpster is being used to store trash collected during the cleanup until the dumpster is removed from the area.

The following areas were cleaned:

Graceland Avenue from 38th Street to 39th Street, sidewalks medians and street gutters;

West 39th Street from Boulevard Place to Capitol Avenue, sidewalks and street gutters;

Kenwood Avenue/Illinois Street alley, 38th Street to 40th Street, large items removed;

Capitol Avenue/Graceland Avenue alley, 38th Street to 40th Street, large items removed.

The dumpster provided through KIB was filled to about two thirds of the dumpster capacity with trash collected during the cleanup. Water and snacks were made available to all volunteers, who worked for about two hours to help to continue to clean this neighborhood.

There are at least two homes in this neighborhood that are being renovated.

We continue our relationship with the Tree of Life Church at 40th Street and Boulevard Place. The resident of the house that is adjacent to our meeting place came out of her home to see us and spend time with us. We are thankful to serve her and other residents of this area.

After the cleanup was finished, the area where we had worked was checked for stray tools, trash bags or piles of debris. None of these items were left behind by the cleanup crew.

It seems that I do not have have the words to adequately express my thanks to the Lord for all I have seen him do in this neighborhood. Even so, I give Him my thanks.

My THANKS!!!!!!!! to all who have supported this neighborhood through: prayer, street ministry, local congregations, cleanups, city services and home renovation.
Bill Lamb
Faith Hope and Love

2013 Indiana Prayer Celebration

July 18, 2013 Merlin Gonzales FHL Week

Contact: Merlin Gonzales

Phone: (317) 578-3370

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

11 A.M. EDT, July 18, 2013

Prayer Celebration and 24/7Indy Scheduled For July 21^st, Shofars will sound beginning of Historic Prayer Event for the state of Indiana

Indianapolis, IN, July 18, 2013: Faith, Hope, and Love, International, Inc. will be leading a prayer celebration at Creekside Ministries, 10501 Hague Rd. Fishers, IN 46038 heralded by Shofar players and drummers at 3pm this Sunday. The Prayer Celebration is the kick-off event to Faith, Hope, and Love Week 2013. This event also launches the 24/7Indy Prayer-Worship, a non-stop prayer, praises and worship sustained for 168 hours.

Faith, Hope, and Love Week is described by FHL International, Inc., CEO, Merlin Gonzales, as a “mission trip without leaving home”. Volunteers are welcome and will be encouraged to sign up for scheduled community services during Faith, Hope and Love Week, 2013 – July 21-28.

The Prayer Celebration will begin at 2:30pm for volunteers on the open field at Creekside with drums, tambourines and praises. At 3pm, the Shofars, positioned inside the building, will sound the official beginning of the Prayer Celebration. Participants will then make joyful noise by a prayerful and joyful shout for the state of Indiana, its businesses and citizens. This will be followed by a Prayer Rally which will include worship and dance.

Faith, Hope and Love Week, is a ground starter for ongoing scheduled community service projects over the course of the year with a view to helping cities transform themselves through public outreach that is motivated by the love of Christ.

As stated on their web site, Faith, Hope, and Love International, Inc. “…seeks to break down man’s walls of separation between churches, races, social status, government and education to unite people to show the compassion we were all created to give one another.” By mobilizing community resources and local businesses, it seeks to improve neighborhoods and help those in need. Faith, Hope, and Love Week is an event that has been proclaimed by Governor Mike Pence and has been endorsed by and enjoyed participation from 1000’s of volunteers and numerous cities, including Indianapolis, Fishers, Shelbyville, and Ft. Wayne.

For additional information about Prayer Celebration at the Creekside or Faith, Hope, and Love, International, Inc., contact Merlin Gonzales; visit FHL’s web site at www.fhlinternational.org

The Unexpected happened again

July 13, 2013 Merlin Gonzales Backyard Missions

FHL Office

I was very excited this morning since our organization, FHL, will be opening the 13th food pantry today (in less than 3 years). As my wife and I parked our vehicle in front of our office, I noticed that my plants including my large banana tress were knocked down to the ground! I thought there must be some high winds last night. As I was getting closer to the office, I found out that someone broke into our office!

As I hurriedly enter the front office, everything seemed ok but later I found out that our laptop was stolen. Later, I noticed that the intruder took our DVD player and our cash box. The pattern of how things had transpired was very similar to the first time we were broken into about 3 to 4 years ago. The person who did it knew exactly what to take, a big plasma TV.

Here’s an opportunity for you: Join us as we pray for this person for his/her deliverance from the grips of satan. We forgive this person and we are willing to assist in finding help for him/her. I’m asking you to share this message to others and let’s expect miracles to happen.

While on the cross, Jesus prayed for those who crucified Him, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” – Luke 23:34 I pray that the Holy Spirit will invade the thief’s heart with His power and love, In Jesus Name.

Let’s expect the unexpected to happen again…from heaven’s perspective.

The History of FHL Part 2

July 3, 2013 Merlin Gonzales Backyard Missions, FHL Indiana, FHL Week, KIOM

Building a church, Costa Rica 2002

After more than two years of trying and failing to go back to the mission field, I had the thought that there must be many people like me who have the heart to go on a mission, but who don’t have the time or money to go. I thought, why not do something similar to taking people outside the country?—Why not have a mission week in our own neighborhoods that would be available to many community churches in the area? The verses in Acts 1:8 made sense to me that we should reach out first to our own Jerusalem, then to Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth.

In February 2005, I contacted 35 pastors in two communities and invited them to discuss and explore having projects all around the neighborhoods for one week. I met with about 15 of them individually and proposed the neighborhood missions. In April 2005, several leaders from 12 different churches came for our first group meeting. I was surprised to see how many were interested since an associate pastor in my church told me it would be impossible to bring churches of different denominations to work together. It seems strange, but that’s reality.

Seven pastors from different denominations committed to do a week of outreaches in our neighborhood. We met on a regular basis identifying needs and resources in our communities. Once we narrowed down the needs list, we developed projects and then asked our congregations and the surrounding businesses to provide the resources needed. We did not have any budget so we worked hard to find resources around us. Seven churches and 200+ volunteers performed 10 projects for the first Faith Hope and Love (FHL) Week in Indianapolis.

I was very happy to see a vision became a reality. By November of the same year some of the pastors who joined us called me and asked what we would be doing the following year. I told them I was done. However, they shared with me that their congregations had a great experience and were already looking forward to next year’s local mission. So I developed a plan of action how to share the concept with other communities in metropolitan Indianapolis.

After prayers and encouragement, I shared the vision with several pastors in greater Indianapolis and asked them to be the area coordinators in their communities. The idea seemed very workable and the Lord gave me favor to recruit four more communities to do what is now known as “Mission Trip in Your Own Backyard.” The following year, we mobilized 50+ churches and organizations with 1,200 volunteers who performed more than 30 projects during the entire Faith Hope and Love Week.

To date, this ministry has worked with more than 200 different churches crossing denominational lines in central Indiana. FHL has year-round ministries such as planting self-sustained food pantries, Kindness Days and leadership training. It mobilizes more than 3,000 unique volunteers on an annual basis.

Update for FHL Week 2013:

FHL Week 2013 officially starts on Sunday, July 21 3p with Prayer Celebration at Creekside Ministries The Prayer Celebration is also the start of 24/7Indy More info to come regarding the FHL Week 2013, “The Year of Love”