spirituality

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.

Harvest and sowing

September 6, 2013 Merlin Gonzales Backyard Missions, FHL Food Pantry, Self-Sustained Food Pantriy

Fresh Corn from the heart of Indiana

Early part of this year, we received a large amount of corn seed from one of our ministry partners. They are distributor of corn, soy beans and other seeds. I contacted one of our friends who farms. She agreed to plant the corn, tender and harvest them.

Today, my wife and I were so blessed to see hundreds of fresh newly harvested-corn at their farm. We went around Indianapolis to deliver the corn to 6 different organizations. We were so blessed to see the smiles and the gratitude of the recipients. It is interesting to see how happy people were when they receive the corn! The $ value of the corn was not that much but what made the recipients smile was our thoughts of them. It’s the same thing as giving away bottled water. A bottled water cost less than .50 cents but it’s the thought of giving unconditionally that count.

As the deliveries ended, I was just reminded of how a “Missional Community” would look like – similar to what I had just witnessed. Someone provided the seed, someone planted and tendered it and I was blessed to be the delivery man.

We are all distributors of God’s blessings to people around us. How cool is it to give away God’s unlimited blessings to others. As you go about this weekend or your week, keep thinking that you can be a conduit of God’s blessings to others. It may be just a smile or just giving a cold cup of water to others – just as the Bible says. You may be harvesting blessings for you and your family as you sow simple acts of kindness to others.

Another Kingdom Class just started

August 30, 2013 Merlin Gonzales a Study on God's Dominion

It’s been a busy July with the FHL Week 2013 new format. We started with Prayer Celebration on July 21, 2013. The rest of the week included several Projects/Services such as the Project Blessing. Simultaneously, we did the first ever 24/7Indy non stop prayer and worship for 168 hours. We have seen God Encounters and miracles.

After a busy FHL Week, we started the 4th Kingdom Class in Anderson, Indiana on Aug 21st. Like all of the Kingdom classes, this class will end with a project. The project will be tied in with the 24/1 Prayer Worship in Anderson. The participants in this class are expecting big things to happen in their city in the near future. Stay tuned!

From a vision to reality

August 30, 2013 Merlin Gonzales FHL Food Pantry, FHL Indiana

One of several self-sustained food pantries that FHL incubated

Remember the vision of FHL’s Food Pantry Planting Initiative? Incubating pantries to be self-sustained. In early 2010, FHL did the first Pantry of Hope at B&G Club in Beech Grove, IN. By summer of 2010, FHL held a Town Hall meeting to invite churches and businesses to be a part of the establishment of the pantry. They have become self sustained in 2012.

Here’s a quick story that will bless you. Early this month, they did a community garage sale to enable them to buy food for the pantry. The note below shows that the local neighborhood is pulling together to gather resources as part of their sustainability. Ironically, when you talk to clients and volunteers at Pantry of Hope, they will tell you that it’s not just about food but more about relationship – Grassroots movement in the Kingdom!

Hello, August 23, 2013

I would like to have a Bake Sale September 14th-15th and are in need of item to sell, I want to be able to buy food and have more then just Gleaners . I hope to get enough baked items to sell both day from 12-3 pm. Please let me know if and what you can do . I would also like to have a meeting with all of you on September 8th, may be a pitch in cook out . Please let me know your feeling on both these matters.

Thank You for all you do,

Pantry of Hope

Carrie Holman

This pantry needs freezer and refrigerator; please contact me if you have any leads or suggestions to equip them.

You can help and encourage them by:

Baking cookies, brownies or cupcakes (bring them before noon on the 14th at B&G or arrange a time to deliver to FHL office)
Help us locate donated Freezer and Refrigerator
Volunteer on 9/21 10a – 3p

NOTE: FHL will start incubating the 14th self-sustained food pantry next month (Sept.). Our goal is to plant 24 by the end of 2014. Please let me know if you know of organizations or potential partners to help us in this important initiative.

Changing spiritual landscape one neighborhood at a time. – Merlin

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