THE HOMELESS OUTREACH, INC. NEWSLETTER

In This Issue 1 Upcoming Events

1 Letter from the Director

2 Photo Report: Back to School 2016

3 Ministry Summaries and Warm Nights Reminder

4 Thanks; In Loving Memory; Ways to Minister

UPCOMING EVENTS 2016

Oct. 14 Shepherd’s Cove

Nov. 11 Early Thanksgiving, Shepherd’s Cove

Dec. 11 Christmas Party for Multiple area shel-ters and homeless individuals COLLECTING: New toys for children of all ages; new hats and gloves; gently used winter clothing adult and children

Monthly we give 25-30 towels, washcloths and bags of hygiene to the P.G. County Warm Nights Program

Shepherd’s Cove outreaches are every 2nd Fri. of the month. Carol Leo, 240-475-4219 is the contact. The Homeless Outreach, Inc. supports two local church outreach programs to the homeless. Contact for National Church of God each Tues. is Pastor Ed Torrence, 240-299-0281. Contact for Fri. and Sat. from Evangel Assembly is 301-899-5940, Phet and Chris Thomas.

Volume 27 Issue 3 www.thehomelessoutreach.org September-October 2016

God’s care for the needy results in penalties for those who mistreat His needy children.

He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor. Proverbs 28:8 49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, ful-ness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. Ezekiel 16:49 (We know that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by God.)

The Lord has given us a mandate as His followers, to imitate Him in our behavior toward those in need. 7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Isaiah 58:7 20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. Proverbs 31:20

Many promises are in His Word of rewards for those who are His emissaries of kindness and compassion to the poor.

22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. Luke 18;22 27 He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse. Proverbs 28:27 21 He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he. Proverbs 14:21 17 He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again. Proverbs 19:17

Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. Psalm 41:1 13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: 14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they can-not recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. Luke 14:13-14 9 As it is written: “He hath dispersed abroad, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness remaineth for ever.” II Corinthians 9:9, Psalm 112:9

Matthew 25 reveals the ultimate litmus test of our true devo-tion to the Lord. 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, ‘Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.’

Matthew 25:37, 40 In all our giving to the poor, the most important thing that we give to them is God’s Word. . .and the poor have the Gospel preached to them. Matthew 11:5

Thank you for your partnership in ministering to the needs and in sharing the Gospel with the homeless!

Letter From the Director, Carol Leo

In God’s Word, we see a strong contrast between the natural man in his treatment of the poor and the response of God to the poor. 20 The poor is hated even of his own neighbour: but the rich hath many friends. Proverbs 14:20 2 The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined. Psalm 10:2a

. . .they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right. Amos 5:12B The depraved nature of the natural man views a poor man as some-one to be exploited, used, abused.

The nature of our God of love is clearly seen in His treatment and care for those who are lacking in this world’s material goods. 5 For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him. Psalm 12:5

. . . the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless. Psalm 10:14C 7 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill; Psalm 113:7 41 Yet setteth he the poor on high from affliction, and maketh him families like a flock. Psalm 107:41 5Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? James 2:5

Jada Thomas from Hope Christian Church taught the children a praise dance, which they then performed for the crowd.

Through The Homeless Outreach, I was able to see how much faith the par-ticipants had in God, despite their current situations. They were not in the best economic standing, nor the best physical standing, but they still had faith to believe that God would provide for them. Julian Dailey

Above: Pastor Jackie Davidson with the help of the children in the audience, preached a strong message compelling th adults and children to leave the past be-hind and start new with Jesus Christ.

Back to School Outreach 2016 The Back to School Outreach 2016 held for two large area homeless shelters at the National Church of God gymnasium, welcomed the children and the parents in a variety of ways this year, some old, and some brand new. These included an opportunity to shoot the hoops in an active game of basketball headed up by some of the young men of National Church of God; the activities of jump roping or hula hoop-ing; coloring in a back to school coloring book; “shopping” in the beautiful “boutique” set up and manned by Dorcas Clothing closet; receiving a haircut provided by Darryl from Christ Mission Ministries Church; receiving a balloon creation including hats, animals, and swords cheerfully made on the spot and distributed by Bro. Leo Brandao and his team; viewing of a lively puppet show staged by Son-shine Puppeteers; or praise dance training by Jada Thomas, Hope Christian Church. Continued on next page . . .

Our Back to School Event was enhanced this year by the presence of the youth team from Hope Christian Church. This group was on fire for the Lord and helped in whatever capacity they could. This included greeting and registering, setting up, serving, manning the children’s activities, lead-ing the praise dance, and singing a special. We are so very thankful to this group headed up by Robin Houston and look forward to their future partic-ipation. Below is a statement from one of the youth about his experience

Prayer offered by Chris and Phet Thomas

Behind-the-Scenes-Team: prepara-tion of school supplies for distribu-tion took place a week before our two Back to School events.

Alicia, Roz, (left) Sing, Geri, Carolyn (above) Maria and Jada Riley (above center)

Continued from page 2 . . . As our ministry program started, the Sonshine Puppets led the way and were such a big success that everyone from the tini-est tot to the most senior guest was up on their feet dancing joyfully unto the Lord. The praise dance team that had been trained by Jada in just one half-hour’s time came forward next, and ministered mightily in the spirit of praise and worship. Parents all over the gym were wreathed in smiles as they watched their own children or their neighbor’s children up front leading the praise and worship in dance. A lovely mother/daughter singing team, Sidne, Samantha and April, then sang “Take me to the King” a cappella in a melodious and anointed style that brought a momentary hush even to the sound of the very vocal children, tots, and babies that filled the gymnasium. Marianne Benson accompanied by Pete Hyde, keyboard, and Jim Hayden, flute, sang “His Eye is on the Sparrow,” and the lovely chords and words of the song reached out to touch hearts. Pastor Jackie then asked for volunteers from the audience and soon was surrounded by her “team” who proceeded to follow her directions to help bring forth her illustrated sermon. The Word was preached and a plea for souls went forth. Marianne came forward to pray the sinner’s prayer with whosoever would and many heads were bowed in prayer to invite Jesus into the hearts. The Gideons were in place and began distributing New Testaments once the altar call had been given. Many hands reached out to receive the precious Word that was offered. The picnic-style meal of hotdogs, hamburgers, baked beans, watermelon, and cookies was served and children and adults ate with relish. Chris Thomas from Evangel Assembly of God was called upon to pray over the food, and then over the fami-lies, and his powerfully anointed prayers were deeply felt and appreciated by those in the audience. As dismissal time drew near, the family bags containing specially selected backpacks, school supplies, and hygiene products for each member of every family present were distributed. Many surplus supplies were carried to the buses and taken back to the D.C. General Shelter for distribution to those unable to attend. Surplus supplies were also taken by one of our volun-teers, Lucy, to CASA in Silver Spring to benefit the families, who had just been displaced from their apartments by the explo-sion. Additional school supplies donated by Shield of Faith Christian Center after our Back to School parties were distribut-ed to the CARES Shelter in Southern Virginia. Altogether, nearly 300 backpacks and sets of school supplies were distributed to those in need. We are truly praising God for the mighty outcome to this year’s Back to School events and for the outpouring of His love

through each one who participated. Praise the Lord!

Shepherd’s Cove Outreach We continue to praise God for allowing us to share in ministry with the women and children at the Shepherd’s Cove Shelter on a monthly basis. The following programs have been presented in our Proverbs 31 Woman Series in the last several months: June: Roadblocks or Opportunities? Overcoming Fear by Maria Stanfield

July: Time to Grow, John C. Maxwell Teaching by Roz Porter August: BACK TO SCHOOL, Tips to Parents for a Successful School Year, Andrea Livingston

September: Health for the Body and Health for the Soul, by Janet Rockymore All of these teachings were led by Spirit-filled, born again women of faith, and they made a great impact on the women who received them. God’s Word was shared along with practical tips on living this life as a Christian. Thanks to all of our anointed teachers! The children were given healthy outdoor activities and snacks, arts and crafts and a short prayer and Bible sharing time each session. We believe that the benefits reaped from this outreach are for now and for eternity. Praise be to God!

Needed: Warm-Hearted Churches in Prince George’s County As the weather becomes cooler, the Warm Nights Program gears up for another season of providing temporary shelter for the homeless families in Prince George’s County. Needed are churches willing to open their doors for one week to house families overnight. If your church would like to volunteer for this service contact CCSI (Community Crisis Services) at 301-864-7095 . CCSI can be accessed online at http://www.communitycrisis.org/ For a glimpse of the program in operation, see the previous newsletter page 3 http://www.thehomelessoutreach.org/newsletter0516-0616.pdf To connect someone who is homeless in Prince Georges County with services, contact the shelter hotline at 1-888-731-0999.

Check out our website www.thehomelessoutreach.org for the latest information

Businesses: Darryl Garrett, Clippers and Shears Barbershop 3243 Brinkley Rd. Temple Hills, MD 20748 Milloff’s Catering, Brandywine, MD

Marlow Heights Shoe Repair, Marlow Heights, MD

Imagine Photography, 3717 Georgia Avenue, Washington, DC.

20010

Digital Power Studio, Tampa FL

Churches and Ministries: National Church of God (N.E.T., Men’s Ministry), Corkran Unit-

ed Methodist Church; Evangel Assembly of God (Dorcas Closet,

Local Missions); Christ’s Mission Ministries, Pastor Edwards;

Kingdom Covenant Church, Pastor Easter; Hope Christian

Church (Youth Ministry); Sonshine Puppeteers; Shield of Faith

Christian Center (Mattie Vcelik);

Gideons; Berean Baptist Church (Pastor Jackie Davidson),

Christle Lighthouse; Ambitious Women on a Mission; and all of

the volunteers and donors, who minister out of the love and

overflow of their hearts to reach out and help hurting and

needy individuals! May God richly bless you!!

The Homeless Outreach, Inc. 4114 27th Ave. Temple Hills, MD 20748 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

In Loving Memory Jacqueline Jegels, faithful monthly supporter of The Homeless Outreach peacefully went home to be with the Lord in June of 2016. Juanita Maclin, Homeless Outreach volunteer and donor went home to be with Lord in September of 2016. Bill Shutters, who supported several Homeless Outreach events has gone home to be with the Lord. We say a fond farewell to our faithful sisters and brother in Christ, who served God while on this earth and now rejoice around His throne for eternity.

Ways to Participate in the Homeless Outreach Singing * Puppets * Skits * Cooking

*Preaching * Prayer Providing: Food, Hygiene Articles, New Under-wear, Socks, New Hats, Gloves, Clothes (gently

used), New Toys, Cash Donations Or in any other way as the Lord Leads

Thank you and God Bless you!