Recently we celebrated the 19th Anniversary of the Care Mission with a Day of Praise at Gospel Light Christian Fellowship Church. While only a handful showed up to give God glory for all He has done and continues to do through the Care Mission, those that were there rejoiced in the Lord, giving Him honor, glory, and praise. After a time of fellowship we were lead in praise and worship by Pastor Chris and Hope Spears, Eddie Davenport, and the Gunther family. Some shared their testimony. It was a
wonderful time in the Lord. We greatly appreciate Pastor Chris, Hope, and the congregation of GLCFC for hosting our Day of Praise again this year.
We (Kendra and Deon) formerly announced during the Day of Praise that we would be stepping down from our roles as directors of the Care Mission effective July 2025. Between now and then Eric and Jessica Gunther will be working alongside us preparing to take the leadership position when we step down. Eric, Jessica, and their 11 children have been a true blessing for us over the past year or so. I don’t want to skip over the 11 children part. Their kids range from 19 years to 6 months and they are a wonderful bunch. We thank God for them. We will share more about them in our next newsletter.
The number of households coming to us for food assistance continues to increase. We served 4,163 households during the first six months of this year, up 3.6% over last year. There were 15,674 individuals within those households, up 15.6% over last year. The greater increase in individuals compared to the households served is due to multiple families combining into one household in order to cut cost of rent, utilities, etc.
We also see an increase in the number of first time households; folks who’ve never been in this situation before. Some come to us emotionally broken, feeling defeated, and filled with uncertainty. We point them to Christ, assuring them that He meets our needs in different ways. He can drop manna from heaven or He can use His servants at a food pantry or in other ways we cannot imagine.
At times it has been challenging to keep a sufficient inventory. This is in part due to the increased demand. But, the greater obstacle has been the lack of product available to us. Like all food banks across our nation, the Chattanooga Area Food Bank is struggling to get corporate food donations. This has forced them to purchase food in order to have any inventory to speak of. Naturally that additional cost is passed on to the food pantries that rely on them. While this increase can be as much as 20 times what we traditionally pay, it is still less than paying full retail. Combine the increase cost with the fact that in May of this year the CAFB became the USDA food distributer for Northwest Georgia rather than the Atlanta Food Bank, and with much of the USDA food being diverted to feed the growing number of illegal aliens being housed across our nation, we find ourselves in the midst of a perfect storm.
Our hope is in Christ alone. We understand that Christ is our provider. The CAFB, the USDA program, or any other resource or means of support are only conduits through which God meets our needs. We trust He will open new doors as others close for He is faithful to provide.
Do you have a garden? Are you blessed with abundance? Remember us and those we serve. We are available to receive donations Monday through Friday 8:00 – 4:00. We distribute food on Wednesdays and Fridays 12:00 – 4:00 so it would be best to avoid those times. You can also call or email to make an appointment if you prefer. No amount is too small or too great as we have plenty of cooler space.
We will gather at the mission on Monday, September 9th, at 6:00 pm for a time of prayer. If you believe in the power of prayer we invite you to join us as we express our gratitude to the Lord and call on Him to bless us with wisdom, discernment, strength, provision, and guidance.
Please keep in your prayers; the Gunther family, our Board, and us as we make our leadership transition, those we serve, those who serve alongside us, those who support our ministry, our monetary and material needs, our nation, and our nation’s leaders.
Food for thought;
Our great friend and Brother in Christ, Bill Resides, passed away Friday, August 2nd. Bill was 75 years young. He, and his wife Sandra, were instrumental to the spiritual growth of Kendra and me.
Decades before the Care Mission was even a thought, Kendra and I found ourselves at a spiritual crossroads. We believed we had been lead to the church where we first met Bill and Sandra. We were confident that the Holy Spirit had brought us there to lead the youth ministry. Most of the parents agreed whole heartedly. However, those parents and we were met with great opposition from the pastor who blocked us at every turn.
We did not want to cause friction so we agreed to help with the youth, but not lead. At first all was well. But soon things started going off the rails. We were trying to be obedient to the Holy Spirit by promoting a mission oriented youth ministry. But, this was not what the pastor wanted. At first he gave us some rope, hoping we would hang ourselves I suppose. Instead the youth and their parents enjoyed and embraced the vision God had given us.
Our pastor’s solution? Force us out and onto the sidelines. We were crushed. We could not make sense of it. We, and others, were certain God was calling us to lead the youth. Why would our most logical ally, our pastor, stand against God’s calling for us? Perhaps we were wrong. Maybe we should just stay quiet. Go along to get along. Isn’t that the Christian way?
That’s when Bill and Sandra stepped in. They had no children in the youth group nor were they heavily involved in the youth ministry, but they were certain God had brought us there to lead the youth ministry. They taught the middle-school Sunday School class. They made room for us to come alongside them. They would not allow us to walk away from our calling. They kept us plugged in. In due time we were elevated to Youth Directors and God used us and the youth to do some amazing things over the next 8 years. To God be the glory.
The experience set us on a path that brought us to where we are today. It could have been very different if Bill and Sandra had not been obedient to the Holy Spirit and took us under their wing. We could have just walked away completely or we could have become content sitting on the sidelines, dozing in our pew, paying our tithes and going through the motions. Instead we have been used by God in ways we never could have imagined.
Let us never miss the opportunity to encourage others; you never know how important it might be. Let us always be obedient to the calling of the Lord even when others oppose you, even those you thought would support you. You never know where the path God has placed you will lead.
Thanks and Be Blessed,
Deon and Kendra