Third Edition

A Note from Robert

Greetings, my brothers and sisters in Christ. I would like to take a moment to encourage you in your daily walk with the Lord. As Peter encouraged Christians in his day to demonstrate the new birth in all their conduct, not just when it felt good, but even when they were suffering wrongfully for Christ’s sake. The new birth is initiated by God’s Word. It is God’s Word that satisfies and purifies the lives of Christians. We are instructed in how to live by God’s Word. Therefore, we must be intentional in laying aside the old garments that are defiled (refer to 1 Peter 2:1 for the list of old garments). 

 Not only does God’s Word initiate the new birth, but it also initiates a strong desire or craving in us as believers. It is God’s Word that brings salvation and it is the same Word that causes Christians to grow. If we have tasted the reality of God’s goodness in salvation, there is an inborn desire for more of that goodness through feeding on His Word daily. I trust that you are growing in Christ, because of your hunger that can only be satisfied by God’s Word. God’s Word is the desire that satisfies and purifies. Are you desiring what satisfies and purifies?

Psalm 34:8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;

Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Update: Grace Owens

Recently we sat down with Grace Owens.  Between answering phone calls and fielding client questions we were able to ask Grace a few questions (Shelter Manager is a busy job).  After graduating from the NLP a few years ago Grace completed the 12 month Servant Leadership Training and was quickly hired by the City Union Mission.  Today Grace is a Shelter Manager at the Family Center and Nigh Manager at the NLC.  Grace has come a very long way since she first came to the Mission.  She came here looking for safety and a place to stay.  Now she is serving the Lord and the men, women and children that come through the Family Center’s doors.

We Remember You:  You’ve become so well established in your role as Shelter Manager it now seems so long ago that you were on program at the NLP.  Are your memories still fresh?

Grace:  I remember it very well.  I remember what it was like when I first came here.  How lost I was.  I remember what it was like to find the Lord while I was on program.  I remember a lot.  Working here helps me to remember and really stay grounded in the Word.  

We Remember You:  What was your fondest memory of being on program?

Grace:  Fellowshipping with Lenexa Baptist Church. They did a monthly family ministry. Each month eight or so people would come from the church.  We met in the basement of the NLP.  We had cake and snacks. We played pool with kids that came along and played games too.  They would come at Christmas and Valentine’s Day. I still go.

We Remember You:  Fond memories are terrific but what was the most important thing that you learned on program?

Grace:  Patience. I got patience from getting to know the Lord and reading scripture.  I wasn’t patient before.  It really helps me in my job.  I also learned about His grace, strength, knowledge and wisdom.  I learned about joy too.

We Remember You:  Our last question.  There are people reading this who will have only graduated a few months ago.  Others may have graduated years ago.  What would you like to say to them?

Grace:  Continue to study the Word.  Go out and share the Gospel.  Tell them out there what life is really about.

Thank you Grace.

Update: Sheryl Hasmanis

 Sheryl Hasmanis is another graduate of the NLP and sLi. She is also a Shelter Manager at the Family Center.  Sheryl is now a mainstay at the Family Center. Clients look to Sheryl because of her compassionate heart and “I know what you’re going through” credibility. All along Sheryl has said that she couldn’t imagine working any place other than the mission.

We Remember You: What was your fondest memory of being on program?

Sheryl:  Christmas. It was hard at Christmas being homeless. I couldn’t get my children presents and I was really feeling down. Shortly before Christmas, I was adopted by a Sunday school group from a church in the area. They went shopping and got the gifts my children wanted for Christmas. The kindness and generosity they showed to me and my children was overwhelming. I will never forget them. This kind of thing never gets mentioned or noticed but it was so important to me. It was terrific.

 

We Remember You: What was the most important thing that you learned on program?

Sheryl: Grace. I’d been a Christian a long time but I didn’t really know grace until I came to the program. I didn’t know the magnitude of grace.

We Remember You:  Our last question.  There are people reading this who will have only graduated a few months ago; others may have graduated years ago. What would you like to say to them?

Sheryl:  I know what happens when you leave here. It’s easy to get away from the Lord. It comes back to grace. His grace. He’s there waiting for you and He’ll take you back. All you have to do is turn your face to Him. He’ll take you back. It’s never too late.

Renovations at New Life Center and Family Center

In 1978 Reverend Vanderberg opened Pilgrim House Family Center and hired a very young Dan Doty as evening Chaplain. In 1984 staff began to offer life skills classes to long-term clients and out of these classes grew the New Life Program. Finally, in 2000 the New Life Center building on Wabash opened.

   This year the Mission received an Affordable Housing Program grant of $475,000 to update the Family Shelter and NLC facilities. Renovations included a new roof, windows, flooring and paint. Though the exterior of the facility may not look substantially different, those much needed structural repairs are nearly finished. The Family Center and New Life Center are ready for the future.

    

For 30 years Beth Liebling and Lorraine Minor graced the halls of the NLC and Family Shelter. Robert Strong guided Family Ministries for several years before being promoted to Chief Program Officer. Now Terry Megli has taken that helm, promoted to Director of Family Ministries in September. Many of you know Terry from his role as the Administrator of the NLP during the last several years.

Through the years there have been many changes but some things remain constant. Lives have been rebuilt. Families restored. Hopefulness found when there was no hope. Christ discovered and cherished. Children raised and nurtured, but most of all, loved. Children. Ultimately children and the Lord are what this place is all about. 

An Interview with Terry Megli

 We Remember You: Thanks for joining us Terry.  You’ve been at the Family Center twelve and a half years now.  How has the NLP changed in those years?

Terry: We’ve really expanded our counseling staff in the past three to five years. We now have three part-time counselors and every six months we bring on a counseling intern. Our curriculum has grown as well.  We do a lot more with Life Skill Classes and we teach them using more contemporary mediums such as Power Points. We’ve changed our Advanced classes. We do many more small group sessions where the classes are built around group discussions and book study. It seems that our clients have changed some as well. We now have a lot more families in the NLP than in past years.

We Remember You:  You obviously have a number of memories from your years working with clients in the NLP.  What memory stands out?

Terry:  That’s a tough one.  Give me about a month to think about it.  I’d say what stands out most is seeing the three current staff members (Felicia Payne, Sheryl Hasmanis, Grace Owens) who were previous graduates of the NLP and sLi.  Seeing them work with clients and remembering where they were when they first came to the NLP is a real bonus.

We Remember You: What do you want to accomplish in your new job as Director of Family ministries?

Terry: I desire to see a healthy developing staff facilitating a healthy growing ministry.

We Remember You:  Our last question: If you had every person who ever graduated from the NLP while you’ve been here sitting with us now what would you want to say to them?

Terry: Pray. Read your Bible. Go to church. Remember who you are. You’re a person who is going through transformation. God has created you and gifted you in special ways to advance His kingdom.

In Closing 

                                                      

Many of you reading this newsletter are parents. Some of you lived at the NLC with your children. Listen carefully. One day your children will remember the despair - the hardship. It’s true. They will also remember your courage. One day they will remember these times and they will be able to put it into a proper perspective.

You had no where else to turn. Your children looked to you for food and shelter.  They also looked to you to take away their fear. You came here desperate and broken. But this was not the end of the story; it was the beginning.  Here you found Christ and accepted His love. You rebuilt your lives from hopelessness. A new creation transformed by God’s overflowing grace. You gave your children stability and the home they so badly needed.

Most importantly you gave them a future in Christ. They will go “swift and far” in life thanks to you and the Lord. They will remember alright.  One day they will tell their children with pride and respect, “let me tell you what your grandmother did when I was young”. Well done and praise God.  

And the poet said:

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.