Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen

There are many challenges to developing a non-profit ministry. Defining what you are, what is the God-created/inspired purpose for the ministry is vital. As individuals we all need to strive to know and understand our created purpose in order to find success; the same rings true for ministry organizations. As I continue to develop Shiloh’s Lighthouse Ministry I am at times amused by the many “experts” who try to add their voice into what SLM is or should be. To me it is a lot like our new softball team. A group of ‘too old to play competitive sports’ to ‘young and don’t know what in the world they are doing’ cast of characters that has gathered together and formed a team to play in our local YMCA Church Softball league. FYI—I fall into the too old to play competitively part of the team—yet I’m happy to be healthy enough to get out there and enjoy the fun and fellowship.

As our team started practicing I got a kick out of the abundance of “experts” offering advice to those who were struggling at the plate to hit the ball. “Put your back elbow up.” “Get back in the batter’s box.” “Move up in the batter’s box.” “Move you back foot!” “Move your front foot!” “Keep your eye on the ball!” A vast cacophony of voices ringing out to where that the poor person at the plate was being overwhelmed … well meaning advice that ended up only adding to their confusion. I often am on the receiving end of a large number of voices that try to tell me what SLM should be: “We’ll really grow when we….” 

As a younger man I often fell victim to being a crowd pleaser—doubting myself and my calling just enough to find myself at yet another dead end ministry street wondering where I made the wrong turn.

When I was living in Blacksburg, VA I was moving forward on a great ministry opportunity. I had found an empty 1920s area hotel that was perfect for a boy’s home. I formed a steering committee to help develop the non-profit ministry that would run it. Social Service agencies all were excited as the area totally lacked placement opportunities and they had to spend extra finances out of their budgets to place boys out of their counties. Politicians wanted to be there for the ribbon cutting ceremony. I was cooking along and then it all just stopped. Phone calls ended and were not returned, donors suddenly went other directions with their giving, the steering committee fell apart and I was suddenly alone in the effort. So, wise spiritual man that I am, I decided I should ask God what was happening. He told me I had been working on a good idea, but … not a God idea.  I was traveling on a dead end street.

It is often too easy to run ahead of God or away from God thinking you are on the right path. The ministry path God has set out for SLM is not an easy one. Ministering to at-risk youth, the poor, dysfunctional and hurting of society is not glamorous stuff. Sunday services lack the polish of larger churches, and the dirty work of dealing with the many broken lives that come through the doors each week is tiresome and challenging. The constant need to raise finances to keep the doors open is emotionally and physically exhausting. Yet this is the ministry God has called me to have here in Saginaw and I wouldn’t trade it for anything!

What I can tell you is, lives are being changed here. Oftentimes it is not pretty and a great deal of the stories are ones that I won’t share publically. For those of you who call SLM your church home, know that you are part of so much more than a church—you are part of a ministry that is daily impacting lives in need here in Saginaw. For those of you who financially support this ministry—thank you! Yes, it’s true I don’t ask for big donations—just $20 per month—but let me tell you, your $.66 per day is helping transform broken lives into lives that have hope, direction and purpose. SLM might not be pretty, but it is a ministry God has brought into existence for such a time as this.

A reminder that this month we will start sending out in the mail a monthly newsletter. If you would like to receive it, please email (wilsondana1962@sbcglobal.net) me your postal address.

Keep the faith …

PD

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IMPORTANT REMINDER! If you have not yet, please show your support for SLM by signing up to "Follow" this blog - you will find the "Follow" button in the upper right hand corner of this front page. Receive email updates on new posts, visit often and leave comments! - all of this helps us in our efforts to grow our readership and social network visibility. Also, if you are able and wish to contribute to our ministry with all of its valuable community outreach programs, please CLICK HERE and make a pledge and/or one time donation. We need your help! These programs cost money! Sow your seeds into the garden of the Love of Jesus that we at SLM are devoted to cultivating!

Knowledge is Power

The philosopher Francis Bacon is known for his saying “Knowledge is Power.” That statement has become a nice little catch phrase used by teachers, preachers and politicians alike. Most every morning around 7 to 7:30 AM when I walk into my office here at Shiloh’s Lighthouse the thought that runs through my mind is “the longer I’m doing this ministry, the less I seem to know.” I am humbled by the responsibility and many needs of the precious people I have the opportunity to minister to every day.

I am a visionary man, the kind of guy who gets excited when he sees a broken down building because in my eyes I already see the new facility God will build there and the scores of lives that will be changed. For the most part I share the vision and do my best to help others—through faith—see beyond current difficulties as they focus on trusting God every day for their needs. A weakness of being a visionary man is that I often am lacking or too diplomatic in expressing the gravity of current needs since, in my mind, they are already taken care of—God has a plan. That is not the wisest thing to do is the lesson I am learning. So I have been praying for wisdom in how to deal with a grave situation my ministry faces …

  ³ Through wisdom a house is built,
      And by understanding it is established;
       ⁴ By knowledge the rooms are filled
      With all precious and pleasant riches.
       ⁵ A wise man is strong,
      Yes, a man of knowledge increases strength; Proverbs 24:3-5 (NKJV)

I need to make you aware of a most dire situation facing Shiloh’s Lighthouse Ministry. While lives are being changed, people are getting saved, addicts set free from addiction, physical healings from cancer and such are occurring—I could go on, my ministry faces a natural foe that has the potential to bring it to an end.

That foe is finances. SLM is currently running at 35-40% of its budgeted needs in weekly donations and offerings from Sunday services. As a Community Center Ministry there are people (mostly lower income) here daily being ministered to, and the bills are mounting. In April of 2009, thanks to a generous donation from a family in another state, we were able to purchase our facility via a 20 year Land Contract from the Eastern Michigan Free Methodist Church District. We are months behind in our payments for the LC. The generous Superintendent of the Eastern Michigan FMC District has been more than gracious with us, yet we must bring the LC current. 

To meet our budget, (which is an extremely lean, no frills budget I may add) it takes just over $3500 per month. To date we are averaging around $1400 per month in donations. The wonderful people who call Shiloh’s Lighthouse their church home do what they can with fundraisers—taco dinners, candy bar sales, rummage sales—those things help, but they will not sustain the ministry on a regular basis. What the ministry needs are regular donations. Just as your household survives on those weekly or bi-weekly paychecks, the utility bills, insurance, Land Contract, etc., come every month and are part of running this ministry.

I am asking that you prayerfully consider:  

1. If you are not currently a financial supporter, please pray about becoming a regular donor. All I ask of monthly donors is a pledge of $20 per month, just $.66 per day. The economy is still down, but your $20 per month along with many others will help this ministry survive and continue to change lives.

2.     Whether a current supporter or not, or even if you have plans to soon join in the ranks of SLM supporters, Please send me via e-mail a physical mailing address so you can start to receive a monthly newsletter. In this age of email, texting, Facebook messages, Twittering and on and on we are so often overwhelmed with “news” that those things that may matter to us get buried in the process. An “old school” letter allows you to have in hand information and review it at your leisure.

3.     All of you reading this: Check over your Facebook friends list, your email contacts, and your cell phone contacts and also send me via e-mail the physical mailing addresses of friends you believe would enjoy learning more about SLM so the “knowledge” about this wonderful ministry can increase. As others learn about what we do, the financial support will grow commensurately as well.

To be blunt now—if I am not able to raise a significant amount of new financial supporters this ministry will have to close its doors. A friend asked me recently as I was sharing the harsh financial reality about the ministry with him, “What is your plan B?” I have no plan B. I believe this is where God wants me to be. I believe that Shiloh’s Lighthouse Ministry is supposed to be here for years to come. I pray that you will take the time to read this over and then pray and act on what you can do to help. Thank you. I know this was long and out of character for me. Nevertheless, I believe that with the knowledge you now have, you can help me to continue to build this house of ministry here in Saginaw. 

Keep the faith….

Pastor Dana Wilson

IMPORTANT LINKS:

Pastor Dana’s E-Mail

SLM’s PayPal Donation site

If you wish to mail a $20 donation, send it to:

Shiloh’s Lighthouse Ministry

1215 S River Rd

Saginaw, MI 48609

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IMPORTANT REMINDER! If you have not yet, please show your support for SLM by signing up to "Follow" this blog - you will find the "Follow" button in the upper right hand corner of this front page. Receive email updates on new posts, visit often and leave comments! - all of this helps us in our efforts to grow our readership and social network visibility. Also, if you are able and wish to contribute to our ministry with all of its valuable community outreach programs, please CLICK HERE and make a pledge and/or one time donation. We need your help! These programs cost money! Sow your seeds into the garden of the Love of Jesus that we at SLM are devoted to cultivating!

What is Shiloh’s Lighthouse Ministry?

Just exactly what is Shiloh's Lighthouse Ministry? 

First, here is what we are NOT:

We are not 'just' a 'church'. We are much, much more than that (see below).

We are not 'religious' in the traditional sense of dogmatic, judgmental, man-made rule-driven regimens of 'acting righteous' in order to 'be worthy' of heaven and salvation. We teach and practice the true freedom of life and a life of abundance through knowing and having a personal, intimate relationship with Christ Jesus--submitting to, reuniting with, and becoming One with God and God's Will. 

We are not here to judge or condemn anyone, no matter what your life circumstances, habits, problems, whatever, are. We love and accept everyone, in whatever situation, and we "See all people through the eyes of Jesus" --- who never judged or condemned anyone, except the self-righteous, pious 'religious' people of His times. No matter your race and/or ethnic background, social and economic status, or political, sexual, religious (or not) persuasion, all are accepted and loved equally.

So that's what Shiloh is not. What are we then?

A church?  Yes, we are – we have regular worship services each Sunday starting at 10:30 AM. Our services include a talented Praise & Worship Band (they call themselves the Average Praise Band) that do original music as well as contemporary favorites and updated versions of many of the classic hymns. Each week there is special programming for children as well. There is a message that challenges us straight from the Bible and lots of fellowship before and after the service. SLM is a non-denominational church.

A Boxing Program? Yes - in 2009 we put in a full boxing facility, including a sparring ring, heavy punching bags, speed bags and other boxing training equipment, and established Shiloh Boxing Club. Our program is a USA Amateur Boxing program that has certified volunteer coaches who train children through young adults in the sweat science. Out team participates in several boxing shows each year throughout the state as well as in national tournaments such as Silver Gloves, Golden Gloves, Junior Olympics and US Amateur Men’s Open.

A Home for At-Risk Boys? Yes - since SLM began it has provided a home to a dozen at-risk young men in the form of temporary shelter to long term housing. Pastor Dana mentors the young men and stands in the gap for them as a father figure.

A Community Center? Yes – from social activities to tutoring to physical fitness programming, Zumba Dancing, and music lessons, SLM opens its doors to the community for people of all ages to come in and have a safe place to gather for a wide variety of programs.

A Mentoring Program? Yes – many at-risk young people come through the doors of SLM each week that are in need of caring adult mentors to help guide them in their development into adulthood. Mentors help provide Whole-Person guidance, Mental, Social, Physical and Spiritual.

A Non-Profit Ministry? Yes – SLM  is a 501(c)(3) non-profit ministry. All donations to SLM are tax deductable.

When you support SLM you are helping a fledgling program reach a wide variety of people. SLM is making a real difference in the lives of many people of all ages. Since we reach out to many at-risk youth and families in need, we survive in large part on the kindness of others who financially support our work. This is a necessity, as a large percentage of those who come to us are living below the poverty level. Those who come to the Sunday services give as they can, and they do so faithfully, but the tithes and offerings from our still small but growing congregation is not yet sufficient to finance all of our valuable and needed programs. It is through our monthly fund-raiser dinners and appeals for monthly supporters (@ $20 per month) that we seek to raise the capital needed not only to meet our budget, but to expand the ministry as well.

The current economy has been difficult on us all. Non-Profit ministries such as SLM have struggled to meet their budgets as people have had to cut back. We face a very real need to increase our monthly support base as the winter month utility bills have drained an already slim budget do a dangerously low point. We know many read our ministry blog and have become aware of our outreach programs. We are asking and praying that you who are reading this blog would consider becoming a part of our support team at only $20 per month, just $.66 per day. The need is great, the difference your $20 will make is eternal – thank you for considering joining our team. 

Keep the Faith- 

Pastor Dana

~~~~~

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IMPORTANT REMINDER! If you have not yet, please show your support for SLM by signing up to "Follow" this blog - you will find the "Follow" button in the upper right hand corner of this front page. Receive email updates on new posts, visit often and leave comments! - all of this helps us in our efforts to grow our readership and social network visibility. Also, if you are able and wish to contribute to our ministry with all of its valuable community outreach programs, please CLICK HERE and make a pledge and/or one time donation. We need your help! These programs cost money! Sow your seeds into the garden of the Love of Jesus that we at SLM are devoted to cultivating!

Simple Fare Can Provide What Is Fair!

"Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy; Free them from the hand of the wicked." 
Psalm 82:3-4

When you support Shiloh’s Lighthouse Ministry you are helping us “do justice” to many needy people. Thanks to our outreach sporting program, Shiloh Boxing Club, many fatherless young men come to us. Most have very real material needs as well as the physical need for food. Just this week I had five teenaged young men in my office for a new weekly Bible study tailored for them (giving me the chance to spiritually mentor a larger group all at once). None of the young men there had a biological father involved in their life. Here at Shiloh’s Lighthouse Ministry that is the norm for the majority of the young men we have the privilege to minister to. 

In addition to the obvious, and still much-needed monetary assistance we need and ask for—monthly pledges and/or donations—there is a very simple way you could make a tangible difference in some lives in need: 

Donations of food!

Help us feed these young men. There are lots of young guys here each week receiving mentoring; some of them for the boxing club and others volunteering time to help around the church.  Often they come hungry, not having a decent meal the entire day. An empty stomach is not a good opener of mind and gateway to spiritual acceptance. A good meal is a tangible way to make a difference.

If you are local and would like to help here is a simple list of food items we would gladly receive:

Hot Dogs

Frozen Hamburgers

Buns

Mac-N-Cheese

Juice

Chips

Milk

Butter

Hardly an extravagant list, but having such simple fare available here will help us minister to these soon-to-be adults as we help guide them, providing them a fair chance to develop into whole-person balance. And again, financial donations are also welcome and are tax deductible.

Keep the faith ...

PD

(Food donations can be brought directly to the church, at 1253 S. River Rd., Saginaw, MI 48609)

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IMPORTANT REMINDER! If you have not yet, please show your support for SLM by signing up to "Follow" this blog - you will find the "Follow" button in the upper right hand corner of this front page. Receive email updates on new posts, visit often and leave comments! - all of this helps us in our efforts to grow our readership and social network visibility. Also, if you are able and wish to contribute to our ministry with all of its valuable community outreach programs, please CLICK HERE and make a pledge and/or one time donation. We need your help! These programs cost money! Sow your seeds into the garden of the Love of Jesus that we at SLM are devoted to cultivating!