Thank you and Thanksgiving

Paige, Johnny, Tom and the entire staff and Men of Hoskins Park would like you thank you for your continued support and especially your thoughtful Prayers.

The Thanksgiving Baskets that we asked for help were delivered to 30 families in the Hoskins Neighborhood this past Saturday, November 6, 2010.

What a great support of the outreach efforts of the Men of Hoskins Park Ministries to the surrounding community!

Imagine homeless men coming to YOUR door and giving YOU a Thanksgiving Basket, what a difference just the presence of this Ministry is having in the Hoskins Community!

So with that momentum that the Men have, we must now turn our attention to Christmas, as Thanksgiving events are already filled with church and life group support.

We are so grateful to our Lord for this continued support.

I will be sending Paige’s exact plans and dates on a later email, but here is the basic plan:

Decorate the Men’s houses on Saturday, December 4, 2010 from 9AM to 1PM.

The Christmas Party for the Men will be Tuesday, December 7, 2010 from 6PM to 9PM.

As in the past, we would like to give each of the Men a gift card along with some basic personal items.

Once again this year, life groups from Philadelphia are taking a 5 day vacation to come to Hoskins
Park to serve for the Christmas Party event and have donated $500 for the gift cards.

We also have 2 individual families planning for the Christmas Party, but we still need everyone’s
support to provide fellowship for the 53 Men that depend upon us for help.

The deadline for having all donations into Paige for the gift cards and Christmas Party volunteers is Friday, December 3, 2010.

Please contact Paige Vestal at paigev@truevine.net to volunteer and donate.

Once again, thank you all for your Prayers for the Men of Hoskins Park Ministries and the staff that cares for them every day.

God Bless.

Please give in HPM's time of need.

At the time I sent the email to you on September 14th, requesting financial support, we needed $30k to help us be responsible with our own expenses (to get out of the hole we were in).  We received over $30k in contributions including over 50% coming from the local church.   Thank you for your support of God’s work at Hoskins Park!  I am grateful to all of you who supported this effort and who contributed and I sincerely appreciate the local church helping us in our time of need.  That means a lot.

However, I also want you to know that we decreased our staff from 10 to 8 while keeping our men off the street at the same 50+ number.  That was more of a result of circumstances than anything we did since our staff is our first commitment and will continue to be.  And many of us took a pay cut so that we avoid that shortfall again (with Johnny and I taking the largest cut at 20%).  Also, Johnny Allen, Program Director at Hoskins, has been collecting program fees from the men at approximately $4k per week for everyone (which I did not include in the $30k since we needed “outside” support in addition to normal support).  In that regard Hoskins is now collecting about half of its overhead from program fees (which is a significant increase), something that may be used as a model to other inner city ministries since it allows us to generate revenue internally, and teaches our men to be responsible with their own expenses at the same time (program fees are what the men pay us to be part of our “program”).  I tell you these things so you can see that while we will ask for help from you from time to time, we are doing our part as well.  And you have a right to know what is going on.

Finally, while many might think that ministries like ours are all about money – we are not at all (we are trying to share the love of Christ with the poor which does take money).  Sadly, we get put in positions to ask for funds when we would prefer our committed supporters to help us consistently so we can avoid these fire drill requests.  So, in that regard we are having a meeting on Wednesday Nov 3rd and Thursday Nov 4th, at the Harris Y (6:30-8:30 pm) , to share with those who attend, what we are doing at Hoskins and where we are headed.  We’d appreciate the folks who feel committed to serving a Christian ministry that serves Jesus by serving His homeless men, to attend.

I will be sending out an invitation but wanted you all to know in advance that this is what we are doing so you can save one of those  dates.  I really think we can all help ministries by understand who we are committed to rather than having to get barraged by emails desperate for money.  Its our effort to proactively combat the financial challenges we face in 2010 rather than being reactive.  In that regard, I hope you will attend.

Also, if you want to be sure you get a card in the mail, please send me your mailing address back on this email.  They should go out this week.

Thanks again!  We appreciate your support at Hoskins Park Ministries.  I hope to see you on the 3rd or 4th.    -Tom Wheeler, Exec. Director

On Sep 14, 2010, at 5:55 PM, Thomas Wheeler wrote:

I am writing this reluctantly having tried to keep out of the email marketing maze (since everyone is after everyone’s money these days), but Hoskins Park is coming to a critical point.  I thought some of you might want to know what that is before we make the necessary changes to meet our financial shortage.

As many of you know we currently have 13 houses, 50+ men (previously homeless) and a committed staff of 10.  It costs just under $40k per month to keep Hoskins Park running as is (which I believe is at its healthiest place and is being fiscally responsible to the best of our ability).  Our focus is on discipleship of the men too so that they do not return to the street, rather than just housing the homeless for the sake of shelter.  Furthermore, we have some of the toughest guys in Charlotte living with us – these are not people that just had a tough year or two, these are guys whose lives might have been messed up since the day they were born (although they are not all from the same background).  For the most part, however, if they were not with us, they would likely be getting into trouble and be back in jail.  I just want to make sure you know who we are serving.  We don’t just teach them a few things and send them on as if we invested our lives into them.  We live with and amongst them as a big family (of messed up people) but with Jesus at the center as we really do invest our lives in them.

Financially, however, if  things don’t change soon, it is unlikely that we can maintain this same focus with these numbers.  As winter approaches, with the communities need to get more folks off the street, Hoskins Park will likely have to down size just before that need arises (either decrease our staff, the men or both).  I just cannot see anyone thinking that is a good option, especially now.

Furthermore, despite many who think downsizing is not an option at this time, it is an option for us in order to continue to be fiscally responsible, which I believe is important particularly since we are a Christian organization (and therefore need to do things better than others not worse).  I just don’t think it is appropriate to become an organization that operates irresponsibly in the name of Jesus.  As imperfect as we might be, God is more than able to provide for us, through folks like you.  So I look at it like this – if you feel we need to continue on, as is, with 50+ men and a staff of 10 (because you know us, trust us, and believe this is God’s work rather than our own), please give to us financially as soon as possible (and to whatever degree you can).  If however, you are committed elsewhere and while you understand the need and know that winter is coming (and you know you will see the need on the front page of the Charlotte Observer when it gets cold) this is not where you are called to help, I understand- commit where you are already committed.  We will let God show us the way based on the response we get from you and others that know about this need.  Believe me, if we need to downsize, then so be it, that is what we will do (we cannot take responsibility for this either on the positive or negative side – its God’s deal, not ours).

You can make a donation at:  Hoskinspark.org  - hitting the donation button  or by sending a check to:

Hoskins Park Ministries
107 Cromer Street
Charlotte, NC 28208

And listen, I know how difficult it is to deal with all the demands of our challenging economy.  I would not be asking if God has not already pushed me and my wife Kate to the point beyond the sacrifice we thought was necessary.  But we have obliged.  Now we ask you to follow us as we follow the Lord, as you feel called to do so anyway.  Oh, and finally, the board of directors of Hoskins Park is looking into various ways we can become more of a self sustaining ministry – but that takes time.  But please don’t think we don’t know that there are internal options we must consider too, to become more independent on those outside of our ministry.  At this point we generate around 25% of our revenues internally. We hope to get to over 50% in the next year by being more creative.  More on that later.

Thanks for your consideration.  May God continue to bless you and your families.  And thank you for your support.  We really appreciate you!!!!   Further information about Hoskins Park is below this email.

-Tom

Please Join HPM to Learn about Our Future!

Hoskins Park Ministries

Invites you to join us:

Educating you on our Mission / Updating you on our needs

Dreaming with you about our future / Discussing our desire to eliminate debt

&

To inform you of our plans to become more self sufficient

Nov 3rd or 4th @ The Harris Y (you pick )

6:30-8:30pm

5900 Quail Hollow Rd

Charlotte, North Carolina 28210

(704) 716-6800

Located at the corner of Quail Hollow Rd and Sharon Rd
(enter through the main entrance, we will be the first room on the right)

All friends are invited!

We would simply like a head count for facility and planning purposes

Snacks Provided

Please RSVP Tom Wheeler @ tawheeler@truevine.net or call the Office at 704-391-3303

Pantry Needs

Paige, Johnny and the staff at Hoskins Park Ministries thank you for your continued support and prayers for the men of HPM.

We have some special events coming up for the remainder of the year that I will address in a separate email.

But now, Paige is in dire need of toiletries and canned food for the pantry as well as 2 dressers, 2 refrigerators and a washing machine.

As you all know, this is a growing ministry that serves the least of our community and the needs of this growing and changing population continue.

If you are able to contribute individual sized toiletries, canned food items, dressers, refrigerators or a washing machine, please contact:

Paige Vestal
704-400-9755
paigev@truevine.net

Thanksgiving Baskets

All:

This year for Thanksgiving, the men at Hoskins Park Ministries are putting together Thanksgiving Baskets to give to their neighbors in the Hoskins Community.

After years of you guys giving to the men, they would like to start their own outreach program to the community surrounding them.

What a gift you have given Hoskins Park, the example of unconditional love and giving, and having these men start to consider the needs of others in their community.

The items that we are putting in the Thanksgiving Baskets are as follows:

1 box of Mashed Potatoes
2 boxes of stove top stuffing
4 boxes of Mac n cheese
1 or 2 cans of pumpkin pie filling
2 cans of green beans or a large can
2 cans of corn or a large can
1 large can of chicken broth
1 large can of yams
The cost is about $30 for each Basket.

August Events

Johnny, Paige and Tom would like to thank everyone that came to the Open House, as well as all the support that is given to Hoskins Park Ministries through Prayer and Good Deeds each and every day.

Before I mention the August event, here is an urgent message directly from Paige:

We need a single bed and frame, a couple dressers, a couple night stands, 2 lamps, some new bath towels and a new twin mattress…..and on top of that our pantry is low, low low!

If anyone can help with this, please contact Paige directly!

Please mark your calendars for Saturday, August 7 from 10AM to 1PM.

Details will follow on another email, but lunch will be served (Hot Dogs & Hamburgers will be donated, but drinks & side dish donations would be appreciated) and several Hoskins Park neighbors have expressed an interest in finding out more or what happens at the Ministry.

You can imagine the activity they see there every day, but they are expressly interested in the Baptism process and what that means.

Johnny and Tom will be in the Pond and will Baptize several people.

There will also be testimonials from the men as well as fellowship.

Everyone is welcome.

Thank you so much for all the Love and Prayers that you send to Hoskins Park Ministries.

God Bless!