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Houston
This month we're heading on over to beautiful Houston!
Be sure to visit our opportunities page for
more information about serving in Houston.
News from the Houston City Director
Recently one of our groups was helping with a unique art
project at SEARCH, the Service and Emergency Aid Resource Center for the
Homeless. SEARCH is the largest provider of services for the homeless in
Houston. This particular project is an effort to help people grasp the
enormity of the homeless population in Houston.
We met in a Lowe’s parking lot and set to work tracing and
cutting out plywood figures which each represent one homeless person.
The figures look like ginger-bread men and women, about 14” high. They
will be displayed throughout the city to call attention to our city’s
estimated 14,000 homeless (the third-largest population in the country).
We joined in at the beginning of the project and it quickly became apparent
that our efforts were but a drop in the ocean. The students traced about
900 figures, and the adults cut out maybe 50 at the most. One of our leaders
estimated that, if we cut out two figures in five minutes (it really took
about 8 minutes), it would take one person working non-stop, 24-7 a whole
month to finish the project. It is a daunting task, which will require a
lot more help before the January 15 completion date. But even more daunting
is the thought of all those people outside in the cold. Despite the cuteness
of the figures we cut out, they represent real people, not cookies. Houston
has about 5400 beds for the homeless, and a few hundred more can be
accommodated on especially cold and wet nights, but every night thousands
will go cold.
And the cold has come. Winter probably set in sooner in
other parts of the country, but recently we have had a couple of bitter
cold fronts roll through Houston. With the cold comes both desperation
and awareness. News agencies have highlighted the efforts of many agencies
and ministries, and hopefully the community has responded generously. I
recently gave out a sweatshirt to Suzie, a pleading woman at one of our
ministry sites. As I did so, I was painfully aware that while it would
help, it would not be enough to keep her warm. There is always more
that must be done.
We are grateful for the over 800 participants that served
with CSM in Houston this year, and have made a very real difference in the
lives of people like Suzie. We have served homeless, hungry, children,
elderly, and those living with AIDS. Our groups have served both ‘behind
the scenes’ and relationally. They have given over 20,000 hours of service
to the nearly 30 ministry sites and agencies with which we partner. While
the need can seem relentless, our efforts do bring change, hope, and the
love of Jesus to those in need. Thank you for partnering with us to serve
Christ in urban Houston and around North America. We invite you to be a
part of our efforts in 2007.
Paul Randall, CSM Houston City Director
A summer group serves at the Salvation Army.
The Houston Staff out to dinner at one of our ethnic restaurants.
Mmm...Jamaican food...
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