A big thank you to Cross and Crown Church

Each and every Saturday of the year the volunteers with the Ministry of Hope at Cross and Crown Church in Arlington Heights, Illinois, serve a feast for the homeless and low-income of the area. Approximately 50 to 70 people enjoy the hot breakfast and lunch each week. Many partake in the opportunity to attend a worship service.

The volunteers and pastors of Cross and Crown are a gift from God to the homeless. They live from their hearts, offering smiles, joy, friendship, hope and support to all who need. They serve delicious meals, give clothing, bikes, and more. They give transportation to and from the church in a church member’s van. The Ministry of Hope is NOT even part of the church budget–all costs come out of their own pockets!

The Ministry of Hope volunteers are absolutely amazing! I honestly don’t know how such a small church can do so much for so many! Some may remember that it was this same church that was vandalized around Christmastime. There was an outpouring of support from communities all around, including an awesome new Christmas tree to replace the one that was damaged by the vandalism.

I felt glad that this church was able to celebrate Christmas and feel the warmth of the community help that we homeless feel when we go to the Ministry of Hope on Saturdays. I hope to return the love and kindness someday by finding a way to help them myself, perhaps by finding them a new or used van of their own to give us rides in to and from the church. It would even grant the church the ability to give us rides to the church on Sundays so that we may attend the regular worship service–something many of us wish to do but can’t get to the church on our own.

View a pdf file about the Ministry of Hope.

Blessings and curses

Another lovely day at the Cross and Crown! I am really tired and have a headache and other problems so I can’t say that I was really alert for all of it, but it was definitely a great day! Plenty of people came. The food was good. Friendship and conversation was all around. The new volunteer who found her way there came back again. Ken offered a great message and music in the service. There was an update on a computer class that they are offering soon.

I finally took a Vicodin for my headache and I’m doing a little better now. Well, I still feel it but at least that part of me is improved. The rest of me…. I should have skipped the food. Its all bad for me. I was starting to get sick the other night already and had some bad arrhythmias. Yesterday it was my stomach and more. Today–its everything. I gotta learn to not eat when I go there. Things could have maybe started to get better instead of worse. My D* kidneys. They don’t filter right. I feel it already. I’m going to be in for a really bad weekend. And its not going to be good with sleeping and living outside. And I’m now out of Vicodin until my doc gets back in the office to ok the refill. Wish me luck on that and more. The most positive thing out of protein and potassium foods making me sick–is I might lose a few pounds, LOL. Not that I’m overweight really, but I wouldn’t mind.

Volunteers making a difference

I am grateful to many places which offer help for the homeless and those in need. The volunteers of these places offer help from their heart, and kindness from the spirit. It is such a beautiful gift that we receive, more than anything tangible.

Cross and Crown Church’s Ministry of Hope, in Arlington Heights on Saturdays, has a beautiful set up for a hot breakfast and lunch, with an optional worship service, and transportation to and from the church. The food is great! (Mmmm, my favorite–biscuits and gravy!!!) The optional worship service includes some great songs and music, discussion that we can all relate to, and sometimes even videos and popcorn. (Side note: laughing at Pastor’s jokes not required. LOL!)

In starting my site and blog it was my hope and prayer that I would be able to help others, including those like Cross and Crown who do so much and go out of their way to help people like me. I learned today that Cross and Crown has a volunteer because of ME and this site! How awesome and COOL is that?!?! I had a chance to meet her, and she is so sweet and bubbly with personality! She’s perfect as a volunteer!! Tell ya, when she told me she came to them because of reading my blog, I almost could have got up and hugged her! LOL. I am so glad to hear of things like this–that I AM making a difference! I sent Pastor Randy an email expressing how happy I am about being able to give something back to them. I feel really blessed and hope they do too. Thank you.

New events!

Hey! I finally added a few things to the events calendar! Check them out! Both are ministries which serve, if I must say, GREAT meals to anyone in need! Both offer some form of transportation to the location, have clothing closets, and other help.

I also plan to (finally) start adding info on happenings geared more toward homeless and social services agencies, and other public events related to homelessness and issues surrounding it.