Reach Blog

Brother Bill has come a long way since we found him in a tent at Horseshoe Pond in Concord several years ago. He spent the winter in a tent, with holes in his boots.

We visited him and helped him with what we could, and I am so thankful now to have him as a friend and a brother. Here is a letter that I received from him today:

“Dear brother Neil and the family of Reach (Pete, Pam, Lorinda & Mike),

I’d like to thank you all for the help and the things you have done for me for the last 4 years (Tents, blankets, clothes, food and most of all, your friendship). And checking in on me, good weather and bad. It’s been a long, hard road for me, but with your help and caring and the Lord my life is getting better. Amen.

After two years I am back in good graces with my daughter and grand kids, and we are trying to put my life back together in Burgaw, North Carolina. I’ll keep in touch and let you know how things are going.

Please say hi to Randy, Craig, Courtney & Pam. And the rest at the church and the kitchen.

Thank you.

Bye for now. God bless,

Mr. Bill”

Mr. Bill,

We love you and miss you…

Today I came across this ad from the Coalition for the Homeless that convicted me. Although Jesus grew up in a home and became a carpenter by trade, He left houses and lands to go into full time ministry and even at times had no where to lay His head.

I never thought of Jesus as a homeless Man, because He always trusted God for provision and performed great miracles in this area. I wonder if the times that He was without shelter were times that He gave all He had away to those in need? In Mark 10:29,30 Jesus said, “Mark my words, no one who sacrifices house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, land—whatever—because of me and the Message will lose out. They’ll get it all back, but multiplied many times in homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land—but also in troubles. And then the bonus of eternal life! This is once again the Great Reversal: Many who are first will end up last, and the last first.”

One thing we can be sure of: Jesus knew what it was like to suffer and be rejected. He knows what the homeless and needy are going through and is moved with compassion for them. He is calling all who will - to help His hurting humanity. It’s so important to Jesus that we help the needy - He takes it personal…

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:

I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’

“Then those ’sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’ - Matthew 25:35-40, MSG

“Lord, help us to see You in each one. Forgive us for the times we walked by without heeding Your call to stop and listen and pray. Help us to recognize people in need that we cross paths with, people who are hungry, homeless, sick, addicted, beaten and rejected. Fill us with Your compassion and help us not to overlook or ignore Your people.” - Amen

The number of people that are homeless on a given day has significantly increased over last year.

…More on State Report

We had a wonderful day of fellowship with our homeless and less fortunate friends at the Friendly Kitchen. Lorinda gave a very encouraging word from James and spoke an awesome prayer about continued and constant prayer to God and not to give up.

I saw and spoke to some old friends, Razor and Jeff.It was a happy reunion. Pam & I received hugs and encouraging words from Jamie about how the people of Reach bring hope and encouragement to them and how much we are appreciated. She said that she didn’t need anything but she just wanted to see us because Reach encourages her.

We heard more people thanking us for our efforts. It seems to me that many seeds are being planted by God and are taking root. Praise God in the name of Jesus Christ. I can’t thank God enough for the honor of working with the volunteers of Reach. They are some of the kindest , most compassionate, caring and loving people that I have ever met. Thank you all. You are truly a blessing to Pam & I.

God bless

Peter & Pam

Over the last few weeks, we have seen an increasing number of children at the Soup Kitchen and Van. It is heartbreaking to see these children in need.

Last Saturday, we met John, a 14 month old living in the cold weather shelter with his mom and dad. Reach was able to provide John with two outfits, socks and diapers, along with items for mom and dad. Two of the volunteers met briefly with mom later in the evening and delivered the items. Mom was appreciative of the kindness of Reach.

Every Saturday a group of Reach volunteers show up with the van full of supplies. Rain or snow, hot or cold - a team of volunteers arrives, and so do many who are in need. January 5th was a cold day, and many were there looking for things like thermal underwear and toiletries.

We may not have shelter to offer at this time, but our focus is not on what we can’t do, but rather what we can do now with the resources that we do have. Most of us have felt God calling us to help in some way, or at least felt compassion (Which is from God, but we often don’t recognize it). That’s why we are here. We are motivated by our faith in a loving God and we share our faith with those who are interested. Each week we share a scripture that has encouraged and helped us and we join hands in prayer. Although we make it clear that there are no strings attached, almost all who are there choose to join in and pray with us. People are finding hope.

A few weeks ago the Concord Monitor contacted me to ask about my political standpoint. The focus was on how faith affects the vote of evangelicals and the challenges that the current GOP candidates present. I although I was hesitant to say much, here is the link…

Evangelicals cast weary eye

Thank you Doris Ballard, for having us on your “Coffee Chat” show on December 27th! Peter Asiaf, Neil Burtt and Lorinda Monroe were invited to a live broadcast on WKXL 1450 in Concord. www.wkxl1450.com

Listen to the program… Coffee Chat with Reach

Thank You Sam’s Club! Today we were presented with a check for $1000.00 from Sam’s. All of this will be given out to those in need, specifically in purchasing supplies for the van and for purchasing of requested needs that we do not stock.

Although it’s hard to verify the statics in this video, it certainly is close enough to get the point across.
We live in a sheltered society that rarely sees the extreme poverty and the hurting world around us. This not only compels me to count my blessings, but also to imagine what the world looks like from God’s perspective. I sense that He is calling believers to wake up and start doing something for the poor and the downtrodden.