What stands out about this project is that it is being formed from the community up, like Sarah's Hope, which constitutes a different type of model from past years.  Roughly speaking, it might happen in the following way:

• County Government, using funds from HUD, would use Dept. of Social Services (DSS) to screen applicants and for case work coordination. Many candidate families have already been identified by DSS as "most likely to succeed". 
• Community organizations, churches and non-profits, may also suggest candidate families that they personally know and would sponsor. These families would have to be in the existing social welfare system.
• Families would, if they so chose, remain within the boundaries of their preferred neighborhoods, where they would be mentored for domestic problems, reinforcing healthy social contacts, leading them to  sustainability. 
• The County Government would work with landlords and developers to identify affordable housing. Families would be expected to contribute to their housing costs. This is not Section 8 housing, this subsidy has a termination date at which time the families must be self sustaining.   
•  Selected families would have two years to attain self-sustainability.
  

You may expect to hear more about this program in the coming months. As your mission chair, I will remain in the communications loop, possibly serving on the steering committee of Back Home, and help Ashland Presbyterian Church to identify its role within the growing issue of homelessness.

Contact Information for the Assistance Center:
Assistance Center of Towson Churches
Food pantry and referrals. Help with BGE, eviction prevention,
prescriptions (for residents of central area). Clothing.
Will hold mail. Developing partner in Sarah's Hope project.
120 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Towson
Monday-Friday/10 a.m.-2:45 p.m.
410-296-4855

UCAN: United Churches Assistance Network.

     This ministry goes back in time at least eight years. Ask Dick Uhler, he precedes me as mission chair and has a fuller understanding of its origins. In the past, people with a stunning variety of problems presented themselves at the doors of churches they happened to be passing to see what help might be available. Some of the need was real, others were moochers or frauds. To facilitate and coordinate the growing amount of such requests, ministries like UCAN came into being. Towson has its own ministry called (ACTC), Assistance Center of Towson Churches. These organizations help the churches coordinate aid and client information.

     Over the last two years we have increased our giving by 100% from $4,000.00 in 2003 to $8,000.00 this year to keep pace with the demand of the problems encountered by many in the local community: The following is taken from the Baltimore County Public Library databases: The ministry itself has no website as yet.

     Volunteer by becoming involved in helping UCAN administer services. Call 410 628 2102. Training is available.

United Churches Assistance Network (UCAN)
Food pantry, eviction prevention, help with BGE, prescriptions, clothing (for residents of northern area).
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
10 a.m.-2 p.m.
410-628-2102

Habitat for Humanity

     If you haven't, you should check out their web site: www.habitat.org   Habitat for Humanity is now a worldwide endeavor to elevate people by giving them the chance o experience the security of owning their own home. Habitat also has its own University dedicated to the principles of their vision. Dick Uhler, Bill Crow, Cal Starr, and many other Ashlanders have and will continue to participate in this ministry.

The following was excerpted from the Habitat web site: Habitat for Humanity Improves Lives Around the World Substandard housing is a problem that plagues individuals, communities and entire nations around the world. Habitat for Humanity is solving the problem of substandard housing. At work in 89 nations, the ministry has housed more than 750,000 individuals in 3,000 communities. Each person touched by Habitat for Humanity--whether a homeowner, volunteer or other supporter--becomes a force of change, a link in the chain of real solutions to the real problem of inadequate housing in our world. Habitat World: 'But babies don't live here, right?' A family walked through Habitat for Humanity's Global Village & Discovery Center. As they made their way through the "Living in Poverty" section, a realistic depiction of slum housing in many parts of the world, the 10-year-old son asked if people really lived in shacks like those. The mother responded with a regretful, but truthful, yes. The family continued their tour of the Global Village & Discovery Center, and when they had gone through the whole facility, the children asked to return to the poverty section for another look. On their second walk through, the 5-year-old son tugged at his mother's hand and asked, "But babies don't live here, right?" The sad reality is that babies--and their siblings, parents and grandparents--do live in such conditions. For many visitors to the Global Village & Discovery Center, an educational complex near Habitat for Humanity International's headquarters in Americus, Ga., it is their first and only look at such profound poverty. Unfortunately, for untold millions, such a harsh and inhuman environment is "home" for their entire lives. Message from Our Founder and President On Saturday, June 21, 2003, my wife, Linda, and I had the privilege of attending the dedication of the 150,000th Habitat house built worldwide. That milestone dedication was in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. At the dedication, I held David Bako, the 4-year-old son of the new homeowner family. As I held little David, I thought about what that simple, decent Habitat house would mean to him and to his family in the years ahead.

A reflection on Habitat for Humanity:  by Dick Uhler "A friend recently asked me why I involve myself in Habitat for Humanity projects. The immediate  response was rather shallow as I quickly replied, "It's fun and I enjoy doing Mission with my hands."  Thinking about that response, I know the real reasons are much deeper. In 1997 Reverend Bill Johnston organized a mission opportunity for members of Ashland to go abroad and engage in a Habitat project. Originally, the place of service was to be in Eastern Europe and a small band of Ashland members made a verbal commitment  Un- fortunately, or so it seemed at the time, European quotas were already filled. Reverend Bill informed us that a second choice remained open in Mexico City. So, with folks from Faith and Maryland Presbyterian Churches, we set off to Mexico City with Rev. Bill as our leader.  The group spent the greater part of two weeks in the suburbs of the largest city in the world in a place called "Azcapotzalco"  "Place of no ants"  constructing a series of dwellings with brick, concrete, and rebar. We worked beside Mexican citizens doing their "sweat equity".  We ate at their table, played basketball at breaktime with their kids, and explored their ancient culture on our off days. We sang, laughed, danced, and prayed with them. I was hooked on mission, especially the Habitat for Humanity version of mission. When we returned to the States, I began to look for Habitat opportunities here. Fortune led us to Chesapeake Habitat for Humanity and a church partnership with Timoniun United Methodist in 1998. Since then this union has grown to fifteen churches in Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and Howard County.  The ecumenical union is a commitment to cement opportunities for underprivileged  folks to become homeowners, to have a piece of the "American Dream", and to hold together the fabric of strong and safe middleclass neighborhoods in Baltimore City. Personally, I have gained deep appreciation for the hundreds of volunteers I work with on daily  or weekly jobs.  The knowledge of the many sacrifices of companies and company owners who really make charitable donations without thought of profit takes the edge off the sometimes easily maligned corporate world. To know that this church, Ashland, does so much to foster a diverse ministry of mission is a major source of strength. Each year this church gives time, talent, and treasure to many missions, including Habitat for Humanity. A person receives many gifts in this type of mission: Satisfaction, a sense of purpose in life, peacefulness knowing that you are contributing and sharing in the betterment of humankind. Yes, even a measure of pride is allowed in the knowledge that one belongs to  a church  of Christ that really does the work of the carpenter."

House of Ruth

Julie Jackson is Ashland's connection to this ministry.

She writes:        "This Mission became very personal to me when a dear friend suffered the humiliation and shame of abuse and felt she had no alternative for her small child and herself than to stay in that horrendous situation. It was heartbreaking and frightening to those of us who cared about her. Thankfully, she recovered from her situation and went on to lead a successful life. The House of Ruth mission became near and dear to my heart because of her.       Ashland has continually and lovingly supported this mission through donations of clothing, toys, toiletries, cash donations, funding projects for children (and perhaps the most supported), school supply donations every August. I am thankful I can provide a link between our faith community and this mission; and with the continued loving support of our wonderful congregation, hope to continue as the House of Ruth / Ashland liaison for many years to come."

        The following was taken from their web site at www.houseofruth.org.

The House Of Ruth Maryland was founded in May of 1977 by a coalition of women's organizations, religious groups, service providers, and elected officials to provide a safe haven for victims of domestic violence and their children. In November of 1977 we opened Baltimore's first crisis shelter for these victims in a row house on North Calvert Street. Today the House Of Ruth Maryland is recognized as one of the nation's most comprehensive domestic violence center and has a staff of more than ninety. Our voluntary leadership consists of a thirty member Board of Directors and Advisory Services include: * An 84 bed emergency shelter and 6 apartment transitional housing that includes: * Esther's Place - designed to help battered women achieve economic security and includes an 8 week life skills and computer training program, career assessment, job development and job placement. * A holistic health and wellness program * On-site health clinic staffed by the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing * DV Education classes and Support Group Counseling * Addictions and Housing Specialist Counseling * A comprehensive Children's Program (including childcare and therapy) * The Marjorie Cook Foundation Domestic Violence Legal Clinic - the largest domestic violence legal clinic in the United States with six (6) offices throughout Maryland. Currently 17 attorneys are on the clinic's staff with additional pro bono attorneys and paralegals. * Individual and group therapy for victims and their children in several locations throughout Baltimore * 24 hour hotline for victims in crisis or others seeking information * Community-based victim advocates * A Teen Outreach Initiative * Abuser Intervention Groups and a program for Domestically Violent Women * An Outreach and Training program for professionals and groups

Corinne Sommer:  Helping Hands             

Corrine is a member of St. James Episcopal Church in Parkton, Maryland. Single-handedly, since the death of her husband three years ago, Corrine has been driving her truck around to the North County grocery stores picking up donated food.

Corrine writes: Dear members of Ashland Presbyterian Church: Thank you for your generous gift to Helping Hands. Your kindness and richness of spirit help assure that those in need of food will not be hungry. Thank you for ensuring the continued success of this ministry. Corrine

Update: 9/22/2005   I wrote Corrine this week hoping to support her for calendar year 2006.  A return letter from St. James Episcopal Church in Parkton informed me that Corrine has experienced health problems and her ministry has been taken up by Paul's Place.   I am currently inquiring about this change.    JW

The Linus Project:  

Report by Lee Pribble:     "Project Linus is a 100% volunteer organization that provides new, hand made blankets for children from Preemies to eighteen years of age. The children have serious illnesses, surgeries, have been abused, or have had some form of trauma in their lives. The warm cozy blanket they receive from Project Linus make their lives more bearable.       Project Linus has been in existence for ten years. Nationally they have given one million blankets.  Project Linus here at Ashland has been in existence for three years. Our group was formerly the Ladies Craft Group, sponsoring a bazarr once a year. Project Linus seemed more suited to a mission of reaching out to others; and as of February 2005 our chapter - which includes both Baltimore City and County- has given 7,477 blankets to nine different hospitals and local agencies.       This program for us is an ongoing twelve month a year job. Eleven months of the year we meet in our sewing room on the first Monday of every month.  About ten to twenty ladies from other churches, senior centers, Scout troops, etc. meet to bring in their blankets and to sew on Linus labels and make donor cards. Each blanket we receive and deliver carries the label. The hospitals call me every month to tell me how many blankets they will need and which category.       Another day, three of us sort and bag the blankets for delivery. After that we make the trip to deliver the blankets. Ashland is so fortunate that Glenn Simmons delivers the blankets to Johns Hopkins (he works there). Barbara Crow takes the blankets to GBMC where she works. Two nurses from Mercy Hospital come out to pick up theirs, and tow volunteers from St. Francis Xavier Church deliver to Sanai and Mount Washington, leaving me to do the delivery downtown to Bayview, Kennedy Krieger, the Children's House, and Ronald MacDonald.         In July, we join the Easter Seal Society for a Cruise for Kids. Crippled and children with special needs go on a boat trip with pwople who volunteer their boats for the day. They take the children and their parents to the Key Bridge and back. On returning, we give them each a blanket and Safeway provides a special picnic.       All time and materials that we use for the blanket making is donated by the person making the blanket. People do give us yarn and some new materials which the ladies can use in their quilts.      National Headquarters in Bloomington, Illinois has advised us that due to increased operating costs they wish each chapter to send them $100.00 per year. We also give $35.00 per year to our lady member for computer ink and paper that she uses to make our labels and delivery tags. We also use probably one book of stamps  per year.      Project Linus is available to any child who falls into the categories mentioned above. Please feel free to let me know of a need and we will be glad to get a blanket to them." Lee Pribble  for The Linus Project

Red Cross of Central Maryland
 Noble Pribble and Johnna Suter, among others, have been active in this ministry for years. The bi-annual drives collect an average of 25 to 30 pints of blood each time. Many thanks to Noble and those committed crew members for assisting the Red Cross with this life saving ministry. The following was taken from the web site:

Every 2 seconds an American needs blood: Give Blood      America needs a safe and secure blood supply. It is critical to public health. In times of crises, the American Red Cross can quickly ship blood from one area of the country to another-wherever it is needed most. But regular donations of blood are essential to ensure that all needs are met, all of the time.       Every two seconds someone in America needs a blood transfusion-cancer patients, accident victims, premature infants, people with chronic diseases. Blood donation means so much to individuals struggling to survive their own personal crisis, and it's something you can do to make a difference. Giving blood doesn't take much time, and each donation has the power to save as many as three lives. Because whole blood has a shelf life of only 42 days, it is important to be a regular and frequent donor. Please call 1-800-GIVELIFE (1-800-448-3543) or log on to www.givelife.org and make an appointment to donate blood today. Give the gift of life: give blood.

Guiding Eyes for the Blind

     Ashlanders who normally sit near the rear of the sanctuary, are familiar with the Labrador retrievers parked carefully under the pews during the eleven A.M. service.  Mike and Alice Reid are the proud  "puppy raisers"  for this foundation.

Alice writes:      "Okay, I admit it.  I started puppy raising for a pretty selfish reason.  I was ready for a new puppy.  Our own labs were getting older and I thought it was time for a cute bundle of fur.  I happened to see an ad in a throwaway newspaper asking for puppy raisers, so I contacted the organization to find out more. The first thing I did was attend a class, where I was very impressed with the puppies themselves, their training, and the attitude of the people participating.  The puppies start training at 8 weeks, learning basic commands such as sit, stay, and down.  They must also learn not be intimidated by things they might encounter while guiding a blind person.  Puppy raisers learn to train their puppies to foster self-assurance, never using harsh commands or discipline.  We must also expose the puppies to various stimuli.  If something intimidates a puppy, the puppy raiser needs to reassure the puppy and then keep revisiting it until the puppy learns to take it in stride.  The puppy is with the raiser all day every day.   You can imagine how attached we become. The puppy leaves for formal training at 16-18 months, depending on the need for dogs at the time.  Saying goodbye is the hardest thing about puppy raising. The puppies are in training for about 6 months before they are assigned to a blind person. Only about 30% of the puppies born in the program end up becoming guide dogs.      Because of my schedule I now only take puppies for shorter periods, helping when raisers go out of town or need a break.  As a "puppy sitter" I continue the puppies' training and socialization. Participating in the program, I learned how much it means to a blind person to be guided by a dog rather than a cane.  The guide dogs provide freedom and confidence.  I am very fortunate that Carbon's new owner stays in touch with me, even though she lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. Many of you saw them in church with us on Easter.      Watching Carbon lead his new owner makes me very proud to be part of this mission".

The Ashland Presbyterian Church Youth Group:  

     I'd be in serious trouble (tarred and feathered, if not worse) if I were to forget this ministry which has provided such able hands and legs for many projects in the past.
 
     Examples that immediately come to mind are their volunteer efforts:
* At Sarah's Hope last Christmas, providing volunteer help serving food to the homeless.
* In  their participation wrapping shoe and shirt boxes for the school supplies being donated to Fetcher  Padoko's KASUPE Mission in Malawi.
* In collecting food during the annual Trick or Treat so Others can Eat drive which benefits Bea Gaddy in Baltimore.
* In sending Care packages to the soldiers serving in Iraq, Christmas 2004.
* In caroling at Broadmead.
* In their participation with Famine Weekend, benefiting World Vision.
It's obvious to me that these young adults have made a sizeable contribution to Ashland's ministry. I'd like to thank Eric, Debra, Carol, Kim, and Kathy for all your work in creating this opportunity for our young adults to express their commitment to the world around them.

Continue with a closer look at Global Missions....