REBORNNEWS QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER Q4 2017

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1 REBORNNEWS QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER Q As we head into the most wonderful time of the year, I am reminded of the importance of relationships. Over the next two months, we will all intentionally gather together with friends and family to celebrate holidays and traditions. When I look at our neighborhood in Garfield Park, I think about all the people who do not anticipate gathering with friends and family over the holidays. I think about all the people who do not have the hope of Jesus Christ to celebrate on Christmas Day. Then, I thank God for the leadership team and faithful volunteers at Reborn, who give of their lives to build trusting relationships with men, women and children in our community, and point them to the most important relationship of all one with Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. What we do at Reborn is not about programs, it s about relationships. We are committed to living life together with our neighbors, because Christ s love compels us to do so. It s all about sharing the hope of Christ, and our lives with the people we serve. In this newsletter, you will read about how relationships are important to creating and sustaining life change. Grace & Peace, Tanya Franklin, Executive Director You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself. -Luke 10:27 Reborn Ministries W Wilcox St, Chicago, IL

2 Coffee It s Not About by Tanya Franklin Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well. 1 Thessalonians 2:8 Several months ago, I was asking God what He wanted me to do to move the ministry forward. How are we supposed to get to know the community so we can learn how to be good neighbors? With the building renovation plans stuck in the permit process, we don t have classroom space (or offices), and I had put everything on hold waiting for the renovations to be done. But lives are not to be put on hold. Brokenness is not to be put on hold. Poverty does not wait for renovations to be completed. So, what do we do in the meantime? God s response was clear: open the doors. Be hospitable. Use the space you have. Invite the community in, serve coffee and love your neighbor. From there, Overflow was born. The vision of Overflow is to provide an environment where neighbors can come to meet, sit, rest and be encouraged. I asked Erica to join me in leading the ministry and then recruited Ocie and Gloria to join our team. We spent five weeks in training and preparing our hearts; and on June 13, we opened the doors. We had no budget and no promotional strategy. We had no idea if anyone would come but we knew for the next 12 weeks, we were committed to being present and hospitable to our neighbors. God showed up big time! A family at Reborn donated enough Starbucks coffee to sustain the ministry. A guy who runs a group home in the neighborhood began to drop off tons of Starbucks pastries and lunch items which allowed for us to offer breakfast and sometimes lunch to our neighbors on many days! In a city with over 125,000 homeless individuals, it is an extra blessing that we could provide a meal for many who may not know where their next meal will come from. At the end of the 12 weeks, we quickly realized that Overflow had become something much more than what we ever imagined, and we knew we had to continue. Erica, whose heart overflows with love for our community, took over leadership of the ministry, and Jerry and Andrew have joined the ministry team. By this team building trust and sharing Christ s love with others, we have witnessed several adults give their lives to Jesus! You see, Overflow is not about coffee. It is a first step toward community transformation building trusting relationships. People have openly shared their loneliness, brokenness and need for God sitting at a table over a cup of coffee. We have seen God meet needs, tear down walls of pride, provide resources, bring conviction and transform hearts, even among our leadership team. The neighbors we encounter through Overflow are hungry for relationship and desperate for life change. Our prayer is to be able to expand so that Overflow is open five days. For now, three days a week, we get to love them, meet a need for friendship, and empower them with practical support, all while pointing them to Jesus. It is a privilege to watch God bring people closer to Him.

3 Breaking Free Our community is consumed by addictions, a fact that has become more evident as we get to know the folks who visit us at Overflow. A recent article notes that opioid overdoses in Chicago outpaced the number of shootings in 2016, an amount equaling to nearly 18 overdoses per day. Data obtained from the Chicago Fire Department shows that the intersection where the most overdoses have been recorded is just six blocks south of Reborn Community Church about a 5 minute walk. The hurt and pain people deal with is often the cause of a rising substance abuse problem in our community. The effects of the destructive power of drugs on our people and families is evident. How does the church enter into this dark place? How can Reborn make an impact in this area? To start, we offer a weekly recovery support group, designed to help hurting people. Through trained, compassionate leaders, we offer a safe, confidential, Christ-centered group where people can share their hurts, learn how they can break free from the bondage of addiction and find healing through Christ. Over the past several months, through Overflow, we have built trust with our neighbors by being hospitable and treating them with dignity. The walls are coming down as people feel that Reborn is a safe place. The Thursday morning support group is growing as the word is getting out to other neighbors. Because the need is so great, we are expanding by offering a second support group in the evenings beginning in January. Something special is happening here and it s all because people have made themselves available, treated others with love and respect, and have put in the time to cultivate trusting relationships with our neighbors. Building trusting relationships is a first step toward community transformation.

4 MORE THAN A BUDGET Many people in our community live with very limited income that barely supports their needs. Most live their whole lives without ever learning how to manage their money well. The church has an opportunity, and a responsibility, to educate people on how to think and live when it comes to finances. God desires that we be good stewards over all He has entrusted to us, including our finances and our relationships. By offering the Faith & Finances class, Reborn is able to educate individuals on what it means to be a good steward while helping others gain a biblical understanding of God s economy. Faith & Finances is a financial education ministry that empowers low-income people with practical money management skills, biblical stewardship principles, and supportive relationships. Participants not only learn how to better manage their finances, but learn the connection between faith, values and money to experience true financial peace. With this relationship model, we have a unique opportunity to use financial education as a form of discipleship. The Faith & Finances curriculum educates individuals about the sovereignty of God and His role as creator and sustainer of life. We dig deep to discover how our worldview and values affect the way we relate to money. Relationships are key to the success of this program. The program is designed so that each person is paired up with a partner (called an Ally ), who participates in the class with them and supports them on their way to achieve their financial goals. We get to learn together and support each other along the way, as we trust God as our provider. Most people in our community live their whole lives without ever learning to manage their money well.

5 LOVE IN ACTION by Samantha Jakus In a neighborhood where violence is at an all-time high in the summer, not only are adults searching for a safe place to gather, children are desperate for a place where they can put down their guards, run free, and be exactly who they are children. After cancelling our week long summer camp last year due to lack of volunteer help, we were so excited to have a mission team from Atlanta give of their time so that we could open our doors back up to the children this year! Our week was packed with fun activities, including water balloon games, crafts, crazy songs, and sharing the gospel through the story of Jonah; but the highlight of it all was having more volunteers than ever before. More than games, more than crafts, more than anything; what our children crave most is relationship. They crave to have someone to sit down and talk to them; someone who knows them by name. Someone who can look them in the eye and tell them, You are worth my time. That is what our children received this year, and the impact was huge. This summer, we were able to carry on our tradition of taking children to Wisconsin for camp. Camp is the highlight of the year for all of our children. Our Wisconsin camp adventures began 3 years ago when we brought our first crew of little girls to the great outdoors. We were so blown away by how the girls responded to the trip that we knew we needed to keep the tradition going. For children growing up in West Garfield, fear is always on their radar. It s hard to play when you have to constantly be scanning your surroundings in fear of gunfire. I remember on our first trip, one little girl shared that the highlight of her experience was not being afraid of getting shot. In a place where they feel safe, our children find the freedom to push their physical and emotional boundaries. Many of the children have never stepped foot out of Chicago, or even their own neighborhood; but found themselves sailing through the sky on zip lines, pushing their endurance to climb a rock wall, and even facing their fears of water to water ski!

6 None of this would be possible if it had not been for a church in Wisconsin who visited our children and had their hearts captivated. From the time they met our children, they couldn t get them off their hearts; so a group from the church asked if they could begin hosting the kids for camp. This incredible group of individuals began funding our camps and providing us with amazing experiences. They took a great load off of the shoulders of the staff at Reborn so that we could focus solely on deepening our relationships with our kids. God worked immensely through this experience. We were able to put all else aside and share with our children about who they are in Christ. They were able to not only hear that they are loved and valuable, but they were able to experience it as leaders set aside everything to focus in and love on them. The results were incredible, 16 children and youth prayed to accept Christ as their personal Lord and Savior! We can tell our children all day long about the love of Jesus but until they experience the love that flows through His people, they will never truly grasp the love Christ has for them. Love, true love, is not just a word; it s an action. True love sacrifices. It stops what it is doing to sit down with a child right where they are at and tell them, You matter. Our children are desperate for love, they are desperate to know that they matter to someone, and I believe that it s through that love that lives are transformed. One of the most impactful ways that we have been able to show children that they matter is through our tutoring program. Each week our children have been able to have someone sit with them for two hours and help them with their homework. That is two hours where our children, who deeply crave relationship, get the full attention of an adult. These adults not only help with homework, but they pour into the lives of each child, and teach them about Jesus. Whether through our summer programs, camping, or even tutoring, one key element that all of these programs share is the love of Christ being shared through relationships. In a community where so many feel isolated and hopeless, it is through caring relationships that doors of transformation are opened. Love, true love, is not just a word; it s an action.

7 MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN 2017! Our goal over the next two months is for 200 people to give $250 by 12/25 to expand our ability to impact Garfield Park. If you would like to support the work God is doing through Reborn, please consider a tax-deductible gift to Reborn Ministries. We get to do this together! Give a gift. Make a pledge. Pray for provision. DONATE Your support will help bring hope to the Garfield Park community.