Shel✞er  by

Jesus

    Foxes have holes....but the Son of Man hath not   where to lay His head. Matthew 8:20

      Mike needed a place to crash and there was a couch in one of the under-utilized Sunday school rooms. Floors needed to be swept so he moved in.

     During jail visits at Somerset County to conduct Bible studies and sing some gospel tunes, Senior Pastor Richard Berry of Trinity and an associate, Pastor Jack Weeks(who was sheltering homeless women in his own home) were concerned with the high rate of recidivism among the inmates. The inmates who had accepted Jesus during the sessions were asked, if given a place to live, get back on their feet, would they come to the church, and call it home? There were some who would, but first the members of the church had to agree to this unusual use of the facility.

     Pastor Berry had felt the Lord leading the church in this direction, and when the members resisted, he decided to push ahead. There were many concerns(code issues), many in the church did not want to worship along side of “these people” (Acts 10:47). What has transpired in the last 18 months is His doing, and He gets the Glory.

     Jesus works in mysterious ways and only a few of those involved    foresaw (Read the Prophesy Page)  housing men from jail, carports, hospitals, drunks and even homeless veterans.

     The term “a church with beds in it,” was coined by Pastor Berry in response to a state code officer trying to categorize the up and running homeless shelter.  In  these meetings with local and state officials Pastor Berry was told that there were too many violations to let the men stay in the Church itself indefinitely (there were 38 at one point of the Winter of ’10). As a result, a separate building was planned and 4 sticks were planted in back of Trinity and the Pastors had faith the Lord would erect His shelter. The initial plan was for 24 beds, but one day PaStor’s wife, Selma, noted that there were 28 in the church, so a second floor was added and a handicap accessible 60-bed shelter was in the works. That was in April ’09 as pictured above and  the results near the end of July ’10 can be seen.

     All of this has come as manna from Heaven as no church or public funds are being used, there is no budget. Much of the labor has been at the hands of shelter residents. Gravel, concrete, backhoes, et cetera, have all been donated. The siding going on was bought by and is being installed by a Maine church. A Connecticut church sent crews and money to do a lot of the work on the interior, a local high school built the external stairway(the sheepgate), there are just too many angels to mention.

     James 1:22 tells us, “But be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” How many of His churches fail to apply this and are “Sunday go to meeting” churches?! Our nation is in a vortex of chaos, families are scattered like the Israelis, lives are broken and only a handful are saying, “Here am I; send me.” (Isaiah 6:8), or reaching out to “least of these,” saying, “Here, sit next to me.)

     Pastors Berry and Weeks saw they need, heard the call, were inspired by God ( Like those who wrote the Bible), and refused, nor did they dare, not to act on it. There were homeless in Central Maine, the church had empty space, but no shepherd was bringing the lost to the fold. Jesus Himself was homeless while here on earth, in Matthew 8:20 He says, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” These men decided to take a leap of faith, to become “Repairers of broken walls” (Isaiah 58:12), to say, “Here I am, I will do what you ask.”

     There is much work left, flooring, insulation, a sprinkler system, kitchen facilities, but anyone who has been in this spot since it was nicknamed “the Holy of Holes,” has any doubt it will exist to help those in need. More than 200 men have been housed and nourished and salvations abound. Many of those from jail, some on house arrest, even one serving out his sentence have NOT gone back to jail. Those that have, word comes to the pastors that the men are changed. Lives are being transformed.

                                THE PROGRAM/CONTRACT

     This is a Christian program that requires those who want to call this “home” to sign a contract to attend prayer meetings Monday through Saturday in the early morning, Bible studies Monday through Friday evenings and all weekend church services unless excused by a supervisor.  No sexual offenders can be taken in because there are children on the weekends, no drugs or alcohol are allowed on the premises, fighting is grounds for immediate expulsion, chores are assigned daily, curfews are enforced, and outside employment is encouraged.

     This is their home. Three meals a day are scheduled, there is plenty of hot water(clothes are hung out in the warm weather), and unlike many shelters, the residents do not have to leave during the day.