Respect

Recap for March 28

Michael Glass, Executive Director of Northside Common Ministries

http://www.pghpresbytery.org/mission_agencies/miss_files/n.sideCommon.htm

Guiding Philosophy:

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing to serve others?” - Martin Luther King, Jr. and

“What are you here for? What is your purpose?”

Many children don’t have privileges and in fact don’t even know if they will eat today. For most, it’s because of where they live.

Do we have an obligation to change this disparity? Yes.

In a speech shortly after receiving the Nobel Prize: President Obama said that titles say little about how one has lived. There is always more to achieve.

NCM’s Core values

1. Stewardship – do the right thing with the stuff you have

2. Service – treat every human being with respect

NCM runs three programs

- Permanent housing– for disabled homeless. A disabled man living on the street has a 90% chance of being a victim of violence within 48 hours

- food pantry - like a grocery store- each client gets x # pounds of food per week. Largest community food bank in our area. 600-700 families served.

- Pleasant Valley Shelter – for homeless men

Goal is to take care of basic needs. Shelter sleeps 25 men. Out of 365 days per year, NCM itself only has to provide the meal about 5 to 7 days. This saves lots of money and resources for other things. Our church serves a meal there on the first Monday of every month.

At the shelter, intake is at 8:30 AM so that if there isn’t space, the man knows in the morning. (Not all shelters have intake in the morning.) The man can stay for 60 consecutive days – this provides safety and stability. Don’t have to take their belongings with them.

Every homeless man has an individual reason for becoming homeless. We have a responsibility to help those individuals. How does a person go from being somebody’s baby, to being homeless and sleeping on the street?

Martin Luther King, Jr: Anybody can serve – you only need a heart full of grace... a soul generated by love.”