Our Church meets the Family Promise

On Wednesday, February 28, 2007, I attended a meeting for all coordinators of the Family Promise participants. We spent a lot of time speaking of some of the triumphs as well as a few of the pitfalls that the families, as well as the hosting Churches, have gone through.

The Family Promise program started off with its Family Center in Kailua. With most of its 13 host churches in Kailua, some of the remaining churches to joine were located in Honolulu. Well, things have changed a bit!

Recently, it was announced that there were enough churches on each side of the island, to break into two factions of the same program. Soon, First Christian Church will be one of thirteen churches in the Honolulu area who will host as many as four families who have had difficulty finding affordable housing in today's market.

With no rent to pay, and no food to buy, it is much easier for the working member or members of each family to save the required deposit and first month rent required to get the ball rolling.

Here at First Christian Church, we have participated in hosting families three times. In effect, we have helped more than a dozen families move from homelessness, to a safe, affordable environment for them and their children.

It was quite exciting to meet many leaders as well as committee members of some of the many churches in our area. At one point, each new person was asked to share a bit about themselves and / or their church, and I don’t have to tell you that you could have heard a pin drop when I began to tell my story. As I continued to share about my journey, I left nothing out, including sins of the past, addictions, and even the long spells of chronic homelessness I suffered, which endears each member of this program to me. They soon began to understand how very important it was to me to participate with the many other churches who will be doing so, as soon as the program is able to find a suitable Family Recreation Center on this side of the island, similar to the one the program has in Kailua.

Make no mistake. Alhough the program has been successful in the past, we very much need your help!

In months to come, we will need assistance in the preparation of meals, help with setting up and taking down accommodations for guests, and of course, any monetary donations to cover the costs of food. Please see me, Terry Sousa or Tamra von Blankenburg for more information on how you can participate with us.

Terry Souza