January Newsletter
Rev. Doug Horner

From The Pastor’s Desk:

We started the year 2006 with so many blessings. We have been truly grateful for the many ways that God continues to support this church and ministries. God blesses us when we give to others. Offering hospitality, connecting people to the resources they need, watching people find their direction and focus. There have been and continue to be incredible opportunities to be a part of the remodeling of Cleveland’s urban angst. I believe that St. Paul’s is situated to be a part of revitalization in this neighborhood and in the city. We have had some failures and have seen some success stories.

The need is incredible. The reports that Cleveland is the poorest city in the country does not surprise me. People are isolated, desperate and hungry. We are giving away more food and clothing than ever. We have been helping people pay their heating bills, their electricity, and the worst problems are related to alcohol and drug addictions. It is an age old problem, but one that continues to be an overwhelming crisis because a person endears themself to us, succeeds in securing a place to live and then starts to work and gain some level of normalcy, only, on payday, to pick up a beer and subsequently spend their whole check on alcohol and crack. It happens time and time again. Good people need real help with their addiction problem. One drink is too many and a thousand is not enough.

There is an article in the PD on prison population increases in the next decade. To many of us here in this area, it feels that the corrections system just dumps these men and women out on the streets to fend for themselves. Many have no permanent homes, have no permanent Identification, no job prospects. They come to us looking for direction and focus. They hear about our compassion and resourcefulness from other street people.

The painful reality in our church community reflects what is happening in the wider culture. We are losing good people to the disease of addiction, some have become homeless, some have run away and some have gone to jail. Some refuse to acknowledge that there is a problem. Crack addiction will make good people turn to crime to support their habit. It is sad to watch, and I feel powerless to intervene. Spending time with people in the throws of the disease is gut-wrenching, traumatic and ugly.

But, through God’s grace, other friends have been rebounding. We have seen people come back, coming through programs like the Bridgeway, Recovery Resources, the Keating Center and Y Haven that teach people how to live clean and sober lives. Many times their stories of recovery contain components of medications that address underlying foundational psychological issues. Our knowledge of and referrals to programs like these are necessary in the process of helping people recover from addiction and homelessness.

But this does not make us a social services program. We have no social worker who can help folks access the help they need. We are constantly referring people to other programs. These program partners are crucial to our successful interventions with street people. What we are able to do is encourage and support people to go to one of the social workers and ask the initial questions. We hold their hands. We encourage them to hook up to the system. We encourage them to get into treatment and get the help they need. We encourage them, listen to them, nurture them, nursemaid them, baby sit them, watch them take a few steps towards understanding their dual diagnosis and wait for them to take further steps. Hopefully we can see them succeed. Many who succeed move on. A few people hang around long enough for us to see them get their lives all the way together. But, if they get the job, apartment and new lifestyle, they are likely to move out to a better neighborhood. They move up and out, with our blessings of course.

About 35 – 40 % of the people we see on a regular basis practice high risk sexual behavior. Our HIV/AIDS ministry has seen an increase in the numbers of people who ask for condoms, supplies and other resources. We have contact with over a dozen commercial sex workers on a regular basis, simply being with each one on their journey. We have had small successes getting them to change their lifestyles. I spend an afternoon driving one young lady to the door of a transitional home, only to have her walk away after refusing to go through the metal detector. Frustrating as that may be, we did all we could, and that is all we could ask from our outreach team. It proved our program is effective at offering the opportunities for change.

This last Sunday we had many folks from the outreach visiting church for worship. I adjusted my sermon to have a more evangelical slant – talking about filling our longings for intimacy with God; how Jesus is asking us to change our habits and lifestyle, changing our habits by hanging with new friends, finding new positive things to do. I emphasized that being a Christian is not just a one time saving event. It is a daily walk, a daily prayer, a daily opportunity to praise God and ask for the strength and courage to practice what we preach.

The membership of the church is growing, changing with the addition of new members. We added two folks who transferred their membership from another church. We added two members who had never been members before in any church. And we added two members who were baptized in the Catholic Church and moved to Protestantism rather than drop out of church life all together. We are blessed by their fresh perspectives and by their new energy. We want to continue to make room for them in our midst.

Last winter/spring we lost a few long time members because the church and outreach ministries were moving into areas that they may have not agreed we should be moving --separating out the church finances and budgets while having a non profit agency is a controversial matter. A person who had control of the Thrift Store for many years was not given the sole authority to make decisions. So she left. One man left when he and I had a difference of opinion and a subsequent argument, and rather than try to explain why he was so mad, he decided to just stay away. This was after we had repaired the same rift a short time before. Apparently I had forgiven him but he cannot forgive me. He knows he is still welcome. He came for the memorial service recently. With such a small congregation, we have a close handle on the comings and goings of each person.

During the Advent and Christmas season, people have been coming to church more often to see their friends and neighbors. Giving through the offering is increasing, pledging is on the rise, and the overall mood of Sunday morning worship is positive and uplifting. Visitors have been coming. 6 new members were inaugurated before Christmas. New members are an integral part of our fellowship. I will continue to work to bring in, train and support the growth of all of our members, both longstanding and new. And a new members’ class will begin in Lent.

We are pleased to have Betty Horner playing piano for the hymns, the selected portions of the service requiring accompaniment and anthems. She is really acting as the church musician. She enjoys it and is a capable, solid musician. Ken has been very committed to playing the bass guitar while I play the opening songs on the guitar. The children play rhythm instruments in time to our beat. The opening upbeat music gets everyone’s spirits up and ready for the worship service, which usually goes for an hour and fifteen minutes. Anthems are sometimes group sings rather than solos. Sermons center on the Gospel. What is Jesus saying to us through the Bible? Where is God breaking into our lives? How do we translate into tangible living what we hear, see, speak and think about the Gospel? These are central questions in our corporate faith journey.

But the central part of the service is the prayer circle, when we all gather and join hands to lift up our joys and concerns. It is truly a comforting moment. We are a congregation that believes in the power of prayer. It is the part of the service that either brings people closer, or it may chase a newcomer away because it is so intimate. We are not the type of church in which a person can remain anonymous. We get to know people, and they get to know us. There is no way to escape without someone asking how things are going.

Except if you are just there to serve a meal. The Second Sunday and last Sunday meals are staffed by people who come to prepare and serve only. They rarely attend the worship service. We get the occasional group of visitors from UCC youth groups, confirmation classes, or prayer groups. These groups add a certain unknown quality to Sunday mornings. The homeless who wander in from the streets can also bring new, unusual and interesting events. We are very open to socializing and sharing the good news of hospitality. For many new folks it may be the only time they feel really human. People are usually appreciative, friendly, cooperative and easy-going. This is the meaning behind our service, our drop in center, our meals programs, our programs and the many ways we operate our outreach ministries.

So much of what we do depends on the generosity of others. If you look at the annual budget you realize that we have so much for which to be thankful. Our funding comes from a variety of sources. St. Paul’s members provide the financial, emotional and spiritual support to keep us going. Member’s pledges help with a large chunk.

A large chunk of funding comes from the Federated Church Missions and Outreach Board, who, each year, votes to support St. Paul’s outreach. They also send Thanksgiving turkeys, food of all kinds, Christmas presents, and people to serve the Loaves and Fishes Sunday meal. This long-standing partnership has been deepening over the years as more and more people experience God’s mission in action. I feel like we are the hand at the end of Federated Church’s mission arm.

Our weekday drop in center has been a stable part of the neighborhood hospitality for over 50 years. We have a new outreach program to commercial sex workers that has received funding from our city council men and from foundations to support the distribution of food and clothing. Nell is the primary staff person in the job to provide food, clothing, hygiene supplies and information to people in need who come into St. Paul’s during the week. The AIDS outreach program brings us city health department funds that help us give direct attention to the most at risk people in the city. Pastor Lori, Richard and Angie, and occasional volunteers work with people on the streets of Cleveland, at the shelters, at the community meals, bringing folks information and resources about how to change unhealthy habits and prevent STDs from spreading. I believe this is a dynamic attempt to make Cleveland a healthier place to live.

Other sources of income for St. Paul’s include renting the gym to the basketball groups, the tumbling program, the preschool, the after school program, the AA & NA groups and parties is on source of income. Plus, we receive in the mail funding from UCC churches around the metro Cleveland area, such as Church of the Redeemer in Westlake, Clague Road UCC in North Olmsted and Dover UCC.

There have been other programs that brought in funding like the conflict management program last summer in which Doug and some leaders from the neighborhood brought together 5th and 6th graders in one 2 week class and 7th and 8th graders together for another session. Each day we provided opportunities for the students to explore their own methods of social interaction, which is the biggest obstacle for students’ learning. The theme was school success and we worked with the assumption that everyone wants to complete school, but there are obstacles in the way. Most of them can be managed by thinking and responding creatively to conflict rather than just reacting. Most problems in the classroom stem from poor social skills, emotional ineptitude and students bringing their personal problems into school with them, and this program taught new ways to deal with social problems, interpersonal conflicts and personality differences. We hope to have that program continue this summer.

Another source of funding for the church is the Thrift Store, which, in the last year, has been going through a transformation. Volunteers make up the current staff. These include Nell Sande, Kelly Armstrong, Angela Kimbrell, the main organizers, with at least seven other women who regularly help out – Lynn Hones, Michelle Ipavec, Betty Horner, Mary Miller, Mary Ann Bonner, Nina Hoffman, plus Tony and Paul. There are a few other sporadic female and male volunteers who help out every so often as well, sorting clothing, cleaning, setting up tables and moving clothing bins in and out of the gym for the First Saturday of the month Dollar-a-bag sales, also acting as security when needed.

I and another male volunteer have been using the van and a borrowed trailer to pick up donations from other thrift stores, individual homes, Avon Lake UCC and other churches, this in addition to keeping the nice flow of items coming every Tuesday from Federated Church, thanks to a group of dedicated volunteers out there.

We sort, fold and hang out items; we throw away and give away items to other churches; we give clothing to the homeless every Tuesday; we sell all the other items at very low prices. Very nice items are taken to consignment stores. We also have an E-bay salesperson – John Bourseaux – who helps us sort and sell items that have more value. E-bay sales pay for fuel costs and other needs. Larry Trace and the maintenance staff continue to help us with the loading, with other operations from that end of the process. We have regular customers who come to see what kind of good items we offer. Many of the regular clients sell the products again through their own stores or out of their homes.

The newest component to St. Paul’s Community Church is the non-profit 501©3 status. This is an Internal Revenue Service – IRS – designation. It allows foundations, individuals and other organizations to donate funds to us while maintaining separate religious beliefs. A Jewish organization can give funds to us and receive a tax credit. Home Depot only gives to these types of organizations, for example. We can still accept funding from churches, individuals and Christian church affiliations. That hasn’t changed.

The mural program which Katherine Chilcote runs has produced another mural on the Route 2 highway wall across from St. Malachi’s Church off of 25th Street. This project showed Katherine’s fundraising skills and brought together a myriad of new people to the awareness of the importance of public arts in our city. I believe that public art can be a catalyst for social and political change. Even when cross-cultural discussion fails, everyone can gather to enjoy the benefits of art that attracts rather than repels various individuals and groups. Bringing people together – Building Bridges across barriers set up by society – this is the theme of the program.

The Tumbling Program is still doing well. The team has performed in a variety of interesting and visible settings around Cleveland. New children are coming to class with the desire for more discipline, self awareness and self-control. Todd Kennedy is very enthusiastic for expanding in the new year. We have recently purchased new uniforms and some replacement mats.

We have a Karate instructor now. Sam Nieves teaches self-defense, physical fitness and spiritual growth through practice to 7 new students from the St. Paul community and brings with him some students from his other class. He has a very powerful presence, and his philosophy is that Karate is not so much about fighting but about inner growth, self-knowledge and confidence. Says Sam: “I train so I don’t have to fight.”

The ASPR after school program continues to be a central part of the St. Paul’s community. With renewed funding from the Cleveland Foundation, they offer many opportunities for teenagers to expand their horizons through extracurricular activities.

St. Paul’s Community Church is expanding. We’re attracting new members; we’re having classes and projects that include everyone; we’re doing more with youth in the neighborhood; we’re offering more than a handout, but a hand up. Our reputation for compassion and street outreach is very important. We have become less reliant on outside financial resources to run our day-to-day operations, and that will continue, as we have new members joining us. Looking towards the future, we want to find ways to include friends from other churches in our life. It is a complex and interesting situation, we are reaching out to our neighbors in need here and reaching out to our neighbors in the suburbs in another way. How do we continue to grow and serve God in such a diverse and interesting situation?

I believe that we have to open our hearts and minds to such a situation. We have to move over and let folks work side by side with us. We have to share our responsibilities with our partners, and we are willing to do that. There is much to do, sometimes we feel overwhelmed by the people in need. Yet, there is also so much hope for changing these individual circumstances.

There is a GIV volunteer diagram that was formulated a few years ago in the Missions and Outreach board of Federated Church. This diagram lists specific projects for specific amounts of time that can help St. Paul’s and other mission partners.

God bless you in all of your endeavors. I know that you are in a discernment process. God bless us in this partnership. And I hope this report has been helpful. It is quite lengthy, and that is not usual for me. I will send a year end financial report and 2007 budget. Thanks for believing in us.

Respectfully submitted,

Rev. Doug Horner