“Our theology is best expressed in our hospitality,” Ann Voskamp writes. “Any fear of giving into God’s kingdom is flawed. It would be like a farmer who feared losing his bucket of seeds so he failed to plant his own field-and thus forfeited the joy of overflowing his barns with the harvest.” Your financial gifts are like seeds waiting to produce a harvest in both the families we serve and in your life as well. We have been blessed over the decades walking along side volunteers and supporters as they experience the gift of serving and meeting needs. We couldn’t open our food pantry doors to our hungry neighbors if your generosity didn’t fill the shelves.

“The mystery of ministry is that the Lord is to be found where we minister,” writes Henri Nouwen. “That is what Jesus tells us when He says; ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me’ Our care for people thus becomes the way to meet the Lord. The more we give, support, guide, counsel and visit, the more we receive, not just similar gifts, but the Lord Himself. To go to the poor is to go to the Lord.”

Our love for our community has been returned to us in many ways. We desire to keep extending our gift of hospitality by feeding local families, friends and neighbors in need regularly. Our partnership with the Battle Against Hunger has been a driving force to make that goal possible. This year’s battle is underway and the ride is quickly approaching. Thankfully, we have a young strong warrior joining our ranks! Zachary, our eldest son, is riding this year with Jim. We are proud Zach will be riding and on our dear friend, Chuck Inman’s bike. As many of you know Chuck, the founder of the BAH ride,was killed in a car accident. He always asked Zach when he was going to join the ride and now he has! I am cheering on the troops and watching my granddaughter so Zach can train. It’s a win/win for me!!

The 200 mile BAH ride is taking place September 14-16, from Gettysburg, PA to Washington Crossing, PA. Every gift given goes to Cast Your Cares to provide food for our many families and individuals who request food.For just $2 a mile ($400) an entire years worth of food is provided to a needy family. Or a monthly gift of $35 can also help us meet the need. Please consider covering one family or more. CYC is a not for profit 501c3, tax deductible charitable organization. You may even be able to do a matching gift through your company. No gift is too small as every penny adds up to meet the need.

Please go online PayPal.Me/castyourcares to make your donation and note that it is for BAH ride or bahride.com

Thank you for warring with us against hunger, we couldn’t fight this battle alone and value your partnership!

I came to this inner-city like I was going to a desert with few positive expectations and some thoughts of death.

As I now sit in my garden this morning I just can’t get over how thankful I am with this promise land I now live in. When I was starting to feel guilty for this abundant life, the Lord gave me this verse from the book of John.
“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”  Jesus

As I prayed into this, so thankful to the Lord, I saw all of your gifts, money, and prayers going into this funnel. But it was an upside down funnel and the small end was up receiving and the large end was down pouring out the abundance. This is a great way to describe the past 16 years here as I feel like the ministry has been this upside down funnel with so much flowing out, so God gets the glory.

I could not have dreamed I would ever think of this place as home but not just any home but as Aaron my son once said. “The best home in Philly.”.

It is summer time and funds are tight as donations are down. So I was talking with the Lord about money and only having $5 in my wallet but not in a complaining way but in a I am good you are in control God kind of way. You know the next day 3 people came up to me and handed me cash and actually told me they felt like the Lord wanted me to have this.

I don’t share all the amazing stuff that happens here but thought you should know how thankful I feel today and how thankful I am for your support of this amazing life we have here in the inner-city of Philly.

THANK YOU!!!!!  Jim

We made it through another winter!! This winter was mild but to this Florida girl that’s all relative. With spring’s arrival brought an exuberant group of college kids to do ministry in the neighborhood. The fact that they chose to spend their spring break here set my feet to dancing! The leader of the team was one of our former interns from our first summer here. Veronica is now married with three beautiful children and a professor! It’s hard to believe 16 years have passed since our arrival and so much life lived in between. We are blessed that another of our former interns is in our small group! You just never know how the seeds planted and watered will mature.

With the visiting groups we are asked to share lessons we have learned along the way. I enjoy retelling how incredible Jesus has been at caring for us. He has met every one of our needs and many of our heart’s desires. We have seen Him provide miraculously in times of great need.

Just to share a few; we have a dentist who cares for our teeth at no cost! I’m glad he didn’t know I was a clincher and would need four crowns and four root canals in a year! He did Zachary’s braces, but said Abigail’s were too complicated. That stuck fear in my mama heart! However, a beautiful orthodontist who attends our church did them for 10% of her usual fee! Surprised? This is our reality!! He also provided a pediatrician that has become like part of our family. He is so kind and when we couldn’t afford the prescriptions, he would fill them for us.

I could go on and on! Ok, I will! Each of you is part of our story of God’s faithfulness. The challenge is to not give doubt and unbelief a chance to creep in and whisper what if that’s it? God may be out of resources to pour into you! Jim was quoting Psalm 50:10, “For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.”  How’s that going to help, you ask? Never doubt the scriptures, on the following Sunday one of the dairy farmers at our church said that he sold a cow and the Lord told him to give us the money. Sounds like I’m making this stuff up, right?

The grand finale is that we look at each other and marvel that people ring our doorbell every day in need of something because they know we are a resource. In this kingdom we dwell in there is always multiplication happening, not subtraction! I have nothing, Jesus gives to me, I give away, and then I receive twice as much as I gave away….It has been proven time and again in our experience.

The glory all goes to The Lord. He has done this great and marvelous act. We love to impart that faith into the next generation. The Lord encourages us to remember what He’s done and to rest in His capable hands. I know I’m preaching to the choir because you are all givers who know how the kingdom works. Thank you for your generosity, may you be mightily blessed!!

December 2014

“God rest ye merry gentleman, let nothing you dismay! REMEMBER, CHRIST OUR SAVIOR was born on Christmas day!..O tidings of comfort and joy”

During the chaos of the holidays we may choose to accept the invitation to enter into His rest. The power of dismay could steal the joy of the Lord that is our strength! The strength we need to believe His promises, the strength to remember Him every moment of every trial, the strength to trust in the eternal glory that awaits us at the end of our pilgrimage! For our hearts that are heavy with suffering and loss, there is comfort in His presence.

We are mindful of several of you that have walked through “the valley of the shadow of death” this past year, and others as you read this are suffering physically, emotionally or spiritually.  We have prayed many prayers for you and share in your grief as we have walked through our own.

Take comfort and joy in our Savior’s gift to us, “What was intended to tear you apart—God intends to set you apart. What has torn you-God makes thin places to see glory. The places where you’re torn to pieces can be thin places where you touch ‘the peace of God.’ No matter what intends to harm you…God is never absent, never impotent, never distant. You can never be undone. No matter what intends to harm you? God’s arms have you.” Ann Voskamp

It’s in His kingdom that our hearts will testify we’re home! The death and suffering we face here is meant to remind us that this world is broken and temporal. His gift to us in coming was to show us the way. He shows us the way to walk through this life daily breathing Him in and exhaling a provision to others suffocating in darkness.

“Now to the Lord sing praises, All you within this place, And with true love and brotherhood each now other embrace; This holy tide of Christmas all other doth deface. O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy, O tidings of comfort and joy.”

Our prayer is that you do feel our “true love and brotherhood” as we journey this life together. We would love to embrace each of you! Our hearts are full of appreciation for your faithfulness in giving as God’s arms have you. Even in your trials and need you continue to provide for the ministry so that God’s Kingdom may reach down and show the way home to our neighbors. We are filled with comfort and joy in all the good gifts God faithfully gives in believing.

Thank you for your care, prayer and gifts to Cast Your Cares throughout the year. We love being the hands that extend His love. Your generous hearts enable His tidings of comfort and joy to reach a hard and hurting place. The smiles of appreciation we get to experience daily are a gift we wish we could share. You are making a difference here in the lives we touch. We wish you a Merry Christmas filled with His presence and love!

October 2014

We are filled with grateful hearts and good tidings! The challenge battling hunger never ends but our 2014 Battle Against Hunger bike ride is safely behind us. Once again Stephanie Newton rode with us 50 miles or better each day and raised over $1,500 dollars! If you enjoy cycling or know someone that may be interested in joining us next year please get in touch. I don’t particularly enjoy cycling but I do love seeing a family pick up a full bag of groceries! The total funds Cast Your Cares raised are just over $13,000 and funds are still coming in! That will feed 35 of our 160 families for the whole year. Obviously, we have a way to go but it’s a great start.  You can see the current totals by going to battleagainsthunger.org and then click on “Sponsor A Rider”.

We currently have 40 families each Tuesday and Wednesday that come every other week. We also have a waiting list that we try to fit into the schedule as resources allow. The food bags consist of; canned meat, fruit, corn, green vegetable,  beans, soup, canned pasta, dry pasta, tomato sauce, macaroni and cheese, cereal and various miscellaneous items.

To fill the bags we give away, we purchase food from Philabundance, our local food bank. However, they have been lacking several of the items due to availability; especially the canned meat, tomato sauce and cereal. When we have to pick those items up at the local grocery store they cost considerably more. We love the fall food drives!! If your office, Boy Scout group, church or family is interested in collecting the items mentioned we would put them to immediate good use!

We are so pleased that our Saturday outreach meals have continued each and every week. With the incredible support of dozens of volunteers over 300 meals are prepared and served to our hungry neighbors! Our neighbors know that they will be blessed coming to receive a hot meal, a listening ear, and a prayer of hope on their way out. Thank you for your involvement so that this generous act of hospitality comes together each week. Many of you don’t physically come down to serve but prepare food, shop for paper goods, pick up donated baked goods, etc. We value your contribution and appreciate you!!

We are thankful for the progress the Saturday morning construction team is making. We love the camaraderie this group has working together to get the job done. Rory Huff adds his construction expertise to teach and facilitate the team. Project by project the walls are being rebuilt!  Our building will one day, Lord willing, be a facility to host groups that would like to volunteer for a short term mission project, host the Saturday outreach indoors during the cooler winter months, and be Code Blue facility once the bunk rooms, and ground floor are completed. Code Blue refers to the temperature dropping to a life threatening low during winter months. We would be able to be a shelter during those extremes.

We are also rejoicing that through the rainy days of summer our new roof kept us completely dry. What a comforting peace to not panic at the weather forecast.  We have many of you to thank for taking our needs to heart and enabling us to get that done! With the roof keeping us dry we have been busy repairing room by room the decades of water damage done to our 100 year old house.

We are encouraged by your outpouring to spur us on to care for our marginalized neighbors. Would you prayerfully consider ways to increase your involvement? Perhaps you can become a monthly financial and/or prayer partner? Whatever you can do is greatly appreciated!

June 2014

This is the cry of our hearts and we know by your faithful partnering yours too! We, like Paul to the people dear to his heart, “..Thank God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.”(Phil. 1:3-5). You are remembered every prayer we pray for all God is doing here on Kensington Avenue as it is in Heaven. We are constantly aware that without the generous gifts you give and volunteer support provided we could do nothing! We are truly grateful for all that is given and done with agreement.

We are so incredibly thankful for all the repairs that have been done to our home after the roof was secured a couple of months ago. Our bedroom has been completely redone and I am enjoying a mold free beautifully decorated sanctuary! I even got a new closet in the bargain. The next project was Aaron’s room. He graduated high school this June and has outgrown his childhood bunk bed. The water damage done to his bedroom was minimal but none the less motivated us to renovate and redecorate to bless the graduate! He’s thrilled with the results but not so much by us calling it the “guest room”. He’s welcome to stay as long as he likes but must forfeit his room to visitors, any takers??

Our next project is under way and overwhelming!! The front room was hard hit by serious water damage. There was severe water damage that resulted from the leaking roof and plumbing from the upstairs bathroom. The ceiling had collapsed, the flooring was stained, and my favorite was the exposed plumbing to the upstairs bathroom and the familiar smell of mold lingering in the air. All that to say a necessity yes, easy no! We are nearing the end of this room before we tackle the living room and kitchen.

The projects have been going incredibly well and provided for generously.  In fact, it is leaving Jim puzzled with regards to God’s will next door. Understandably, it is a huge project with a large budget to complete but we have seen God provide and do not doubt he can, does he will it is the question. Jim is asking for prayers of agreement with regards to this project. What do we all agree on??  It will cost nearly 200,000 dollars to complete the commercial kitchen. This would make us legal to serve meals, allow folks to come into the building, and host short term teams down the road. Do we need to do this? Should we press into this vision or seek the Lord on an alternate direction?

We value your prayer covering and need you to respond with how you believe the Lord is guiding the building project next door. Jim is weary not being legal in regards to how we currently operate. We can’t imagine not having the outreaches every Saturday or not allowing folks to come in the building when it’s snowing or sit at the picnic tables to eat and fellowship. But not our will but His be done. Please join us in prayer seeking the will of the Father for this project. We know Jesus desires to build his kingdom here. Thank you for considering us in prayer and for all you do!

March 2014:

March certainly came in like a lion; we had one of the harshest winters of our 15 years here! Our hearts were heavy each time the weight of the winter snow would land on our compromised leaky roof. We experienced new leaks in rooms the summer rains had not come through. Even though the Lord had provided through your generous hands the resources to fix the roof we still had the challenge of dry weather to get the job done.

In a series of God led events the Lord gave Jim a peace to use a Christian construction company in Lancaster. This was the only company that agreed with Jim that the old roof needed to be taken off completely. Jim feared the wood was damaged underneath and didn’t want to just cover over potential future problems. As Rory, Jim, Frank, and Bob were on the roof pulling up layers of disintegrating roof paper the wood was in fact rotten. Rory actually stepped through in a few places as the wood crumbled! Thankfully, no one was hurt and Rory was able to replace all of the rotten beams.

What joy filled our hearts when the new rubber roof was installed and all of the challenges of the old roof were resolved. During the next rain, Jim stood and watched the water roll off the new roof and rejoiced that it was doing its job perfectly.

With the new roof in place we took to the most damaged room, our bedroom. The process of pulling down water logged plaster and rotten wood was messy! We discovered the mold issue that appeared over the summer was not from the leaky roof but from the bathroom vent that had become disconnected and was blowing the humid air up the wall into our room. That was a much simpler fix than we had expected. Rory also installed a new closet system, put everything beautifully back together and Jim did an excellent painting job. We had paint, linens, and a rug donated that made the room really come together. We both love the results. When I open my eyes in the morning my soul sings, “Great is thy faithfulness…all I hath needed thy hand has provided, great is thy faithfulness Lord unto me!”

The next challenge we face is repairing the damage done downstairs. One of our supporters that helped to fund the bedroom restoration asked me, “Jen, how long are you going to live here?” I answered, “Forever, I guess…” to which she responded, “Then we need to make the repairs as soon as possible!”  We struggle with putting resources into our personal home. We look at all the patchwork holding the ceiling together and know this is a need but it is still challenging to “take away” from ministry funds. Please pray for the next phase of the renovations, for peace in the decision process, for the resources in the form of finances or donated materials, and for us to endure the process with our marriage and ministry intact!

We are celebrating all the Lord had done, all the ministry that has continued in the midst of a fierce winter, the next phase of construction next door and to our home! Great is thy faithfulness!! Thank you for being the hands he uses to provide for all of this. We are so thankful.

November 2013

Danny has always lived in Kensington and his hard life of alcohol abuse is taking its’ toll. When I pulled my van out early Wednesday morning Danny was retching by the el pole. The hand he used to balance himself against the pole had a hospital band on his wrist. He had been released a couple of days before after a visit due to a near overdose.

It will not take much for Danny to overdose. He has done so much physical damage to his body, his system is shutting down. He has had to stop drinking because his body can no longer process alcohol.

Unfortunately, he is using heroin to maintain a drug induced state of being. When he wakes up in the morning he needs to use heroin to not be physically sick. In some ways I “hope” he gets enough to allow his body to be at peace, but I know that is not an answer to what he really needs. What the enemy promises as a solution is slowly robbing Danny of life. The reality is Danny will not be on this earth much longer. Even if today he never does another drug he is an end stage addict. He has a pace maker in his heart, his kidneys are shutting down, his liver is severely damaged. You can see visible swelling when he sits on the sidewalk.

As hopeless as this all sounds there is a perfectly alive soul in Danny that may or may not spend eternity in heaven in a new restored body. He has heard the gospel many times, some of you have sat and shared with him. When he is sober he is kind, intelligent, articulate, and eager to hear the “good news”. The addiction grips his body, he chooses to follow his flesh nearing its’ end. I know the Lord would exchange Danny’s filthy garments for a clean robe of righteousness at any point.  My prayer is that he would make that decision and soon.

His physical state of being has opened my eyes to the desperate situation many of our neighbors are in; balancing on the edge of this world and eternal life. We believe we need even more prayer to see the lives that are gripped by the enemy released. Our neighbors hate the drugs they use, hate themselves for using, hate what they have to do to buy their drugs but they live in a state of hopelessness unaware of the freedom in Christ they can experience. Our prayers may open these prison doors. It is definitely a spiritual battle; Danny is in the fight of his life.

Living here every day I am made aware of how temporary this life is. I see the evidence in the eyes of those slowly killing themselves by the lifestyle they “live”. A new life in Christ is an incredible gift for us all. I am so thankful for His grace and mercy. He makes himself available to all who call upon his name. Oh may Danny’s voice be singing in that heavenly choir…Holy, Holy, Holy…Please keep him in your prayers. We pray a miracle both physically and spiritually!