Each month as we near the 24th day, I usually check up to see if the Trinity group chosen to provide a supper for Fresh Start is ready to go. You see, for almost 30 years, the Fresh Start Program of the Christian Service Center has been a resource for men looking to get their lives back together, and Trinity has been part of that effort since the beginning. February 24th, 2015 was the last time Trinity members brought rice-cheese-broccoli casserole, cake or pie, lasagna, green salad, lunch meat, sandwich bread, cheese, juice, milk, and cookies to the men who participated in a life changing residential program. Robert Stuart, Executive Director of the Christian Service Center shared the disconcerting news with this sad statement: “Over the past 10 years, we have seen more men’s programs sponsored by neighboring churches, along with other similar programs by other local providers springing up in our neighborhood. As a result, our capacity of 25 men has been regularly running at 12-13 participants each evening.”
At our last supper visit, Trinity members Glenda Frazier, Bruce Hahn, and Steve and Sandy Wilson shared words of encouragement with resident manager Abraham, and the last remaining men in the program.
We may have had fun serving up dinners, involving the school children in a special Christmas dinner, sharing the cooking with Bible class friends, or encouraging our middle school students to give of themselves, but nothing more moving can be said about Fresh Start Program than the words of Abraham: “I watch them grow, and am thankful they add me to their journey.” We pray God will bless the men who have moved on to new lives rooted in Him.