CHURCH OF THE WEEK
Find Shelter at Safe Haven in Nashville
By Jewel Graham
The 700 Club
CBN.com
– Safe Haven Family Shelter is one of two shelters’ in the entire state that helps homeless families stay together. Most shelters separate women and children from fathers and put everyone on the streets during the days.
Safe Haven is a program that currently holds 11 families at one time. There are five on site in the initial 45 day training period, and then they move to transitional housing until they are ready to be out on their own. Because of the demand, Safe Haven turned away 1,000 families last year. These renovations will help them be able to put more money towards growth.
Cross Point Community Church is five years old and growing. They do overseas mission work, but really have a heart to minister and build long-term relationships with the community that they are in. Safe Haven shelter is one of two homeless shelters in Tennessee dedicated to keeping families together while helping them get back on their feet.
Because of the high demand, last year alone, Safe Haven turned away over 1,000 families. Nashville’s Cross Point Community Church saw an opportunity to help with minor repairs, landscaping, and renovation, so Safe Haven could put that money towards helping more families in the future.
The director of the shelter, Bruce says, "This is the largest volunteer activity that we’ve ever had at one time, and this is such a blessing."
More than 250 volunteers from Cross Point Community Church stepped up one Saturday to help revitalize the only homeless shelter in Nashville, Tennessee,
dedicated to keeping families together while getting them back on their feet.
"What we do is concentrated on keeping the families together. We have them secure employment, we have the kids go back to school, and we make them save 75% of their income. Within a short period of time, most families have about $1,500 to $2,000 in savings. We literally have families that graduate here and purchase a home rather than go back into a rental facility," adds Bruce.
Carol Watkins is living proof that this program works. She remembers moving from homeless to a home owner in just one year because of following the program.
"I love those people and the hundreds of volunteers and the countless hours that people donate and dedicate to people that they don’t know, and they’ll never see again," she says. "If it just changes one life like mine, it's so worth it."
Pastor Pete Wilson knew that the money Safe Haven saved on renovations would go directly into the programs that help homeless families get a new start in life.
"We believe in our heart that this is an opportunity for us to really be the Church and this is the Church at its best. This is Cross Point at its best, and we think this is our greatest opportunity to represent Christ in our community," he says.
"They’re doing an amazing job and to see families serving together and to see kids here serving with their parents and to me, that’s just an incredible way to teach your kid that life isn’t really about them. Christianity isn’t really not about them, but it's about serving."
Down the street, volunteers also completely renovated one of the houses Safe Haven uses to transition families from the shelter into their own homes. Demolition started immediately and laying new carpet, painting the interior, tiling the kitchen floor, and updating electrical work kept everyone busy all day long. Director of Ministries, Ryan Bult, organized the day’s activities.
"It’s always amazing to me, the friendships that are made because people are working side by side. People are saying, 'Man, I got up early on a Saturday morning. Im not just showing up at church, but I'm really doing what I’m called to do, and that’s to get out and work and serve," he says.
"They’re probably there on their only day off doing hard and strenuous labor with such joy and glee in their heart. It was just a true testimony to love. It was amazing day," adds Carol Watkins.
Congratulations to Cross Point Community Church. You are "America’s Church of the Week."
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