Metro is meeting people where they are at and showing them the love of Christ

The Lord has commanded his people to care for the least of these and to truly care for and understand the poorest among us, we must live among them.

Laurence East took that message to heart and left a secure position as a pastor in a large Okanagan church to help the marginalized members of the society and meet them where they are at.

“I wanted to get outside of the church walls,” said East who is the pastor of Metro Community church and the driving force behind Metro Central, a downtown Kelowna facility that helps the street community.

Metro Central offers a wide range of programs for street people from food to computer access to simply providing a place to hang out and not be alone.

East took his leap of faith several years ago when himself and a few others from his church would spend Saturday evenings at the Kelowna Gospel Mission visiting people.

As their numbers grew a small, but dedicated church began to form.

Today, the church has 250 members, 60 per cent of which are either street people or people who were once living on the streets. The remainder of the church is made up of people from various walks of life.

“We believe we are called to take the most vulnerable in our community, bring them to our church and give them the largest voice,” said East, who is known as Rev on the street.

East partners with several groups and agencies to keep the numerous programs at Metro Central up and running, but 50 per cent of the operating budget comes from the congregation themselves.

Metro has four enterprises: Metro Moving, Metro Laundry as well as operating food carts and a cafe. Most of the people employed at these ventures are former clients of Metro Central who have gotten off the streets and into a more stable, safer lifestyle.

Scripture is full of God telling his people to spread the good news of Christ and for East, Metro is the best way to do that, by showing Christ's love in a real and practical way.

Leaving his position at Willow Park Church was not an easy move to make, but East felt strongly it was something he had to do – he wanted to do.

He knew money would be tight – it still is even after all these years – but he also knew it was what he was called to do, so he took a huge leap of faith and hundreds of people are now benefiting from his strength and determination to step off the safe path and to answer the call of the Lord.

“We are not a 'normal' church. It's risky. We are always struggling to make ends meet,” he said.

But God has his hand on Metro and every month the bills get paid and more people are introduced to the unwavering love of Jesus Christ.

For more information on Metro, check out their website at metrocommunity.ca.

Love in Motion: riding for a cause

Some are pedaling for a few days, some a little longer, but Shirley and Gerry Malnis will be riding a tandem bike from sea to shining sea to raise funds for those in need.
The Vernon couple are among several Okanagan riders taking part in the annual Love in Motion tour.
Some Vernon cyclists rode from Vancouver to Vernon – they all smiled when asked about the Coastal Mountain Range – while a few brave souls will peddle across the entire length of one of the geographically largest countries in the world.
This was Warren Yablonksi's first time riding with Love In Motion. An avid cyclist, the Vernon resident rode from Vancouver to the Okanagan during the first week of the two-month long endeavor.
“We are raising money for people who need help across Canada,” he said, adding the participants can ride for a week or the entire trip.
Love in Motion is designed to raise support and awareness for projects aiding vulnerable and at-risk people. Various groups and organizations across Canada will benefit from the money raised by the ride.
“We raised funds ourselves to go on the ride,” said Yablonksi. Donations can also be made online at loveinmotion.ca or to the VAC Riders at the Vernon Alliance Church. A list of projects and the cities they are in can also be found at the website.
Vernon cyclist Lora Fellenz said the ride is all about helping the less fortunate.
“It raises awareness of the need,” she said. “People stop all the time and ask us what we are doing. They will then often make a contribution.”
As if pedaling some of the largest mountain ranges in North America was not enough of a challenge, many of the riders will be carrying wooden blocks with them.
Fellenz said each block has the name of a person inscribed on them and represent people who have died on the mean streets of Regina.
“The idea is we will carry each others burdens and share each others burdens,” said Fellenz.
"Every morning when we start out in prayer, we pray for the name on the block," said Shirley.
While the Vernon peddlers are riding for the Arbour, some 300 cyclists will take part in the ride before it is over, with each raising money for a program that helps the homeless, drug addicted and other marginalized people.
Anyone who has driven across the province knows the sacrifice and challenge the riders have taken upon themselves in the effort to help others.
“The first week is the hardest because it is all hills,” said Fellenz, adding the area from Golden to Revelstoke will also prove a challenge as other riders nodded in agreement.
However, once they get out of the mountains, it will be relatively flat going through several provinces.
Shirley said the goal of the Vernon group was to raise $23,000 that will be used to expand the Arbour at the Vernon Alliance Church.
The Arbour is a place where the city's less fortunate can go to receive hot soup, items of clothing and is a place where they can go to know someone out there cares for them. It offers a variety of programs that the money from the ride will help to expand.
Numerous organizations that help those in need across Canada will also receive funding generated by the ride.
The theme of this year's ride is justice and compassion, and that is one of the motivators for the husband and wife team who are involved in numerous faith-based events and organizations locally and internationally. They are also heavily involved in Wellspring, an agency working to improve education in Rwanda.
While the Vernon cyclists are riding for the Arbour, some 300 cyclists will take part in the ride before it is over, each raising money for a program that helps the homeless, drug addicted and other marginalized people.
A list of projects and the cities they are in can also be found at the website.
The ride will end in Halifax Aug. 30.

Engineers change lives in Ghana

Randy Runzer would jump at the chance to return to Ghana.
Runzer, an applied science technologist with Urban Systems, recently returned from the African nation where he helped conduct a feasibility study with the faith-based group Engineering Ministries International to build a hospital.
The group of highly educated Christian professionals left the comfort of their homes for the dry, hot landscape of Africa. And they were thrilled to do it.
In Ghana, they connected with other Christians and Runzer said every day started with a time of worship and prayer.
Honouring the Lord before heading off to work was just part of the daily routine for his Christian brothers and sisters in Ghana.
It took almost two days to go from the Okanagan, where Runzer lives, to Carpenter, a small village in Northern Ghana.
Runzer was struck by the poverty of the region and immediately recognized the need for a hospital.
"It's very poor, most of the homes are mud huts, thatched roofs,” said Runzer.
But it was a heart-wrenching story that steeled his determination to help the people of impoverished region.
Runzer was told of Peter, a man who lost his young wife during childbirth because they did not have access to a $2 oxycodin pill.
ﾒIt was heartbreaking to hear that what we take for granted they do not even have access to,” he said.
Runzer said the hospital is the dream of David Mensah, a man who came to Canada from Ghana, where he earned a university education before returning to his homeland where he has built a compound that is the base for several businesses. For more on Mensah and the work he and Canadian Christian organizations are doing in Ghana, go to grid-nea.org/.
Mensah employs locals to work in the businesses he created that include growing peanuts, a fish hatchery, growing mushrooms and raising livestock.
ﾒHe's raising the standard of living for quite a few families in that area,” said Runzer, adding Mensah has established a clinic in the compound, the need is much greater.
ﾒThe nearest good hospital is several hours away by vehicle,” said Runzer who did the site servicing for the feasibility plan.
Runzer joined engineers, architects and other professionals in developing the plan, that if done in the Okanagan, would have cost well in excess of $500,000.
All of the work was done for free and Runzer and his teammates even paid their own way to and from Africa.
The hospital will be built in Carpenter, a village of only a few hundred people, but it will service an area of close to 50,000 people – most of whom have no access to medical care.
Runzer said the hospital will be a “full service” facility capable of handling surgeries, emergency needs and childbirth.
The government gave its approval for the hospital plan earlier this month.
ﾒIt's a go now for detailed design,” said Runzer adding the entire team is ready, willing and eager to return to Carpenter and make the hospital a reality.
But no one is more excited than the people of the region.
ﾒAll of the chiefs in the area, including the paramount chief, came to a presentation that we made. They were cheering all the time, they were so excited about the potential to get a hospital,” he said. “I feel a sense of urgency to help as much as I can. They so desperately need it and they are so grateful for everything you do for them.”
The Carpenter Hospital will be the culmination of years of work at improving health in this rural area of Northern Ghana.  The Ghana Rural Integrated Development (GRID) and Northern Empowerment Association (NEA) have been providing mobile medical teams to serve the needs of the region, and invited Engineering Ministries International to help them design a permanent hospital for the region.
The volunteers developed concepts for the hospital and worked with the leadership of GRID & NEA to understand the vision and determine future programming.  They then surveyed the site and assessed the conditions of the existing buildings and infrastructure. 
Runzer inspected the existing water and drainage and proposed infrastructure for the hospital design.  At the end of the week, the team presented a master plan and building design proposal to the NEA leadership, as well as regional chiefs and the community.  The final
report will be sent to GRID & NEA in the coming months, and will be used by the organizations for both fundraising and for construction.  
For more information on Engineering Ministries International, go to emicanada.org.

Copywrite 2014 Darren Handschuh

Wellspring changing the lives of countless children

It’s not every day a person gets to witness firsthand the difference they are making in the lives of children half a world away, but a group of Vernon ladies enjoyed that very blessing when they travelled to Rwanda earlier this year.
Sherrie Mann, Sharon Sakakibara and Barb Elgin all traveled to Kigali for the first time where they met the children and teachers Wellspring Foundation for Education supports.
Shirley Malnis is the partner engagement co-ordinator for The Wellspring Foundation for Education, and has visited the African nation before, but she is always touched by when she sees the faces of the children Wellspring is helping.
Wellspring officially began in July 2004 in response to the compelling vision of Rwandan Christians to rebuild their country following the 1994 genocide.
Founders Jeffery Kormant and Richard Taylor were committed Christians who were born and raised in Africa. After graduating from Trinity Western University, they went to Rwandan with a vision for an entirely different type of education system that would empower a new generation of Rwandan leaders. Since then, many committed and gifted teachers, leaders, support staff, volunteers and donors have embraced the vision and joined the team.
Amid the bustling metropolis of Kigali are numerous schools, filled with young minds - the future of the African nation.
"The people are beautiful," said Mann. "I have never seen so many smiling faces."
Sakakibara said no matter what school they went to, they were greeted by the huge smiles and laughter of children.
Wellspring operates a program called Ignite 48, which teaches teachers better methods of instruction and sponsors classrooms.The Vernon women spent their time visiting schools, witnessing the works God can do when people call upon his name.
For $55 a month, you can literally change the lives of Rwandan youths by sponsoring a classroom, supporting the teaching program and by opening up doors to education some children do not have access to.
Like the system itself, the classrooms differ greatly from what is found in North American schools.
The Rwandan schools have open classrooms, long tables for desks and up to 60 children per class. All struggle with limited resources.
Malnis said Wellspring works with materials found locally and shows the teachers how to find the supplies they need rather than having them become dependent on supplies being shipped in.
The classroom schedule is broken down into two parts with some students taking in the morning session and others the afternoon classes.
“They go to school and then they go home and work in the fields or wherever,” said Mann, adding the students she met ranged from Kindergarten to Grade 6.
While it is not uncommon for North American youths to balk and complain about having to go to school, Malnis said many Rwandan youths seem eager to get an education, appreciating the privilege of attending class.
“The most common thing we saw were huge smiles on their faces. That is largely due to Ignite 48. One of the students told us how different things are now, how much better they are. They want to go to school now,” said Mann.
Before Wellspring began to train teachers, the school system was described as Draconian.
It was not uncommon for a teacher to use a strong stick to enforce discipline and there was virtually no relationship between student and instructor.
But after attending training sessions through Wellspring, teachers are more engaged with the students and the rising grades reflect the new method of teaching.
“The teachers also teach other teachers,” said Mann. “They go back to the schools and help the teachers to teach. The teachers are so appreciative of learning a new way of doing things..”
After returning from a Wellspring educational session, one teacher got down on his knees and begged the forgiveness of the children for the way they had been treated.
"It became a much more interesting job for the teachers once they learned how to teach," said Malnis. "You could really see the love between the kids and the teachers."
Elgin said Wellspring also helps Rwanda educators to use materials they can find locally and the strength of the Canadian dollar means a financial donation here is magnified many times in Rwanda.
Annual trips are arranged to Rwanda, but you do not have to travel the globe to make a difference. Donations to Wellspring can, and does, change lives.
For more information on Wellspring, go to www.thewellspringfoundation.org   (North American site) or www.wellspringrwanda.org  (Rwandan site).

One man making a difference in Uganda

Kityo Kabugo Kenneth knows the struggles an orphan in Uganda faces because he is one.
But he is also more than a conqueror and is dedicating his life to helping the lost children of Kampala.
Often, Christians will cry out to hear the voice of God, to hear a calling in their lives. But are they all willing to accept the hardships that calling can bring?
Kityo is.
It may not be a path he intended to walk, but it is a path he is willing to take to honour the Lord Jesus Christ and to answer that call on his life.
Kityo, 24, has been a orphan since he was 10 years old. His parents both died of AIDS, a disease that is ravaging his homeland of Uganda.
“I came to confess Christ as my Lord and saviour because I found that now I had nothing left in this world except the Lord who created me,” he said of his rebirth at age 15.
Kityo and his two brothers were taken in and cared for by a friend of his mothers, a lady from their church, but she too passed in 2010.
The loss was devastating and the young man found himself alone once again, with two brothers to look after.
But God had mighty plans for Kityo, plans to prosper him and to use him to care for and bless many others.
Kityo's mother and the woman who stepped in to be his surrogate mother shared a vision and a desire to help the orphans of their area. They laboured together to feed, clothe and care for the lost children of Kampala, the capital of Uganda and home to more than 1.5 million people.
Even before Kityo was born, his mother had a vision and a desire to help children. Since she was an HIV victim, her vision was mainly based in reaching out to young children and orphans who were also AIDS/HIV victims. She started out alone in her own home where she would bring in the lost and needy children of the area.
Kityo grew up with the these children, but when the ravaging disease of AIDS claimed his mother and her friend, the children dispersed into the city.
Kityo decided he would move on and try to build a life with his two brothers.
But the call of God grew stronger.
"Now, I was some how a man at least, I made twenty years of age, but most of the other children we had grown with had now scattered to different places. I was now left with my two brothers only. My calling started here. At first when the children scattered, I tried to forget the past, I wanted to start new life with my brothers because they were the only ones at that time who were my family now. I made myself busy now trying to forget everything and the journey we had left behind.," he said.
But God had other plans for the humble young man.
"You can never have peace until you have done what God purposed you," he said. "For sure I lost peace, my heart wasn’t settled, I was always thinking of the other children. Guilt was all over my heart. Whenever I would close my eyes to rest, nightmares were the order of the day. I used to see people chasing me, children crying at me, clothed in rags stretching their hands towards me as if they wanted some help."
Kityo tried to ignore the tugging at his heart for two months, but he knew something was amiss in his life. He wanted to keep his mother's dream alive, but he was scared of the responsibility such an undertaking involved.
Then, he one night as he slept a fitful sleep, he had a different dream. Not of one of desperate children, but a visit from a single man.
"This is real, I always testify about it wherever I go. That night when I went into my bed, I got a dream and I remember this person asking me two questions "Do you want what your mother desired most to just go away like that? Do you want to help people?" First I kept quiet because I had never seen this man’s face before, it was really shining. Secondly I thought helping meant to first have money. I was really troubled. I responded back to him 'I am an orphan with nothing and poor physically.' He answered me, “Who is the owner of this world and all its fulfillments?” I answered back that it is the Lord and this person told me to go and do "my will." After giving me the instructions, this person disappeared, I never saw where he passed," said Kityo of a night that changed his destiny forever.
Kityo knew the man in his dream was God.
"God always speaks, but some times people don’t get to understand His voice."
Kityo knew what he must do, he just did not know how to do it. He prayed God would strengthen him and renew his mother's dream in his heart and that the children who had once lived with her would return. But God put a different message in his mind: a reminder his mother always saw new generations of children coming to her home for help.
"I started again to build the vision right away from the few people I had. These are my brothers who were now with me. I didn’t mind how hard work was going to be for me, for I believe In God who had started now this work in me."
Kityo little about evangalism, but he did know God was using him to reach the lost children and gave himself wholly to the will of God.
"I learned that for God to use you, He doesn’t need you to first get prepared. He can use you in what ever situation He finds you as long as you are in the right place at the right time His will to be done."
With confidence given by the Lord, Kityo began his ministry. He started with a gospel-based outreach into the community.
There he saw the challenges the orphans were facing, something that became his biggest inspiration and motivated him to carry on even in the face of daunting challenges.
"HIV/AIDS, poverty and poor/inadequate health facilities had left many innocent children orphans and hopeless with nothing or nobody to look up to for support," he said. "They are traumatized with no proper education, many are homeless with no psycho-social support yet this was the major target group and vision for my late mother.  My mother was poor physically, but she had a strong belief and a rich heart. I started visiting some of the neediest families who were not only lacking but even victims of AIDS/HIV most especially young sick children."
But Kityo had no money to care for these children, so he started with the one thing he did have: love.
He used the gifts God had given him to bless the children. He taught them how to sing and discovered other talents they had been given. He also taught the children how to behave in public and how to do work around the community, such as cleaning people's homes.
" So far the number of children we have is 30. Most of them are staying with their guardians, others in Samaritans for shelter while a few are with me at the moment," he said.
The reason the children are not together is Kityo has no where to house them and he is praying God will find them a home.
But there are other, smaller but still urgent needs that also need to be addressed.
"We need a computer or laptop and some cameras. Sometimes we need to put posts and new updates but we can not but if only we can get access to these machines, our communication will be solved,
"Food and clothing are also serious problems. We need food and clothes. Some well wishers give them clothes for the children and we thank God for this at the moment because it shows that they feel the agony.
"Over the months, we have solely relied on gifts and contributions from well wishers. Though the small amount realized wasn’t enough to accomplish our programs, the little available funds were used responsibly and effectively. I thank God very much for the little provision He has forwarded to us to help the children."
Some of the children are not able to attend school - the students have to pay to attend school and must provide their own supplies - so Kityo tries to keep them learning through song, dance, drumming and reading Christian material.
"The daily life we are living is not a bit bad, but we always expect life to be like a game. Today you win, tomorrow you lose. Life is not always expected to be fair, even our Lord and savior taught us that. He said that He never promised us we will not meet problems in life. He said problems will come our way, but we should rejoice that even though they will come, He will always be there with us until slowly by slowly the problem will depart. So, what we got to know about life is that life is like a weighing scale, it has to balance and in fact this is normal. No life is great without challenges, we always know that life turns to be good after passing through a lot of challenges."
There are many challenges facing Just For All Orphans and Widows Ministry, but Kityo is determined to see God's will be done.
"This ministry is a non-profit Christian faith based organization and it’s major aim is to build an academically sound, healthy, morally upright and self-sustaining community geared towards triumphantly facing the challenges of poverty, illiteracy and unemployment. Our vision statement is 'social services for all the un-reached.' Our mission statement is to 'promote education, healthy living, equality, alleviation of poverty through collaborative planning, community initiative, sensitization and policy advocacy.'
For more details, contact Kityo at justorphansandwidowsministry@gmail.com, Tel:- +256772461407 or +256783873015. With all thanks from Director, Kityo Kenneth, email:- kityo.ken@gmail.com