Letter from the Board Chair and our Executive Director
"Opening Doors, Growing a Movement"
"...knock and the door will be opened."
Matthew 7:7b
God is opening doors - as churches knock. And God is opening doors - as homeless single mothers and their children seek hope.
This past year we have seen doors open as churches come together in more communities and seek God's direction for how they might help homeless women and children. God opens the door - and leads them to find Bridge of Hope. Sometimes the "door" is opened when they miraculously find Bridge of Hope on the web. Sometimes the door is a friend of a friend who has heard about Bridge of Hope in another community. And sometimes the door is a national conference where one of us have spoken about the work God is doing through churches unifying around ending homelessness for women and children.
This past year has seen the fulfillment of a bold goal we set three years ago of doubling from 6 Bridge of Hope affiliate locations to 12. We met and exceeded that goal and now we have set our next three year strategic plan and feel confident that God is leading us to work toward a 75% increase, from 13 affiliates in April 2008 across 5 states to 23 affiliates by 2011.
God is calling us to grow a national movement to end homelessness through churches - and people are responding.
We are more convinced than ever that God is calling the church to a friendship-based approach for ending homelessness for single mothers and their children. God cares passionately about these vulnerable families - and so does the church of God.
Just recently we received calls from as diverse places as Iowa, Florida and Maryland. The connecting point of these phone calls is that Christians who are engaged with their local church are feeling a sense of call to respond to the needs of homeless women and children. And God hears the knock - and is directing them to Bridge of Hope National.
"Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened."
We asked - and now God is opening doors through Bridge of Hope in exciting ways. We are humbled and filled with joy to be used for God's purposes.
Thanks to all of you who are helping fulfill the purposes of God through Bridge of Hope - as financial partners, as startup groups laying the groundwork to launch a Bridge of Hope in a local community, as Bridge of Hope mentors, as board and staff of a Bridge of Hope affiliate and in many other ways. God is opening doors! Praise God!
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