CRO Xtra:

A Glorious Monday

The biggest challenge leading up to the Urban HUG Team events is securing the donation of enough food to feed 200 men, women and children as well as the other supplies needed to pull off the event. Special thanks goes out to Michael Cahill (Manager) and Clark Vincent (Receiving Manager and a Community Christian School alumni) ) of the Kroger supermarket  in Stockbridge for donating food which was used for this event and upcoming HUG events, Stacy Powell's family who provided and prepared the main course. May all of these supporters be blessed for their contribution and their kindness.

Loaded with food and tables the Urban HUG Team arrived at the corner of Peachtree Street & Trinity Avenue in Atlanta a little after 8:30 PM. While the serving line was being set-up, Eduardo gave an encouraging message about forgiveness to the guests. (see video) Immediately after presenting the message Eduardo was approached by Keith, a man who was suffering from heavy guilt. He was downtrodden and looked miserable. He had committed some sins in his life which was weighing heavily on his heart. He could not forgive himself and did not feel he was forgiven by God. In addition to his overbearing guilt he was in pain. He had awoken that day with a severe crick in his neck which had lasted all day. 

Calling on a volunteer to join with them, Eduardo prayed for Keith asking that his guilt be relieved. After the prayer, Keith raised his head with a big smile on his face and proclaimed his neck was no longer in pain. Was it the Holy Spirit who relieved his pain? Was it just a coincidence? Or did the relief from his guilt simply allow his muscles to relax so that his pain was relieved? Regardless of the reason it was a blessing to Keith. The volunteer explained to Keith that he had experienced a small blessing now all he had to do was accept the big blessing of forgiveness. Later in the night the volunteer was approached by Keith who with great excitement proclaimed the relief he felt both physically and emotionally. Keith's blessing was also a blessing to Eduardo and the volunteer. (God's love is a funny thing. You can't give it away. When you try, it always comes back to you.)

This occurrence brings to mind the scripture: “And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.” James 5:15 (NIV)

After dinner was served a fight broke out which was quickly broken up by a volunteer. One fighter ran off while the other was escorted off the property by the volunteer. The fighter who ran away ran to the other side of the event and quickly started another fight which was broken up by Gary Lefmann and other volunteers. If both cases the fighter was trying to stab his opponents with an ink pen. While some might consider a couple of fights to be trouble, we consider it a blessing that no-one was hurt.

At the end of the night the guests left full of food, both spiritually and physically. The volunteers; they were also full.. full of joy for accomplishing the task God had called upon them to do.

As as side note, the pastor who gave the blessing at the event is from India. Only 1% of Indians are Christian and most of those live in one region where he was raised.

Volunteers who participated in this event included:

Major sponsors for this event included:

Editor's Note: Starting with this event we are trying to post credits for volunteers and contributors for our events. If we inadvertently left you out, please forgive us.

Urban HUG Team - A SUCCESS!

It was an amazing night. For well over a month the Urban HUG Team had been planning their first hosting of the Feed the Homeless project at Peachtree Street and Trinity Avenue in Atlanta. This is an outdoor event held nightly, rain or shine in a parking lot in downtown. Tonight was the Urban HUG Team's first night to serve as a group, supplying and preparing the food for the event.

While at Community Bible Church loading for the event it appeared it was going to be all rain and no shine. Lighting flashed and thunder roared as the rain poured down as we hauled the tables out of the church, tying them on the back of a pickemup truck. Rain poured as we drove towards Atlanta, finally ceasing as we passed Langford Parkway (Lakewood Freeway).

Arriving at the site, it was overcast and sometimes misting, but well suited for the event. As the team unloaded and set up Eduardo stood between the lines of the homeless waiting to be fed and delivered a heart-felt message focusing on salvation.

The food was provided and prepared by Stacy Powell's small group. Although the volunteers did not eat because they were there to serve the homeless and not themselves, the rate at which the food was consumed was enough to serve as a great testimony to its flavor.

It was not just the Urban HUG Team serving tonight. Seven or eight churches from around metro Atlanta were represented, putting aside their differences in theology to serve those less fortunate.

At the end of the night the team was blessed by a performance of a homeless husband and wife team, singing a praise song they had themselves written. Their performance was nothing less than astonishing. 

A lot of people were blessed at this event; some of which laid in their comfortable beds as they said their prayers that night while many others struggled to keep dry under a bridge or in a doorway as they thanked God for the meal they had received.

If you are interested in volunteering for the Urban HUG Team or preparing food for one of their events, contact Eduardo at 678-544-1062. 

Great Music and Exploding Soda Cans

On July 24 we assisted in Impact Forest Park, an annual event hosted by Living Faith Tabernacle and held in a softball field behind Starr Park in the City of Forest Park. Our role this year was to provide crafts and activities for children. The Community Bible Church band also participated by performing at the event.

The day was hot, sunny, still and there was no shade available for the band or most of the volunteers. It was scalding hot. The heat kept many of the guests away but for the approximately 300 guests that did brave the heat, it was worth the effort.

The childrern's area stayed busy with the volunteers making beaded cross necklaces for the children, helping them make paper airplanes, make other crafts and instructing them in a few simple games. Further amusement was provided by the soda cans, which placed in direct sunlight, would occasionally explode next to the kids area.

The Community Bible Church band, positioned on a flat bed trailer in the direct sunlight, almost baked as they belted out some of our favorite tunes.. To many they were the highlight of the day!

While attendance was disappointing the efforts of the volunteers of Community Bible Church were without flaw. They have much to be proud of. 

Next year the event will be held in the cool of the spring or fall so that it will be a much more enjoyable day for guests and volunteers alike.

Barnabas on 2010-07-27 @ 09:22 PM EST [link]

It was a Triple Play!

On July 10th, for our first time the Local Out-Team performed three Community HUG Cookouts simultaneously! 

It had been a morning of spiritual warfare at almost every turn. Some of our regular volunteers had been diverted (one had gotten bumped from a flight and was stuck somewhere in the backwoods of Louisiana); one of our tow vehicles had its battery burst even before leaving the staging area; one of the cookout teams arrived at their community only to realize they needed a replacement grill, and another arrived at their community to find many of the housing units were vacant. (Ok. That last one was avoidable. This was one of our regular communities so we did not bother to check occupancy before scheduling the cookout.) But, God made it a wonderful day!

This was our first trip to the Ansley Park manufactured home community in Stockbridge. Turn out for the event was very brisk even considering the heat and the threat of rain. Our normal menu consists of hot dogs, chips and soft drinks but because of the generosity of some of the Community Bible Church members today our menu included the additional items of hamburgers, watermelons and fresh baked breads! Even momma would have been envious of the meal we were offering! (It was so good we ran out!) Christ was presented in one way or another to almost every guest. Most acknowledged they were already believers and some had issues which will require more time to overcome. We made some great inroads into that community and are looking forward to a return trip next spring.

Our visit to Walnut Grove in Jonesboro was just as rewarding. It was here that the team leader realized he needed a new grill and had to run buy one at K-Mart. They too had a great turn out and depleted their food supply near the end of the event. The team members remarked that the residents of this community was very anxious for their arrival, even helping to set-up and break down the community. One of the team members had an emotional discussion with an admitted alcoholic in an attempt to help them get on the path to recovery. While the team member could not accomplish his goals, the seeds were planted. It is up to the Holy Spirit to make them sprout.

The Toby Springs team arrived to find the McDonough community about half-empty. A disappointment for sure, but that did not prevent them from serving those residents which were present. This group was accompanied by a pair of women from Bethel United Methodist Church in Fairview (Ellenwood), Georgia. These ladies were gracious enough to provide our teams with some food and clothing on their arrival. One was even kind enough to pray the opening prayer when we departed the church to head out to the event locations. (That will teach her to respond “Pick on me!' when someone asks “Who shall I pick on this time?” ;-) We hate our friends from Bethel attended the slow cookout instead one of the others. But that just means they will be impressed with the next they attend.

Our next Community HUG Cookouts are scheduled for August 14, 2010. Come join us!

Barnabas on 2010-07-13 @ 08:12 PM EST [link]

Two Gallons of Water and a Heart

The Out-Team volunteer was driving to Atlanta to meet Eduardo and deliver 61 gallons of lemonade (left over from FreedomFest) to the homeless living on the streets. He was troubled. He had lead a man to Christ the week before at the same location. Joey, the homeless young man - a full blooded Cherokee, had expressed concern after praying the salvation prayer. He did not feel his salvation was complete without being baptized. Although the volunteer explained that baptism was only a public proclamation and did not affect his salvation and assuring him that he could get baptized later, Joey seemed to remain a little uncertain.

While driving the volunteer remembered the Great Commission whereas Jesus said to his disciples “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). The volunteer thought about the matter for a few minutes and realized that if he was authorized by God to make disciples that he was also authorized to baptize them. After all, both commands were in the same sentence! He turned around and went to the nearest store and purchased two gallons of water.

Meeting Eduardo at the event site he discovered that there was no-one there to give a message to the more than 200 homeless people waiting on food to be distributed. So opening his bible up to Romans 7:18 he preached his first sermon ever. It was on Paul's words “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.”

Making it clear that he was not a Pastor the volunteer explained to the crowd that Paul was admitting he too was a screw-up, but God used him all the same. He told them about some of the other great men of the Bible and how they were murderers, adulterers and other unsavory sorts yet God had used them. He revealed to them of a few of his own many failures in life and set himself up as an example of what God can do with someone who was otherwise a failure. He pointed out that they were in the position to be perfect testimonies for Christ if they only had the faith to pull themselves up out of this hell-hole they now call home. The volunteer was a little shocked at the amens and hallelujahs coming from the crowd of homeless.

At the end of his brief sermon the volunteer approached Joey and asked if he was serious about getting baptized, to which Joey replied he was. The volunteer said “then let's do it now.” To the crowd the volunteer explained that he believed in baptism by immersion, but that he also believed that when their was insufficient water available that other forms of baptism by water was appropriate... that God would understand. Then in the dark of the dimly lit parking lot Joey knelt on his knees with his long hair draping over his shoulders and his tattoos barely visible while the volunteer prayed for him and baptized him in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit by pouring a cup of water over his head. The applause, shouts and cheers from the crowd was nothing less than shocking.

After giving Joey a hug and explaining that he would see him in heaven the volunteer asked if there was anyone else who had given their lives to the Lord and had not yet been baptized. First one came, then another, then another. When the parking-lot ceremony was complete, six people had stepped forward to be baptized. The volunteer performing two or three of the baptisms and Eduardo performing the rest in a skillful and compassionate manner.

The events of that night were carried out by a man who had no qualifications for the job he was performing. He had never preached a sermon at all.. and until this night never intended to. While it was him that stood there among the crowd of homeless and while it was him that opened his mouth, it was the Holy Spirit who did the talking. From the first night he and his wife stumbled upon this parking lot over a week ago to the night these events took place, everything was lead by God. Why? The volunteer is still asking himself this very question... over and over again.

For a while now we have been telling you that if you attend one of our HUG Cookouts that you may witness a miracle. The events of the Urban HUG Team are no different. The events may be in a different environment and they may be a little farther from home, but God can produce miracles anywhere... even in a parking lot in downtown Atlanta.

On Monday night, July 26, 2010, Eduardo will be delivering his message to the crowd of a couple of hundred homeless in the dimly lit parking lot at the corner of Peachtree Street and Trinity Avenue. Won't you be there to support him? I know one volunteer and one Cherokee who will be.

Eduardo would probably appreciate you helping prepare a little food in advance too. Two hundred people are a lot of mouths to feed. For more information call Eduardo at 678-544-1062.

Freedom Fest was amazing, Gods work was unforgettable!

by Brande Bradford

As always Freedomfest was better than the year before. We had tons of children’s activities thanks to Erica Chavous and Cathy Washburn’s hard work. The food lines were packed which meant that our vendors were cooking like crazy. The field was filling up at a nice steady pace. The event was “on fire”! We had 94.4 the Bull (country radio) on campus, live music, watermelon and hot dog eating contests, etc. All I can say is that it was the best yet! All the coordinators and volunteers were amazing. A big KUDOS for a job well done.

What I really want to share with you is the highlight of the night for the Local Out Team. We are often asked if what we do really makes a difference. The answer is YES! What we do might not produce instant results, it can take a week, month, year maybe even longer, but God never wastes our time.

In June, we went and did a HUG Cookout at a manufactured home community in Stockbridge. We had a husband, wife and their daughter that spent most of the afternoon with us. They talked to a lot of people and were just a real joy to be around. Like many in the community, they were struggling. Needing to move and not sure how they were going to make it, the husband knew that God could and would take care of it.

They surprised us and showed up at Celebrate Recovery a couple of Thursdays ago. I can’t explain how it makes you feel to see people you just served walk through the door, especially on their own. Since then, they have been attending church here at Community Bible Church. What an honor it is for us to have them here.

Sunday morning, I greeted them at the door, but could tell they had something on their minds. They went over to the Freedom Fest table in the atrium and wanted to volunteer to help with the event. (Keep in mind, they have only been coming here a couple of weeks)

At 4:30pm sharp, they showed up to help. People we served are now out serving others. This is what it is all about. That night, I am willing to bet they were the hardest workers there. Never once did they complain or stop working. They were THRILLED that we were allowing them to serve along side us. That is worth repeating…They were THRILLED that we were allowing them to serve along side us. That makes my heart ache.

As we were preparing lemonade, the husband looked at me and said, “ To me, it is not about the t-shirts or the door prizes. It is all about serving and giving to others, as you guys gave to us.” Tears filled my eyes.

This family stayed picking up trash off of the field until almost everyone was gone. They wanted to stay and help and we had to finally tell them it was time to leave.

This family should be a real inspiration to anyone who reads this. They have moved into their new trailer. We are in the process of helping them get beds and pots and pans. Even through their struggles and hard times, they have the love of God in their hearts and want to share that love with others.

My favorite saying is that people are brought into our lives for a reason, a season or a lifetime. I like to think that this will be a lifetime.

All you have to do is open your heart.

Barnabas on 2010-07-08 @ 11:30 PM EST [link]

Urban HUG Team Formed!

Eduardo Bryant, who used to hang out in downtown Atlanta during his more sinful days visited his old stomping grounds the evening of Friday, July 2nd. He saw the homeless hanging out on the street with everything they owned in their backpack or paper bag. He watched as they tried to rent metered parking spaces to unwary visitors to the Greyhound Bus station. He stood in awe as hundreds lined up to be fed by loving hearts and caring hands led by the grace of God. Although they crashed someone else's event, Eduardo and the other Local Out-Team volunteer who was with him witnessed to the homeless and lead three lost souls to Christ that night.

That night stirred a passion in Eduardo's heart that had been simmering for a long time. The passion to serve the homeless of downtown Atlanta. On one Monday each month Eduardo will be leading the newly formed Community Bible Church Local Out-Team's Urban HUG Team to the parking lot on the southwest corner of Peachtree Street and Trinity Avenue to feed the homeless, but he needs your help. He needs volunteers willing to serve both food for the belly and food for the soul. He needs volunteers to help prepare the food, as 200 mouths are a lot of mouths to feed. And he needs food - lots and lots of food!

If you want to go help feed the homeless but cant make the scheduled Monday. Call Eduardo. He is coordinating with other churches and ministries to help make certain the homeless are fed every night of the week. So he will be leading teams up to the event site several times each month to assist other churches and ministries in feeding the homeless on some of the nights they host the event.

For more information about the Urban HUG Team call Eduardo Bryant at 678-544-1062.

Barnabas on 2010-07-07 @ 10:42 PM EST [link]

Let the Card do the Talking

by Brande Bradford

Sometimes we tend to get so wrapped up in life that we forget about those who serve us. It is easy to take advantage of people because after all what they do is their job. The Local Out Team wanted to show others the power of a simple gesture. It is the simple gestures that often have the biggest impact.

We had 5,000 business cards printed up with a simple “thank you” message on the front, and a peppermint attached to the back. The idea was that people would take 5 or so cards and randomly hand them out to those they met during the week. Some people took them to work and handed them out to co-workers. Many were left with tips at restaurants. The list goes on and on.

The concept was to really share the love of Jesus through his disciples. If you’re a Christian, it is your duty to share the love of Jesus and what better way to do it than to thank someone for a job well done, when normally it would go unnoticed. For most people handing out those cards was just a gesture. To God it was a job well done.

In our day to day lives, we should be sharing the word of God in all that we do. I realize that at times it can be difficult. We are all human and life is life. Let me ask you this…On one of those difficult days wouldn’t it make your day better to have someone appreciate you? Of course it would. John 12:26 says, “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.”

God speaks through us. If you’re not sure what to say, its ok. A smile, a “thank you”, a hand shake, any small gesture is God speaking big words. Make it a goal to thank and appreciate someone daily. Who will the first one you appreciate today?

Experience the Joy

By Gary Lefmann

I used to attend a church where everyone hugged everyone else all the time. It was not exactly my cup of tea. When I first heard that CBC was going to sponsor H.U.G. cookouts, I pictured a big hug-a-thon with (ugh) strangers in a run-down neighborhood somewhere. Let me assure you that could not be farther from the truth. Oh sure, you can still hug someone if you want to (and chances are good that you might), but at CBC, H.U.G. stands for His Uplifting Grace.

Our most recent H.U.G. event was held at the Deer Creek Manufactured Home Community in Stockbridge on Saturday, June 12th. I heard someone say there were around 500 homes in there. About 60 or so of us descended on Deer Creek just before noon and started setting up. We set up a grill for hot dogs, a table for drinks, chips and desserts, some games for kids, a face-painting area, and the most popular of all, a Home Depot Building Kit area. The back of someone’s pickup truck served as the center of a staging area for free clothes, shoes, books, and assorted free “yard sale” leftovers.

In spite of the heat and a decided lack of shade (there was but a single tree in the area where we set up), residents began to drift in, slowly at first, and then steadily over the course of the event. 

In addition to making many new friends, and talking to people about Christ, we had three salvations and one person re-dedicated their life and is going into a detox treatment program. By any human or godly standard, there is no better way to spend part of an afternoon.

The next H.U.G. event is scheduled for July 10th. Join us and experience the joy of making a difference in someone’s life!

--Gary Lefmann

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

By: Melissa Cuthbertson

God moments come when you least except them. That is why it’s called a God moment. I had one of those moments on May 8, 2010 while serving at a HUG Cookout at Royal Courts Trailer Park in Lake City, Georgia

I was standing talking with a friend who was also serving when I notice a little blonde haired girl with no shoes on sitting on a chair eating a hotdog and chips. Her hair was to her shoulders and looked like it had been through a good day of playing outside. She was about 9 years old. I could feel tugging on my heart when I told my friend, “You see that little girl over there, that use to me”. I don’t know this little girls situation but I was reminded of mine.

I too lived in trailer parks when I was little. The parks I lived in there were lots of drug and bad people. I would run around barefoot, my hair stringy and not a care in the world. I was innocent like this little girl. But back at my house there were lots of things going on I wasn’t aware of. Drugs, alcohol and selfishness. I bounced from one trailer park to another as I grew up. My life was very unstable.

The thing is I didn’t know God but He was always there. With my prayer bear every night I learned how to pray to a God I didn’t really know. “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. The angels watch me through the night until I wake in morning light! Amen”  He never left me alone, He was always there. At age 15 I accepted Christ into my life.

PRAISE GOD for his Son and for never leaving that little blonde hair girl to face the world alone.

In Christ,

Melissa Cuthbertson

38 Million Condemned

Using a video clip of one of our volunteers who had just lead a guest to Christ at the September, 2009 Maximum Impact event, the Local Out-Team put together this video to encourage all Christians to witness to those they know. Thus far it has been uploaded on YouTube, Tangle and FaceBook in hopes of encouraging others.  We hope it encourages you.

The Open Arms of God

On Saturday, May 15, 2010, Maximum Impact was invaded by members of Community Bible Church and their friends. Over 70 volunteers from Community came out in support of Drew Sewell's Maximum Impact event on Fulton Industrial Boulevard in Atlanta.

Representatives from a number of CBC ministries including the Local Out-Team and Celebrate Recovery, various small groups, and the general congregation converged upon the event location to help demonstrate God's love and to lead the lost to Christ.

The church's primary responsibility was to handle registrations and food service, but members of the church served as needed throughout the event including, but in no way limited to, serving as Prayer Warriors in the prayer tent, supervising children in the moon walk and slide, helping break down the grill site (at a nearby location), foot washing and providing medical screening. A number of CBC volunteers began working at 6:30 AM on the morning of the event only to finish at 9:30 PM that night. Even Pastor Beau showed up and lead us in prayer at the beginning of the event.

A whole lot of effort went into this event by hundreds of people. Was it really worth all of the effort?

On the night of the event many people went to bed with their eternal lives secure. How many, we do not know.. but at least eight people were lead to Christ off the end of the food line alone. We should have a solid count from the overall event in a few days. A lot more people went to bed with the Gospel seed planted, wondering what all of this was really about. As time passes, many of those will accept Christ as a direct result of the efforts made today. Still, there are many who went to bed with a better understanding of Christianity... the Christians who finally understand that the gift of Salvation is just that, a gift which they accepted.

Some prostitutes or people suffering from addictions slept that night in comfortable surroundings, lead there by people who care for them and who will give them their best opportunity to recover from their former lifestyles. Many went to bed with their bellies swollen with food, suffering from the discomfort of over-eating rather than the sharp pain of hunger they are so accustomed to.

Finally, there were the children. Children living in the shadows of Six Flags over Georgia, but who had never even hoped to have such an experience. While this event would in no way compare to Six Flags in terms of fun and thrill rides, never could Six Flags ever provide the comfort and love demonstrated by the volunteers on Saturday. 

If you were a volunteer at Maximum Impact, every time you handed someone a burger, some chips, a cupcake or a drink you were saying God loves you and I do too. If you were supervising children at the moonwalk or slide, every time you helped a child up on the attraction you were safely guiding them as the Holy Spirit safely guides you. If you were registering guests, you were asking guests to tell you a little about them and their lives just as God wants them to tell him about their lives through prayer. If you were standing at the end of the food line asking “If you were to die tonight, are you certain you will go to heaven” you was giving them the same opportunity Christ gave his followers when he walked the Earth. 

You see, if you spent the day at Maximum Impact you showed up as yourself, but you spent the day being the open arms of God. 

So, yeah. It was worth it.

The Lord Makes Always Makes a Way

By Jimmy Williams, Sr.

On May 8, 2010, the Local Out-Team reached out and touched another local community with a HUG cookout. This event was a first for the community of Audubon Estates Mobile Home Park in McDonough.

With this being the first HUG event in this community, we were somewhat concerned about the turnout. Audubon Estates is a large community of approximately 275-300 mobile homes. However, due to the mobile home park's guidelines, we were not allowed to promote the event door-to-door, or with the use of flyers. But the Lord always make a way. The park's office listed the event in the monthly newsletter, as well as inserted a flyer in the marquee board. Several residents stated that they were made aware of the event using those two methods.

The attendance at the event was great taking into consideration that this was a first. The Out Team witnessed to several residents of different age ranges and different cultures. Overall, we received awesome responses from the residents there, and we believe that our relationship with this community will grow with the Lord's guidance.

Community reaching out is a name the Local Out-Team, with all of our help coming from God, has been able to live up to, and we must go out into all the world, witnessing and telling of the love of Jesus Christ. 

Local Out-Team HUGs Sable Chase Apartments

By Jimmy Williams, Sr.

On Saturday, April 24, 2010, the Local Out-Team held two hug events. The event in McDonough took place in a neighborhood that is familiar with the local team, which has held very successful gatherings there in the past.

This gathering was no different as many came to eat, drink and fellowship with some familiar faces from Community Bible Church. For those of us volunteering, it was an awesome experience to witness to the residents of the complex. A large number of children help make these events a great success. 

Two of the volunteers were allowed to walk around the complex and witness to the residents while inviting them to the event. We have always had positive feedback from this community, and if it's the Lord's will, we shall return to Sable Chase Apartments