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GOD's Divine Design

Here for our neighbors

Greetings!

For Shepherd's Hope, the Holiday Season is a little busier than the rest of the year because on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving more than 700 families come through our food pantry for turkeys and hams and all the fixins for a Thanksgiving meal. Then on Thanksgiving Day we prepare a special meal for the people in the community that have nowhere else to spend the holiday. We also pray for them individually and at each table before they eat! The difference between Shepherd's Hope and most ministries is that we are there for our neighbors five days a week plus church services and Bible studies on Saturdays and Sundays.

At our Food Pantry we don't just hand out a bag of groceries, we actually are a small grocery store so that our neighbors can walk through and choose what they want for their families versus getting a big bag of food that most of the family won't eat. What separates our Feeding Center from others is that besides supplying 150 hot meals for two homeless ministries a week, we also feed 250 of our neighbors and their families a hot meal three days a week. We also provide a delivery service for our disabled and handicapped neighbors. A unique aspect of Shepherd's Hope’s feeding center is that a member of a family can pick up to-go meals for the whole family with the proper identification or pre-registration. Thank you, LORD!

The Voice of The Shepherd

By God's design we have Bible studies twice a week on Wednesdays from 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM and Saturdays from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM. We've been doing Bible studies since the beginning of Shepherd's Hope. Initially, these studies took place in the basement at 5732 S Lowe.

Today we meet in the library at the Center of Englewood. The Bible study consists of myself, a male and female pastor and as many as 10 men and women from the community. It is the most transparent and Jesus-centered Bible study I've ever attended.

Three of our regular attendees are homeless, two more are recovering drug addicts. Like I tell everyone in the study we are all dealing with something and there is only one answer to solving our problems and that is the relationship with JESUS CHRIST and JESUS CHRIST only! So that's what we focus on for five hours every week.

On frigid winter nights we have two of the women from the Bible study staying in an empty room at The Center because they have no heat where they live. To make their stay a little more tolerable, the women can always get a hot meal to eat and they can keep warm during the day by volunteering or studying in the library.

Thank you, LORD, for not revealing everything we would have to face when you sent us on this journey. Thank you for providing everything we would need to do your will while taking care of the least of these, our neighbors. Amen. Amen!

We need your help to keep Shepherd's Hope Operating!

We at Shepherd’s Hope never believe that the so-called random events in life are anything less than GOD’s appointed order. Be ready to discover HIS divine design anywhere and everywhere.

For the last 3 years we have been struggling to make ends meet, I believe by GOD’s design. The major problem in the Englewood community is that Shepherd’s Hope can't charge the community ministries that occupy the building the rate they should pay to cover the expenses because most of them are struggling to survive. For instance, our average rent is $0.90 per square foot which includes gas and electric utilities. That leaves us with a $0.50 cent per square foot deficit each month. Our donors and small grants pick up a small portion of the shortfall, but because donations have been gradually decreasing since we bought the building, we are always struggling to make ends meet.

DONATE NOW ONLINE

Or Mail check to Shepherd's Hope

PO Box 21013, Chicago IL 60621

Increased service - reduced funding

First, we had to deal with COVID which we didn't budget for! We never closed during Covid but six food pantries in our area shut their doors, so we were overwhelmed with new clients. We believe COVID was the catalyst that played a major role in the demise of our donor base, and it has just kept on decreasing.

With the management of this large facility being put on my plate, my time for finding new donors is very limited. At one time we had about 400 individual donors that would donate at least once a year. Now we are down to 45 to 50 that donate on a regular basis. We are still in contact with about 400 individuals through our newsletter, and we are actively more involved with the community than ever. My question is why did we lose 80% of our donors? We are more actively involved servicing our neighbors than ever, obediently doing what the LORD sent us to do! I realize that I have neglected to maintain the personal relationships with you, our donors, and I’m terribly sorry! Please forgive me.

Are you with us?

If you still believe in what we are doing, please join our team, which we believe is the best small ministry team in Chicago. But without our support team, we are like the human body with a bad heart, struggling every day to survive. (Click here for a list of the ministry partners that are serving at the Center of Englewood.) If you have any questions or would like to make an appointment to visit The Center, please call Brian at 773-351-3336.)

We love you all and hope you all have a great holiday season! Please remember we would love all of you to be part of the team again, Amen! Please pray for Shepherd's Hope and The Center of Englewood.

Sincerely,

Brian

P.S. Just a reminder: we touch the lives of 4000 of our neighbors a week - either through our food pantry, the feeding center or one of the other 17 ministries that occupy the Center of Englewood. Thank you again for all your support for the past 17 years and thank you in advance for your continued support, which we pray will make 2026 our best year ever! We love you all!