Down Today, Up Tomorrow

Shortly after I joined the ministry team at Pine Valley United Methodist Church, someone came in, down on their luck, needing money.  The ministers were not there and a volunteer told me to tell them to go to the Help Hub because that is where we send our money.  I really did not know anything else about the Help Hub but I thought it was wonderful that there is one place for someone to go. My first thought was how much farther money can go when there is one pot to pull from.  Recently, I was blessed to attend the Thankful Hearts Luncheon fundraiser for The Harrelson Center.  

I learned that the Help Hub is an outreach program of the Harrelson Center that provides short term or emergency assistance to individuals and families in need of financial help and/or guidance to connect them with additional resources.  Philippians 2:4 continued coming to mind. “...not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.”  I learned more about where our tithes are going.  PVUMC gives $10,000.00 a year to The Harrelson Center.  We are one of four churches who helped start this center.    

Prior to 2005, the Harrelson Center building served as the New Hanover County’s detention center.  The building was renovated to serve as offices for local nonprofit organizations. The Harrelson Center provides benefits to their nonprofit partners.  By reducing their overhead expenses, they are able to direct more resources towards programming and client services. With their partners they meet the needs of the community in areas such as safe and affordable housing, employment, health care, education and family support.  They assist people who are down today to be up tomorrow. The center supports it’s partners with below-market rental rates that cover all utilities, parking and security. This allows nonprofits to operate more efficiently and better utilize their funding. They say, “We’re not a hand-out place; we’re a hand-up place.”  They are a place where needs are met, dreams are fostered, and hope abounds.  

24% of people in Wilmington live in poverty.  Most of those people “do not live paycheck to paycheck but paycheck to Monday.”  The average person only has $400 in emergency funding. Due to Hurricane Florence, the Harrelson Center spent out $90,000.00 this year.  Many of the people said they never expected to be in this situation. Most people think they mismanage money but that is not the case.  Matthew 25:40, “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

The Kairos Center is another one of the agencies in the Harrelson Center.  They help people discover what they were designed to be. They help them discover their gifts and talents.  “Terrell” spoke of how Ms. Tate, the executive director, pushed him and helped him. He said she helped him “dress differently, talk differently and walk differently.  And to dream big.” Terrell’s community believed in him. They believed in his power and potential. He started his own business this year and is now a role model to others.  He also said Ms. Tate is one of his best friends! 

A 31 year old single father shared how, after Hurricane Florence, things were spiraling out of control.  He was distraught. The Harrelson Center helped him with his economic situation and now he is out of the situation.  Another man had been in prison for 17 years. While in prison he decided he wanted to be a lawyer so he started studying.  He came to them for help. He is now two classes away from being a paralegal. One lady was a CNA making $8/hour. She wanted to go to nursing school and she was driving an undependable car two hours to school and two hours back.  With their help, she just graduated and is making four times as much!

The center found a great need for people to be shuttled to and from work so they started a shuttle business.  In 2020 they plan to start six more businesses. I was reminded of the Chinese proverb, “You give a poor man a fish and you feed him for a day.  You teach him to fish and you give him an occupation that will feed him for a lifetime.”  

The Harrelson Center is changing lives through compassion, commitment and generosity. Proverbs 19:17, “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.” They are caring for our cities and our neighbors. They give people hope. Hope shows up with faith and love. When these three show up together, God can do mighty things! Thank you for your support through your tithes!

Jill Jarrell-Newsome