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A Christian Street Ministry To Those In Crisis  Apt. #1, 431 Main St. Kentville, N.S. B4N 1K9 Phone: (902) 678-3409 Email: theloop007@hotmail.com or andycathy@canada.com |
         
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John Andrew and Andy Northup
Kentville Nova Scotia (902) 678-3409 "God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble" - Psalm 46:1
"Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles…" - James 1:27
To demonstrate the love of Christ by bringing both peace and provision to lives in crisis, whatever the reason. To serve troubled and hurting people, helping them discover their value before God and their place community.
To be a positive, supportive influence for those in our community who are marginalized or traumatized, whatever the cause. Our commitment to people begins with our immediate response to a situation and continues throughout the process of healing and rebuilding through personal care. We utilize community supports for counseling, life-skills, education, job training programs and health care. We help people find the support and training needed for a better quality of life.
Spiritual renewal is central to our vision since we believe that lasting change comes from within. We believe that hope is found through Jesus Christ and that everyone therefore, has potential for change with help from Him. The benefit of such compassion-based ministries has been proven for the immediate recipients as well as the whole community.
Emergencies occur in our communities every day and for this reason Open Arms' vision is to help respective community/ church leaders better reach those in crises. We partner with the Church and community leaders to see our communities transformed by living the good news of peace, justice and reconciliation found in Jesus Christ. An integral part of our service is the provision of emergency shelter, clothing and food. Our emergency shelter/ office is located in downtown Kentville. "So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long distance away, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him" - Luke 15:20
* To be a liaison between individuals in crisis and the programs/ agencies whose services best answer specific needs.
We are dependent upon churches and individual sponsors who will join us as we go forward in this work. If you feel you would like to join us financially or otherwise, please contact us:
Open Arms
Please pray for us and be sure to contact us if this ministry could serve you or you feel a call to serve those in need through Open Arms.
Shortly after we began our practical journey with the ministry of 'Open Arms', the most obvious and immediate need was for emergency housing. There was no guaranteed place for emergency shelter in the Annapolis Valley and our work of helping people get a new start often takes several days! We asked ourselves, "without this basic need being offered, how does a person even begin to enter back into the community"? It was obvious to us that we needed to find a location for an office/ shelter immediately. Since quietly taking that 'leap of faith' at the start of the summer of 2005, others have begun to join us and help us in this work as we take in youth and adults, male and female. Offering emergency shelter was such an obvious way to begin to practically love people and help restore dignity .Now our journeys with people often begin with giving them food, safety and shelter for one or several nights until they are established. Our heart and hope is that our shelter and services will function as a bridge in the community. Working in conjunction with the existing churches, community services and other community resources, we are already seeing solutions to some of the needs around us.
Street Pastors: John Andrew & Andy Northup |