COMMUNITY FOCUS I
BALTIMORE
WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO ALWAYS SUPPORT PEOPLE WHO VALUE US, AND HAVE A HEART FOR OUR COMMUNITY!
Baltimore Residents Open Up to Chaplains: ‘We Need Your Prayers’ By Trevor Freeze Not your typical Friday morning in Baltimore. Around the same time six police officers were given criminal charges in the death of Freddie Gray this morning, the Rapid Response Team was back on the streets in west Baltimore. A fourth day of ministry had begun, with the Rapid Response Team’s Mobile Ministry Center stationed about 500 yards from where Freddie Gray was picked up by police officers. In the span of minutes, four National Guard armored Humvees drove by, while a block away some 50 armed police officers in full battle gear stood guard at one of the main intersections. The Rapid Response Team’s Strategic Chaplain Ministry, comprised of 17 crisis-trained chaplains, is available to anyone looking for someone to talk to, with 10 additional chaplains arriving Sunday. “A lot of turmoil. A lot of hurting people,” said manager of chaplain development Jeff Naber, who has spent 35 years in law enforcement. “I’ve never seen anything like it and I’ve been around awhile.” One of the biggest differences is how people are attracted to the Mobile Ministry Center, a hub where 25-plus people can sit inside to talk, vent, share and pray. Coffee and water are readily available to anyone who comes by, but on this deployment, it’s not the free beverages that’s attracting the masses. “People are coming up to us and asking questions,” he said. “Typically, the chaplains will be the ones to start out a conversation.”
One of the questions routinely asked by chaplains, “How are you holding up?” doesn’t quite fit in this area, where protests, riots, looting and violence have become commonplace in recent days. “It’s obvious what’s going on,” Naber said. “We don’t have to ask them how they’re holding up. They’re not holding up.” A day after five people were shot in three separate incidents in west Baltimore, the chaplains are making an extra effort to simply listen to what’s on the hearts and minds of those in this hurting community. “We need your prayers,” is a common request. “and left with Jesus in his heart.”
The Rapid Response Team asks for your continued prayers for God to work through this civil unrest. The 10 p.m. curfew seems to have made an impact, but additional protests are being planned and there’s no clear end to the turmoil in sight.
Rapid Response Team chaplains talk with Baltimore residents in front of the torched CVS pharmacy.
“People want to get ‘it’ out,” Naber said. “And the ‘it’ is the frustration and anger they’ve seen here over and over again.” And as people vent and share their experiences with the chaplains, they’ve “miraculously” seen God work on their hearts. “We’ve seen the Holy Spirit penetrate through that hard shell, right to their heart,” Naber said, “in a way only God can do.” The Rapid Response Team ministering to Baltimore residents during a time of civil unrest.
FOCUS ON THE SOLUTIONS
Les Brown Focus on solutions ~ not problems! What you focus on the longest becomes the strongest. The best way to deal with the challenges you are facing is to look for solutions. Spend your time being creative, resourceful and get some help. Worry is faith turned inside out...assuming the negative. It wastes your energy and does not solve anything. It paralyzes you, stifles your growth and robs you of your creativity. Use your imagination to come up with a variety of approaches to move your life forward. Challenge yourself to think beyond that which is commonly accepted. Hold the vision of what you want. Be clear about this and move forward with the feeling and expectation that things are going to work out just fine. You have GREATNESS within you!!
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