The Simple Project is dedicated to showing love to the homeless in Downtown Monroe. Our mission is to value others above ourselves and to take care of the poor, broken, and hurting in our community by giving them respect and love and letting them know they are not forgotten.

We want to give you an opportunity to serve the homeless in our area and get to know them, because we are also about knowing who they are, hearing their stories, and sharing a few of our own.

When was the last time you gave up your time for someone else not related to you or for NOT fun?

We are not experts at giving up our time…in fact, we would love to keep our time to ourselves and do life however we please.  Truthfully, sometimes we have to drag ourselves from our lives to live for Jesus.

This weekend we are living for Jesus.  I don’t say this in a bragging holier than thou way, because we are challenged by it.  It is challenging to serve someone (remember, it’s not family or your best friend), with no immediate reward or benefit.

But we do it because we love Jesus.  Simply because He wants us to.

So, I challenge you with the same challenge we have…give up your time for someone.  And go way past your comfort level.

Sometimes it is fun, but mostly it’s not.

Do it anyway.

I want to share this organization with you!  Sevenly highlights a cause each week, prints cool tshirts, and for every purchase gives $7 to a specific charity.  The catch is…if you love the tshirt of the week, you better buy it!  They only sell that one shirt for 7 days, then they move on to the next cause.

Sevenly is doing an awesome job of raising funds and awareness for great causes such as autism, thirst relief, hunger issues, abuse, etc.

The Simple Project is on the list with a billion other organizations.  If we ever get chosen, you’ll be the first to know!

Until then, support the current cause = Sevenly on Facebook.

2.2.12

We are canceling Saturday’s feeding event.  VOA will be feeding at 2:00 under the bridge!  See you next weekend!

2.27.12

Have you stepped back and watched how the people we serve step in to serve us?  Start setting up tables and chairs at one of our events and you’ll see the ones who brought nothing and have nothing to give (material things)…happily begin to serve us.

Think how it feels to help, serve, and give to someone.  Tying a shoe for a child, holding the door for the elderly, bringing a meal to a sick friend.

When we first began Simple Project, we didn’t want help from the homeless.  We wanted to do everything for them; a gift from us to them.  But over time, I realized that helping us set-up or clean up afterwards is their way of serving and connecting with us.  We do it together.

I recently read an article that better explains what I am thinking about giving and serving and here is an excerpt:
“The human condition is defined by so much more than the need for food, water and shelter. Everyone is created with an innate need to give. Scripture says, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). What I have come to realize is that sometimes it is important to place others in the more “blessed” position by receiving from them—their help, their stories, their ideas. This rings true especially with the homeless community of our nation. I tend now to subscribe to a give-and-take relationship with the men and women I work with as opposed to the typical unilateral, non-reciprocal social services we practice as a society when we “serve” the poor.” – Molly Williams, Reject Apathy.

I challenge you to place others in the more blessed position this week!

1.13.12

Getting back into the swing of real life vs. holiday life can be somewhat tricky. I really enjoyed being with family this holiday season more than any other year and found it difficult to get back into the swing of day to day. As you can see from my last post date!

But “day to day” has begun and it is exciting to think about what a new year could bring. We look forward to meeting new people and building new relationships with our street friends. It is also awesome to partner with folks (like you!) who sacrifice their money and time to help continue our efforts of serving and loving the homeless….and we look forward to spending time with you this year!

Here are our events-
CONNECT / Saturdays at 1pm / The Palace Park
STREET CHURCH / Sundays at 10:30am / The Palace Park
The Palace Park is located at the corner of Jackson and Desiard St in Downtown Monroe (220 Desiard St).

Here are our needs-
1) Sign up to provide a meal for CONNECT. Click the “Provide A Meal” link on our website to get more info.

2) Provide music for us at STREET CHURCH. We usually meet outside for worship and devotionals, so an acoustic set of 2-3 songs is what fits best. Adult and youth are welcome!

If you have questions about these events or are ready to serve, contact info@thesimpleproject.org. We look forward to hearing from you!

This weekend’s events will kick off our Christmas activities!  We will serve an amazing lunch tomorrow, handout gifts and hygiene bags AND THEN breakfast will be served Sunday a.m. at Street Church.  We are looking forward to the holiday season and celebrating the birth of Jesus with the folks we love and serve.  Bring your family and join us!

Here is the rest of this year’s schedule:

Saturday, Dec 17 – Sunday, Dec 18 // Regular Event Weekend (Connect & Street Church)

Saturday, Dec 24 – Christmas Lunch // Sunday, Dec 25 – No Simple Project

Saturday, Dec 31 – Connect (This date is open for providing a meal!) // Sunday, Jan 1 – No Simple Project

To provide a meal click here!

12.8.11

Just wanted to fill you in on our schedule for the next few weeks-

Saturday, Dec 10 – No Simple Project  //  Sunday, Dec 11 – Street Church

Saturday, Dec 17 – Sunday, Dec 18 // Regular Event Weekend (Connect & Street Church)

Saturday, Dec 24 – Christmas Lunch // Sunday, Dec 25 – No Simple Project

Saturday, Dec 31 – Connect (This date is open for providing a meal!) // Sunday, Jan 1 – No Simple Project

A new year is upon us and it is good time for us to start reflecting on our mission, events, etc.  A few questions we will be contemplating….What are we doing that should stay the same?  What could we do better?  What can we do that does not duplicate what another organization is already doing well?

How can we better serve? is the main question that will be our focus.

Pray for us as we pray, think, and discuss.  Feel free to email your thoughts!  We would love to hear from you.

We would also like to extend a BIG thank you to the following for supporting us and getting involved with the homeless we choose to serve:

Portico Church – Swartz Baptist – New Chapel Hill – Mt. Vernon – North Monroe Baptist – Junior League – Twin Cities Bible Church – Impact NELA – OCS students – and many others who have given financially throughout the year!  You are a great encouragement to us and we are very blessed to get to work beside you.

11.16.11

The holidays are fast approaching and it is a great time to get out and serve those with less than you.  By “less than you”, I mean, those who don’t see hope in their future or those who see peace as a far away, unattainable goal.

Join with us this holiday season and SERVE, LOVE, SPEAK HOPE and PEACE into someone’s life.

10.17.11

We will not meet this Saturday (Oct 22) for CONNECT!  Only one event this weekend…come hang out with us at Street Church this Sunday.

10.04.11

We hear great stories from our volunteers!  This is one that really hit me in the gut and I asked Heather Harold to please share her story with our subscribers-

I guess it’s different for each person; that not so gentle prodding that the Holy Spirit uses to move you into action.  For me, it was one of those ordinary, hectic, grinding days that ended with me frantically shopping for groceries at Sam’s.

I was not looking for a word from God.  Truth be told, I was getting a little frustrated with Him.  A few years ago, I was blessed with an opportunity to go on a mission trip to Honduras.  I met people there who had never heard about Jesus.  It was an eye-opening experience for me.  I fell in love with the people there.  Even the exhaustion from climbing more mountains than I can remember seemed to add to the fact that God was allowing me to carry His word to remote people groups that didn’t know Him.  I was hooked!  I yearned to go again, but God had other plans.

Each year I would begin to plan to go back, some huge obstacle would block the way.  My son had surgery.  I had surgery.  A young lady we knew needed a place to live for a while.  For whatever reason, God was not opening that door for me.  I prayed for God to make a way for me to return.  After all, I had a desire to go, so come on!  Right?  I arrogantly asked God for my will to be done instead of seeking His will.  And so, with a heavy heart one night, I found myself at Sam’s.

As I was leaving the store that evening, I looked up and there was the most beautiful sunset I had ever seen.  I thanked God for the beauty that He reveals to us through His creation.  In the middle of the prayer, there was a notion in my head to look down.  It was then I noticed an older, thin man dressed in ragged clothing.  Mr. Ed.  He was trying to help people load their groceries into their cars.  Many people would not even look at him and refused his help.  By this time I have reached my car.  The Spirit within me said, Go.  Not, don’t you think you should… Just, go.  I began to search frantically for money to give him, but struck out.  I don’t often carry money.   I did find a coupon for a free meal at Wendy’s!  Even better!  I looked up and the little man was gone!  Driving around the parking lot, I found him!  I begin flagging him down.  “Hey mister!  I have something for you!”  He begins to look at me like I am crazy!  I give Mr. Ed the coupon for which he is very grateful.  I tell him that I wanted to give him the coupon and ask him if he knew a man named Jesus.  His says that yes, he had heard of Him.   He and I talked for a little while and I shared with him who Jesus is.  We prayed together and he headed off to go back to helping other customers.

A few weeks later God confirmed this encounter through His word in Sunday school.  For several weeks, our lessons centered on Acts 1:8.  After a couple of weeks I begin to wonder how many other ways I could present this to high school students when it hit me.  “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  It takes me a while so God kept throwing this verse at me.  Jerusalem – within your church body.  I understand that one.  Judea – in your community.  Okay.  Samaria – and this is the one I wanted to skip over.

Everything I have read about Samaria in the Bible has been very negative.  The Jews hated the Samaritans because of who they were, where they came from, who their ancestors were.  They avoided even entering the country of Samaria.  If they did happen to cross paths, no eye contact was made.

Okay God.  I get it.  I wanted to skip over Samaria, because it’s the people I am the most uncomfortable with.  I wanted to go straight to the ends of the earth without even considering the people here close by.  They don’t look like me, dress like me, or talk like me.  So that must mean they are not for me to reach out to.   I am off the hook right?   Nothing in scripture says that I am.  In fact, Jesus is telling me to go after them.  And you do have to go after them.  They are not going to be the ones I run into at the grocery store or see at the mall.  Samaria.  I have to go out of my way to get to them.

The thing is, when I go downtown with this awesome group of people who have decided to take God at His word and give away his love, I am closer to God than any other time.  I have to rely on Him and not myself.  I am out of my comfort zone, so I am not equipped to reach these people.  The good news is I don’t have to be, because He is.  I am still learning how to put His will, not first, but only.  I want His will to completely erase mine.

I still hope to go back overseas someday to share Jesus with those who don’t know Him.  For now, God is teaching me of the needs that are here.  And I don’t even need a passport for them.

So.  Where is your Samaria?  The Spirit say’s, “GO.”