GREAT NEWS!!! - please read

[b]Hi everyone – I have some great news to announce!!![/b]

Great News!!!

After laboring on the streets in Detroit, Michigan and on Skid Row in Los Angeles, for almost 4 years God has provided us with an 2000 square foot building to start a church/mission. The building is located right in the heart of Skid Row on one of the worst streets for homelessness, drugs, prostitution and violent crime in all of Los Angeles. We can’t think of a better place to start a church and a mission.

How It Happened:

I am pleased and excited to announce that it was ALL GOD!!! The Lord had put the desire for a building on my heart quite awhile ago, and I spent much time and effort looking for such a building. But honestly, for the past couple months, we stepped back for a short season of rest & recuperation, and spent much needed time strengthening our family. The move from Detroit to California was hard on our children, and we have been focusing on their needs and assisting them with adjustments. I are happy and thankful to say that our children are doing wonderful, and by the grace of God, our family is stronger than ever.

I was not even actively looking for a building when God literally dropped this “perfect” space right into our laps!!! I have done a lot of striving in the past, trying hard to make things happen. What a wonderful pleasure and blessing to learn how to rest in the Lord and allow Him make things happen and open the doors for us!!! God’s provision for the people of Skid Row was truly a work of His marvelous grace! He prepared everything, and we are now able to be His hands and feet reaching out to people in need. Glory to God!!

Not only has God provided the building, He has also provided the finances to pay the monthly rent for the building, enough quality paint to assist with the renovations, and ample seating necessary for the “church” area of our building!!!

About The Jonah Project:

I want to encourage everyone who reads this to visit our website. At the website you can read about Skid Row, about The Jonah Project, including why we chose that name, and what our goals and visions are for this ministry. Please go to – www.jonahproject.org

Please Help:

The most important way you can help us is through your prayers. We covet the prayer support of the Body of Christ more than anything else as we begin this journey and mission for the Glory of God. We would like to raise awareness about Skid Row and what God has called us to do in this dark and dismal place, thus gaining a vast world wide network of prayer support. So first and foremost please pray for us!!!

Much Appreciation:

Thank you so much for your prayers and support!!! We are confident that God through the finished work of His Son on the cross and the power of His Holy Spirit will set free those who are in terrible bondage to sin and the devil and draw many lost souls into His Kingdom. We will continue to glorify and honor Him and thank Him for His mercy and grace!! Please join us in thanking and praising God for opening these doors and bringing about this ministry and opportunity to bring Glory to His name!!!

Patrick
www.jonahproject.org

Are the homeless housed?

Are you unable to share the Gospel with them without a freshly painted building?

Will you be able to make their life easier by spending your resources this way?

Or, enable them to walk closer with the Lord by sitting for services?

In my view this good news is for you and may enlarge you ministry in your eyes. To me you are beginning to take on the worldly appearance of just another Godless church.

It may be you are sincere in your desire to serve the homeless but I believe this building may just put a wedge between you and the very people you are wishing to reach.

The amount of money it will take to pay just the electric bill for this place in one month would be a fortune to a homeless person. Let alone the price of the monthly rent. They will know these expenses are being paid and it could easily cause resentment.

A homeless person, has no access to showers and laundry to stay clean. Will this building provide laundry facilities for them? Perhaps, lockers where they can keep their few valuables locked up? Many of them lose birth certificates and other necessary papers for lack of a safe place to keep them. Not to mention what little cash they may have. Maybe provide them with an address to receive mail. Or phone messaging services they can use when looking for work. You can't get jobs if you don't have a phone. Some places even require email addresses now days. Then there is food - are you going to offer daily meals?

What makes contributing to your ministry more important than any other? Or, from helping poor families that live in our own neighborhood? I just don't know, do you?

Lots of questions and doubt for such lofty undertakings. Especially after reading how the move has been hard on your own family. I can't understand anyone moving their children into the modern day Sodom & Gomorreah. I hope you are least are home schooling them.

white stone

Patrick,

Praise God for His provision for the building. Now you will be able to disciple the homeless people that come to the Lord. It is evident that God has called you to this ministry, and given you a heart for the homeless. I was shocked at the number of children that are homeless.

The homeless, the widows, and the orphans are the people that God has called the Chruch to minister to, but only a few are doing it. If Jesus Christ was in Los Angeles, I don't believe He would be in any of the mega churches, but I do believe that He would be out ministering to the homeless, the crack addicts, the prostitutes, the widows and orphas. He would be out there with the sinners. Jesus came to seek and save that which is lost. May we be moved with compassion as our Lord was when He went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil.

Thank you for sharing with us Patrick. We will be praying for you. This looks like an excellent ministry to give into.

In His Love,

Mike

Hi Whitestone,

Thank you so much for voicing your question and concerns many of which are valid. Please allow me the opportunity to answer your questions below-

Are the homeless housed?

Many are housed and many are on the streets

Are you unable to share the Gospel with them without a freshly painted building?

That is exactly what we have been doing for years. We are NOT planning on moving from the streets into a building we will still be ministering on the streets daily. The building will, however, be a vital tool as a home base and a place where we can disciple and build solid foundations in new believers. If you have ever tried to disciple someone on the streets let alone a group of people you would know what I am talking about. That is why most groups of believers meet in houses or some type of building. Having a place to meet has been a practice among Christians since the book of Acts.

Will you be able to make their life easier by spending your resources this way?

We are not concerned with making life easier for them. We are first and foremost concerned with building and raising strong followers of Jesus Christ who will make an impact for the Kingdom and bring Glory to God by living their lives as a living sacrifice for Him.

Or, enable them to walk closer with the Lord by sitting for services?

Yes, absolutely – that is precisely the reason why men like Charles Spurgeon, David Wilkerson, Paul Washer, Carter Conlon, Zac Poonen, A.W. Tozer and many other are called by God to do the same.

In my view this good news is for you and may enlarge you ministry in your eyes. To me you are beginning to take on the worldly appearance of just another Godless church.

You are entitled to your view, but I would caution making unrighteous judgments – you have never been to this church/mission and therefore have nothing to base that view upon. Have you ever heard the preaching coming off these streets and from this Church? From listening to the preaching what have you heard that would lead you make such a statement?

It may be you are sincere in your desire to serve the homeless but I believe this building may just put a wedge between you and the very people you are wishing to reach.

The amount of money it will take to pay just the electric bill for this place in one month would be a fortune to a homeless person. Let alone the price of the monthly rent. They will know these expenses are being paid and it could easily cause resentment.

This is wrong – they are VERY excited that we will have a place to meet!!! Also, we are not moving from the streets into a building. We will still but on the streets in force, but also have a home base of operation. We are not paying anything for this building or the paint – it has all been donated and like I had stated, not by our own doing but by God’s doing.

A homeless person, has no access to showers and laundry to stay clean. Will this building provide laundry facilities for them? Perhaps, lockers where they can keep their few valuables locked up? Many of them lose birth certificates and other necessary papers for lack of a safe place to keep them. Not to mention what little cash they may have. Maybe provide them with an address to receive mail. Or phone messaging services they can use when looking for work. You can't get jobs if you don't have a phone. Some places even require email addresses now days. Then there is food - are you going to offer daily meals?

We will be able to help people with laundry, showers, lockers, getting necessary paper work, phone services, internet access and services, health services and job placement either directly through our ministry or in conjunction with other services in the area – and we will be feeding daily in a local park. Although we are committed to help with such physical needs this is not our main concern – we are first and foremost concerned with the spiritual needs and the eternity of the souls of those on Skid Row.

What makes contributing to your ministry more important than any other? Or, from helping poor families that live in our own neighborhood? I just don't know, do you?

Nothing – if God does not lay it on your heart to pray for us or to help us financially then please don’t – but if He does then please be obedient.

Lots of questions and doubt for such lofty undertakings. Especially after reading how the move has been hard on your own family. I can't understand anyone moving their children into the modern day Sodom & Gomorreah. I hope you are least are home schooling them.

We are committed to serving God and putting Him first in our lives as a family. We will move our family where ever we feel God has called us and trust that in His love and faithfulness He will see us through. We are not scared of the hard things or do we shy away from them as we well know that these are the very things that many times bring about the greatest growth and draw us closer to God. As I stated – our family has grown stronger and better then ever and it is going through the hard things and trusting God to see and bring us through that has made this possible!

Again thank you so much for your questions and concerns and God bless,

Patrick Ersig
www.jonahproject.org

Great news brother Patrick. May the Lord be glorified in the ministry on skid row. We prayed tonight at our Bible study and will continue to do so.

I could only rejoice when I read your comments. Thank you also for respectfully answering the questions put to you by others irregardless of the way some of those questions and comments were framed.

I went to the inner city here in Tallahasee several years ago with a minister to help him start a work to the same type of people you are attempting to minister to. This minister made one very casual question to someone and ended up being provided with an 1100 square foot brick building that was just sitting unused right in the middle of the area we wanted to minister in. All we were required to do was pay to turn the utilities on and pay the bill for them each month. He really wasn't even seeking a building really. He was just talking with someone and it was the right someone. It's so easy when the Lord does things. It requires no energy of our own when He does things like that but just a willingness on our part. Many people came for free and helped us get the building ready. We then had a place for services and a center in which to continue edification and discipleship for the new believers. Along with a food pantry and more. It was dropped right to us from above. It all rebounds to His glory and ability. The type of ministry you are involved in is not always easy and I know the feelings you have regarding the building. It's just a great big Praise the Lord! May the Lord continue to bless you as you reach out.

I will make an effort to remember you and your family in prayer,

"Doc"