The Haven Soup Kitchen Family Missionaries
The Haven
458 N. Church Street, Spartanburg, SC 29303 (864) 582-6737 - Open 365 days a year -
Our Mission: To provide emergency/temporary shelter and supportive services to homeless families and women until more permanent living arrangements can be made.
Our Purpose: To provide homeless families and women protection from the elements, safety from the streets, and encouragement to i
mprove their living situations.
The Haven is the ONLY homeless shelter in Spartanburg County that accepts intact families (married spouses with or without children) and keeps them together as a family unit. The Haven and SAFEHomes are the ONLY homeless shelters in Spartanburg County that accept familes with boys over the age of 10.
History
The Haven was established in 1983 by Second Presbyterian Church as an outreach ministry, providing overnight shelter to transient men. Soon after, The Haven became a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit and began sheltering and providing supportive services and shelter to homeless families and women. During the 2003 calendar year, The Haven provided full services and shelter to 201 unduplicated individuals, 65 of which were children, 63 of those were under age 12. 5,188 sheltered nights and 10,376 meals were provided.
The Haven is funded in part by FEMA, United Way, Second Presbyterian, First Presbyterian, Westminster Presbyterian, Mary Black Foundation and community groups and individuals.
During the 2003 Calendar Year, the average length of stay was 27 nights, up from 17 in 2002.
In 2003, 99% of The Haven's residents were living well below the poverty level prior to homelessness.
Often, families and women entering The Haven have little more than the clothes on their backs.
contact: hshelter@bellsouth.net
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The Soup Kitchen
Who are we?
The Soup Kitchen is an inter-denominational, inter-faith ministry, made up of a partnership of various individuals and organizations across the Upstate. We share a common belief that when we serve those in need, we serve God.
How do we do it?
The Soup Kitchen relies solely on the donations of time, money and goods from individuals, groups and corporations. We receive no government funding.
Facts:
1. We have operated for over 18 years.
2. We provide a mid-day meal from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. each day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
3. We serve between 250 and 400 people each day - less at the beginning of each month, more at the end of each month. Many of our guests bring their children to eat.
4. We serve good, home-cooked meals. Our menu often includes items such as soup, casseroles, sandwiches, salads, breads, desserts, iced tea, and milk.
5. We rely on the financial support of the community.
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Family - You Can't Beat Them
Second Presbyterian Church's ministry to family violence
None of us would want a family torn and bruised by violence. Even so, family violence may be the most serious pattern of personal pain in our culture. Thirty percent of our families live with terrorist experiences every day. 'There is someone there who will hurt me and there is nothing I can do about it.' What a tragedy. When people ask, 'Why does this happen?' The best answer is 'because it can.'
Second Church joins Family - You Can't Beat Them! every week in supporting a ministry to stop family violence. We are saying, 'It must stop.' The program meets every Tuesday evening at 6:30. As an alternative sentence to being in jail for 30 days, people are referred to come here for 26 weeks to learn better life skills than violence. The sessions deal with taking care of yourself, clear communication, effective problem solving and connecting positively with the community. This ministry joins Jesus as the Peacemaker where violence threatens to destroy families. For more information call Ray and Joan White, 864-895-8231.
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Missionaries Abroad
Rev. Mark Adams
Frontera De Cristo
P.O. Box 1112
Douglas, AZ 85608
Mark Adams is a mission co-worker with the Presbyterian Border Ministries in Agua Prieta, Mexico, where he has served since 1998. As U.S. coordinator of the bi-national ministry, Frontera de Cristo, Mark is responsible, in partnership with the Reverend Angel Valencia of the National Presbyterian Church of Mexico, for the coordination of the six ministry areas of Frontera de Cristo: church development, health, family counseling, the New Hope Community Center, mission education, and the Just Trade Center.
Through Frontera de Cristo, Mark brings together people from both sides of the border, building relationships and understanding between them. 'I help them reflect biblically and theologically about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ,' writes Mark, 'in light of our spiritual, social, political, and economic connected-ness.'
http://www.pcusa.org/missionconnections/profiles/adamsm.htm
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Kwahu Presbytery, Ghana
The partnership agreement between Foothills Presbytery and Kwahu Presbytery, Ghana, provides financial aid for medical services through Donkorkrom Hospital. The Partnership also acts as a conduit to allow Christians from both cultures the opportunity to broaden the understanding of the world church. The Partnership has also expanded its reach to more programs of evangelism and education, sharing Kwahu Presbytery's goal of spreading the good news of Jesus Christ to more Ghanaians.
http://www.foothillspresbytery.org/pages/ghana.htm
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