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Called to serve
It’s a portrait of cozy domesticity in a neighborhood rife with crime. Established in 1904 as a mill village to house the workers of Hoskins Mill, today Hoskins Park is a haven for crack dealers, drug addicts and violence. But house by house, something special is happening in a corner of the neighborhood. Ask Edwin Freeman, a 45-year-old who struggled with drug abuse since the late ’80s before landing in the Uptown Men’s Shelter and a yearlong drug rehabilitation program. It was there he heard about Hoskins Park Ministries – a Christian group providing transitional housing, clothing, food, prayer and assistance to the poor and homeless. For more than five months now, Freeman has been employed with HPM, performing maintenance work on the ministry’s nine houses. “When I first got here, I had one relapse, and I haven’t (had one) since,” he said. “The love that is shown here is like no other. The love of God is being shown here. It makes all the difference in the world.” Opposites attract The founders of HPM are a testament in themselves to the mysterious power of God’s love. Pastor Johnny Allen and the Rev. Tom Wheeler are the quintessential odd couple. Allen – whose heart is as big as he is, according to Wheeler – grew up in a boisterous African-American family in Atlanta. The slow spiral of addiction lured him at an early age. “I was a homeless, drug addicted alcoholic,” he said. “It was a good 25 years or so of drinking and drugging.” He hit rock bottom in 1996 and decided to walk away from his addictions and seek help. “I left all my clothes – everything – behind me and just took a Bible and went into a program similar to (HPM),” he said. After six successful months he was asked to join the counseling team. “I had never thought of being a counselor; but when they asked me to be one, in my heart I became one,” he said with a smile. His counseling work led him to head a ministry for Nashville’s homeless before finding his way to Hoskins Park in January 2001. He moved into a seven-bedroom gray house on Crigler Street and began his ministry one homeless man at a time. On the other hand, Wheeler – a white businessman – worked for Apple Computer Inc. and at one point had a corporate jet in his back yard, a boat in his front yard. Still, he was completely miserable. His religious journey eventually led him to full-time employment at Forest Hill Church and a calling to the homeless. “When I read the Bible and saw Jesus was really about letting go of the world, I just thought that was my calling and the calling of all Christians,” he said. “There are all kinds of ways to do that, but in my case, I felt like it was to (do this).” Wheeler checked into the Uptown Men’s Shelter to experience life as a homeless man. “I saw Jesus at the shelter, living through other people,” he said. There he met Allen in 2002, and before long Wheeler wanted to help Allen’s ministry. “We fought each other and disagreed about things,” Allen said. “We both had a vision in mind that was just a little different. At that time (Wheeler) was looking for something that was small and intimate and I wanted something that would be large and (could) grow, and here we are stuck in the middle of those two visions.” After carrying on two separate but similar ministries, Allen and Wheeler officially merged their initiatives to create HPM last year. A growing ministry What started as a ministry in a single house now operates from nine homes on Crigler and Cromer streets. A staff of seven serves 30 homeless men. “We’re trying to hire from within Christians who have a heart for the homeless and understand we’re not here to just give shelter; we’re here to help the Lord transform their lives and show them their purpose in life and really get (them) off drugs,” Wheeler explained. HPM interviews all applicants to the ministry. “Very rarely do we turn anyone away,” Allen said. “If a person is willing to change (his) life then we’re willing to work with (him).” All current residents are male and range in age from 19 to 65; no limit is placed on a person’s stay, though the average stay is six months. A life transformation plan is established for everyone. “We assess where they are and take them where they want to go,” Wheeler explained. “We don’t determine where they’re going and then we help them with all the steps in between.” As a working ministry, participants are expected to hold jobs and pay $400 a month in rent – a fee that covers all their needs: food, clothing, medical assistance. Prayer and Bible study take place every day. Progress is gauged and slip-ups are expected. HPM’s unyielding forgiveness is part of what makes it a standout ministry. Since 2001 more than 300 men have passed through the ministry, and only a dozen have been dismissed. Fostering family “This is a graceful ministry,” Wheeler said. “We don’t kick people out for the very reason that brought them here.” “It’s important because when those guys come in off the street they’re going to screw up once or twice. You know that. And when they do, they (the HPM staff members) show (them) grace,” said Wayne Cone, who handles the cooking and interior work at HPM. Before finding HPM, Cone struggled with alcohol. “I used (alcohol) when I first got here but then I stopped,” he said. “Around all these guys, I’m a free man. (When I’m) doing something for these guys, I’m very free-hearted.” The glint in Cone’s eye reveals the most pervasive feature at HPM – love. Wheeler, Allen and most of the staff live on the premises with the men they serve, helping while continuously restoring the homes they live in. “We are a family,” Allen said from the front porch of one of the homes. “We live here with these guys. We know them. We understand them. We have a lot of grace and a lot of understanding. We’re more of a family than a shelter.” “Most people hear about the love of Jesus but they don’t see it a lot,” Wheeler added. “We try to live it.” The power of love The visions for the ministry are extensive and no one involved with HPM sees any reason similar programs couldn’t be adopted elsewhere. “It would make a bigger difference in the world,” Freeman said. “The love of God is what changes people really, and most treatment places really don’t address that spiritual perspective; they just address the clinical perspective.” Allen is clear about who is directing the ministry and its growth. “I can say I started it or Tom started it, but ultimately this was started by God because he wanted it to happen in this neighborhood,” he said. “My vision is to continue to help as many homeless people as I can – not just men – and to see this neighborhood revitalized.” Sitting outside in the dusk with HPM staff members Bill Brown and Doug Taylor, it doesn’t seem such a far-off dream. Both Brown and Taylor used to work at the Uptown Men’s Shelter. Brown cited more than 8,000 homeless on Charlotte streets every night. “If the shelters and agencies put up even 1,000 people a day, that’s a lot,” he said. “That still leaves 7,000 people begging for help. We need more concerned citizens. You can build the facilities but if they’re just buildings without a heart, you’re not really helping folks.” Taylor added, “It doesn’t take a lot of money to transform a man. It takes a lot of compassion and being genuine of heart. When are we going to love people because it’s the right thing to do? What are the guidelines on compassion?” Want to help? HPM’s No. 1 request is for prayers so that the ministry will receive what it needs. The group also needs monthly financial support; licensed plumbers, electricians, carpenters and mechanical contractors; and assistance with its baptismal pond. HPM has received support from countless groups at Forest Hill Church and welcomes further involvement from other churches. For more information on how to help, call 704-399-2365 or visit www.hoskinspark.org.
Charlotte Weekly © 2006 Charlotte Weekly. All Rights Reserved |
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