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Location:
6425 Jefferson Rd. For
directions, click here.
MINISTRY
UPDATE From Through
financial donations, as well as
donations of clothing, furniture,
household items, Christian books and
tapes, Bibles, and much more --
including prayer, prayer, and more
prayer -- there was enough to set up
house and open the doors of
opportunity. Many of you gave your time
and your energy by moving furniture and
doing hands-on ministry. We
opened Harvest House with no financial
padding, but God provided us with what
we needed. Each month when the rent
came due, we wondered where it would
come from. God supplied. He provided
$12,000 for the year in rent alone, not
counting food, utilities and other
expenditures. Isn't He good? God's
love, compassion and grace was
exemplified through this church to
women who were so much in need. You
didn't judge. You loved. Thank
you! We
started Harvest House with the goal of
expressing God's love and building
disciples who could go out to disciple
others. I believe our goal was
met. I
would often hear this expression from
the ladies, "I've never experienced
God's love the way I have at Gateway
Church and at Harvest
House." I
believe many seeds were planted, hearts
were touched, lives were impacted and
each was encouraged with the truth that
God has a plan and purpose for them.
Even though we may not see all of the
effects and results of the Harvest
House and Gateway ministry, God has
used what we offered to impact the
lives of these women
forever. We
served 11 women during the year, giving
them an opportunity to search their
hearts and motives, and to see the
opportunities set before them. Some
gave their hearts to Jesus for the
first time, some rededicated themselves
to the Christian walk, some choose to
continue on their same
journey. We
watched them struggle to overcome
obstacles to God's grace. We laughed
with them, cried with them, and
confronted each other. In
all of it, God's love was expressed.
That was the number one
goal. One
year later, February of 2003, we felt
God's prompting to close the Harvest
House. We did so, as we experienced
God's blessings and peace. This
past year was an experience I'll never
forget. Throughout the year I rejoiced,
mourned, became angry, experienced
peace that passes all understanding,
battled, laughed and cried, examined
motives (including my own), learned to
depend on co-workers, and prayed,
prayed and prayed some more. It was a
learning process, one that I'll never
regret or forget. Some
felt Harvest House was a failure, some
felt it was a success. I don't believe
God looks at failure or success, but at
obedience. I believe we were obedient
in doing what He called us to do.
That's what's important. The results
are entirely up to Him. I
just wanted to take this time to give
you an updated and express my sincere
appreciation for everyone at Gateway
that helped to make this past year at
Harvest House a year that will never be
forgotten. I believe God is well
pleased. Thank
you for your encouragement, support,
and help during a tough, but good year.
I love you and will continue to hold
you close to my heart.
Gateway
Church gathers
for worship
Sundays
at 10:30 a.m.
(Hwy. 129) in Athens,
Georgia.
Ministry
of the
Word:
Recent
sermons
Our quarterly e-magazine
Gateway
Today
For the Gateway family
The
Gateway
Blog
(online
newsletter)
Gateway
Today
The
e-magazine of
Gateway Church
SPRING
2003
A
heart of appreciation
Gateway Church
In February of 2002, the Harvest House
transition facility for formerly
incarcerated women opened in Athens.
Many of you helped to make that
possible.
Helping
people experience God
As
the residents of Harvest House came to
Gateway for Sunday morning worship, I
had the opportunity to see awesome
expressions of God's love as you
befriended these ladies, ministered to
them, encouraged them, and offered them
help.
Seeds
planted, hearts touched
No
forgetting, no
regretting
Thank
you