OUTREACH // HEALING PLACE CHURCH

For us at HPC outreach has never been an event, it is has always been the way that we express Jesus to a hurting world. Today I sat and reminisced about my first experience with outreach at Healing Place Church. Let’s take a trip back 15 years ago, before I ever became a Staff member at HPC, and it was a foreign idea to give stuff away to strangers.

I was 19 years old and I was home from college on the weekend, and the church received a truck load of pineapples. These pineapples were the real deal, not the can, the whole pineapple—big, green, spiky leaves and all. I loaded up my 1988 Dodge, hatchback, two-tone grey Omni on a mission to blitz all of Baton Rouge with the “spirit of the pineapple”.

Before my mission began, I pulled off to get gas at the Race Trac across from the Mall of LA (in those days Bluebonnet looked a lot different than it does now!). I was so overwhelmed with excitement, I started passing out fruit right there! I was giving pineapples to everyone—to the clerks behind the counter, to the shoppers in the convenience store, and to all those pumping their gas! I will never forget the thrill of being able to give something away and not expect anything in return!

From this moment on, I was addicted—addicted to the spirit of serving. There is something incredibly captivating when you realize that within a small gift there is the potential to reach someone’s heart for the Kingdom! I will never forget that day when I led a pineapple outreach at Race Trac all by myself. I think I can still smell the strange mix of pineapple and petroleum—my car stunk for weeks! It was great.

Here we are, 15 years later, and that same spirit still drives our church today!  We are people with hearts overwhelmed by the opportunity to serve the hurting and broken of our community. If you have never been on an outreach at HPC, I would encourage you to go, it will change your life and your perspective about reaching the world for Christ! Pineapples for Jesus, Baby!

-Mike Haman

Hey team,

   Here are some stories that you were a part of making happen. Thanks for everything you have done to reach people!

 “Hey everyone on the Serve Team,  I wanted to let you know the outreach to clean my carwas a great blessing to me. I was embarrassed when I found out you vacuumed it . I would have had it picked up. As soon as I opened the door, my daughter said ‘Mom the car is so clean.’  So I just wanted to let you know from the bottom of my heart Thank You. I wanted to tell ya last week and got behind. It means so much to single mothers like me.”

-Sandra Santiago

Here’s another awesome story:

“I was at Edwin Watts a couple of weeks ago and was testing out the new putters. I had on my HPC golf hat, and one of the sales reps was watching me practice putting. He said, ‘Healing Place Church? You work there?’  I told him that my wife works there and that I play on the worship team on Sundays. He said, ‘Cool. I got some water from you guys the other night.”

 “I did not get to talk to him as he was with a customer when I left, but I did notice that he was watching how I acted in the store and with other people on the putting green.”

 “The water outreach impacted him and I am believing that he will visit HPC soon (if not already).”

-Alley Demarest

Here is an amazing story from Mrs Carol Turner.

Dean drove the HPC shuttle into the Alamo Hotel parking lot, Vince got out and started knocking on doors, he would knock then say out loud ” Healing Place”, wait for a few seconds for someone to answer, then move on to the next door. Finally one of the doors opened just as Vince was walking away. A man walked out, Vince asked him if he wanted to go to church, the man said yes, just give him a minute to get dressed. A few minutes later the man came out in sunglasses and dressed completely like a woman.

He got on the shuttle.

He was the only person picked up this morning at the Alamo.

He sat during the service listening intently as Adam preached about the woman at the well.

He enjoyed the service and said he would come again next Sunday if the shuttle picked him up.

I saw him when he first walked into the service from the shuttle. I knew immediately that he was a man even though he was dressed like a woman. As we started worship I looked out over the crowd and spotted him. I thought how great it was that he came. A lot of the people from the area came, I am guessing about 50-75 people. But this man, who couldn’t even take his sunglasses off during the service, who was dressed like a woman and lived in a hotel that is known for prostitution and drugs, he was here. That lost person that just needed to be asked, given a ride and told he was not below anyone, God loved him just like everyone else. Even if he had been the only person at church today, then the church served it’s purpose, the church had reached out to the “one” lost sheep.

That is why we are at Winborne.

This is what you (as the Serve team) did last week:

You handed out free water and Capri-sun at the bars on midget wrestling night. You helped at 12 HPC weekend services. You served lunch to newcomer’s at HPC and also gave them an opportunity to sign up to for this team. On Tuesday and Wednesday morning, you went to Free Speech Alley at LSU and
handed out free gum and invited students to the Hub (College/20somethings ministry). You attempted to do an outreach on Tax Day at the post office- but got kicked out!! You served every afternoon at BRDC Winbourne at the abstinence youth program. You served breakfast to the homeless on Thursday morning.You held Thrive, the Bible study/lunch for families at BRDC Winbourne.

And these are just some of the things that you, as a team, were part of.

We just want to thank you all so much for the impact you’re making on
countless numbers of people’s lives. Each of these outreaches happen
because of your commitment. And you’re impacting eternity because of your
heart to reach the hurting. So thank you!

-Tori Ohlerking

Check out Dr Cheri’s blog for many amazing post about the medical ministry here at HPC

This is one of those blogs that we should never have to post, because it never should have happened. This precious boy is Trevion and he is 6 years old. Three weeks ago he was riding his bike in front of his house in Donaldsonville, Louisiana. Boys in his neighborhood began fighting, guns were pulled out to shoot at each other, but instead a stray bullet hit Trevion’s leg.

His mother contacted Healing Place Church because he needed a walker. Having been in a wheelchair, he will finally be allowed to put weight on his leg this coming week. But his mother didn’t have the money for the walker that would be needed to aid in his recovery. Healing Hands was contacted to see if we had anything to help him. We did not have anything that small, so I sent an email out to the servants of Healing Hands to see if anyone had one. I sent this last Wednesday at 5:30pm, by 11am the next morning Trevion had a walker!

Danielle received my email and sent it to people that she knew including her mother, Donna LeBlanc, who works as the Human Resource manager at Rigdon Marine. After explaining to her company what the need was, they did not hesitate to make this purchase for Trevion. So many others also contacted me about this need.

How awesome to see the body of Christ come together to see a need met amongst our own. We were able to bring him the walker during our clinic on Saturday. We were able to show the love of Christ to this boy and his mother. Pictured above is Dr. Cheri, Trevion, and Danielle.

THANK YOU Rigdon Marine and all who responded to this need. We can make a difference in this world ONE PERSON AT A TIME!

In case you are wondering, this family does not attend Healing Place. But that never matters to us, because Jesus loves them all, and so do we.

Because HE loves us,
Dr. Cheri and Joe

Was just sitting here at WBRDC, working on some info for all of the teams that have decided to spend there summer with us here in Baton Rouge. When i came across some of my favorite serve pictures. If your not ready then don’t look cause you will get smoked. Oh by the way, if you put on a sweet worship song will looking at the pictures makes them better. lol just jokin but enjoy -JP

MY FAV

Friday, March 14th
Water Giveaway: meet at 4pm at the Highland Campus

Saturday, March 15th
St. Patrick’s Day parade: meet at 8am at the Highland Campus

Wednesday, March 19th
Gum Giveaway: meet at 10:30am at the Highland Campus

Thursday, March 20th
Water Giveaway: meet at 4pm at the Highland Campus

Join us this Sat for the Coea Fun day. This is an amazing event to help support special need kids in the Gonzales area. They asked for us to help with running games and feeding the kids. It’s going to be AMAZING

Meet at Highland Foyer at 9 am

If you have any questions feel free to call 225-408-3380 ext 348

What an amazing night, with over 100 people from the community and tons of volunteers, the word of the Lord was brought to many that are in need. It is very hard to put in to words the feeling in the room. As the first “service” we have held at Winnbourne it was a huge success. Filled with small groups and a word form Adam, and giveaways from Craig, the night was amazing. If you’re not involved at our Winnbourne facility then you’re really missing out, to get involved click here and fill out the form!!