Thursday, December 30, 2010

CHRISTmas eve at a Lighthouse Mission street outreach






Hello Everyone,

I am sorry for not writing a blog in a while.
Things here at the mission are amazingly busy & I have very little time to write long blogs (to be completely transparent with you- I'd rather be on the street sharing the gospel & feeding the poor rather then blogging about it)...

However, I do plan to do short informational bursts with photos on a more frequent basis for those of you who don't follow the mission on Facebook. Although, I do encourage you to follow us on Facebook because we keep it updated with daily posts & photos.

Last week at the lighthouse Missions street outreach location (1 of 10) in Patchogue (CHRISTmas eve) it was really cold. I'm talking about 29 degrees, the was blowing hard, snow was falling and a little more then 100 people stood on a long line waiting to receive a few bags of food to take home to their families for CHRISTmas.

Lighthouse Mission volunteer outreach teams try their hardest to make the line go as quickly and efficiently as possible so that people don't have to wait for long on the freezing cold line. I (Pastor jim) do my best to keep everyone in good spirits while they are waiting. I pray for their needs, give them bibles, hand out small stuffed animals to the small children waiting with their families, Give out hats & glovesetc.

This day a news reporter showed up to find out why so many people were attending the street outreach on CHRISTmas eve & interviewed a little 7yr. old girl (who attends our weekly "Kids CLub" here at the Lighthouse Mission). The reporter asked her what she would like for CHRISTmas? she answered "a home" Click here for link to news12 video

Jesus said -- "don't stop the little children from coming to me because the Kingdom of heaven belongs to those such as these"

It's times like this when God allows us to see His heart for the poor through the poor. Especially in the prayers of children. Did you hear what that little girl was praying for? a home.

in the Gospel of (Matthew 25:40) Jesus tells us that when whenever we do something for someone else who is less fortunate than we are- in His name we are really doing it for Him. What a blessing & honor it is to be able to be the hands & feet of Jesus to little children like this.

If you would like to join us on an outreach or financially support us as we share the gospel & feed the poor give us a call and we will get you plugged in here at the lighthouse Mission..

God Bless you.

Pastor jim Ryan

www.news12.com/articleFacebook?articleId=269591

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Back-to-School with Jesus! - supplies needed




Each morning I take a few minutes to walk around the Lighthouse Mission campus. I walk the property looking over & inspecting our grounds and buildings. I am looking for the usual stuff you might find on your church grounds -You know what I mean: bullet casings, crack vials, heroin needles, graffiti, broken glass, bloody knives, drunks and even machine gun bullet holes.

The media always says, “It’s unfortunate, but for many of the people who live in North Bellport violence, gangs & poverty is simply a normal part of their lives….” Anyone who knows me knows that I am the kind of Pastor that is not afraid of dirty hands and certainly not guns or knives pointed at me (I lean on my Fathers promise in Isaiah 54:17) I will NOT simply lean comfortably against my church pulpit and stand aside as the enemy rips apart the communities around us". I serve a mighty God who has empowered the Lighthouse Mission to push back against the enemy with everything we have & when he begins to stumble (and he will) push even harder. When the enemy strikes with hunger: we send our trucks into that community every week and bring food, prayer & the mighty word of God to more then 2800 people each week. When the enemy sends despair, abuse and sadness into our underprivileged children- Lighthouse responds with a dynamic children’s program every Saturday for over a hundred children. Demonstrating & teaching the love of Jesus through creative bible lessons, lunch, games & crafts. When the enemy tried to run every business in North Bellport out of town leaving only boarded up & abandoned buildings everywhere. Our God tells us to respond by renovating one of the worst buildings in the community into a beautiful new head quarters for our ministry.

Most recently the enemy has made it very difficult for people all over Long Island to provide for their families. While parents struggle simply to pay the most basic of bills buying school supplies is next to impossible. God wants the Lighthouse Mission to respond by helping to provide over a thousand children this year with school supplies through our program. However & most importantly they and their parents get to hear about the good news of our Lord and Savior Jesus. Not only do they get to hear the good news but have it demonstrated to them in us meeting this need.

As you might imagine with the economy what it is our donations are down this year. If you are able to buy a few extra items this year when you go school shopping for your children it would mean a great deal to a child who may have never heard about the love of Jesus. If your family is in need- please contact our office so we can help you.

Click here for supplies list & Flyer

God Bless you .. “I can’t wait to see what God is going to do next!!”

Respectfully,

Pastor Jim


Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Lighthouse Mission's Homeless and underprivileged children ministry

I am very happy to report that the
Lighthouse Mission's kids club (our ministry to homeless and underprivileged children) has been a huge success. (Click here to check out the kids club photos)

Under the amazing direction of my wife Andrea and by the grace of our Heavenly Father the Lighthouse Mission has been blessed to be able to minister to more then 90+ children each week. We have designed this program to minister to children from ages 4-11 years old (however these little guys have been known to slip on the bus even younger).

Sadly, most of the children we pick up with a bus live in local homeless shelters and very challenged areas. Gangs, violence, drugs and abuse are a very real part of their lives. It breaks my heart to see these little children "hardened" because of all that they have been subjected to. Thats is why the Lighthouse Missions Kids Club is so important to these children. Most will never be able to go to a church & the Kids Club will be the only opportunity to meet Jesus - I take that responsibility VERY seriously.

A few weeks ago my wife & I adopted a wonderful dog from the Brookhaven animal shelter for our children (If you are thinking about getting a dog- be sure to check this place out first-you will be blessed). Any-who, while in prayer God revealed to me that my new dog now has a safe place to live while the children in the Lighthouse Mission's Kids Club does not. Your dog has it's own little spot in your house it likes to sleep- the little children have no stability in their lives and have no idea where they will be sleeping each night. Your dog has nutritious dog food to eat- for many of the children they get only one unhealthy meal each day to eat. You don't abuse or beat your new dog- yet the little children you minister are. This revelation broke my heart. Therefore we do all that we can to make this Saturday morning program the highlight of their week.

Although we have very little money to buy crafts, food and supplies needed for the children we make use of all that we have. A wonderful local church (Integrity Christian Fellowship) that is pastored by my close Friend Dr. Tony Balsamo is generously lending us the use of their facility and school bus each Saturday from 10:00am-1:00pm until June 5th while the Lighthouse Missions buildings are being renovated.

The moment the children climb off the bus they are shown the love of Jesus with 20-25 Lighthouse Mission volunteers clapping, cheering and blowing bubbles for them as they enter the facility (sorry, the bubbles are my thing). Soon after they are engaged with a high impact bible lesson, music, skits, puppet show etc. that teaches them that poverty, drugs, violence are not a lifestyle - we teach them about the love of Jesus. Then we offer them the opportunity to make a craft that reflects the bible lesson they just learned. Games and a whole bunch of fun follow the craft. When it's time for lunch we try to provide a nutritious & fun meal for the children. This can be difficult for the lighthouse mission as we have to purchase enough food for 100 children ready to eat. Remember that the Lighthouse Mission is NOT a church that can project what their weekly offing will be. We operate entirely on donations. That means some weeks we receive a funds from faithful donors and other weeks nothing. It is not uncommon for the Pastor of the mission to consider going without a paycheck in order to continue the operations of the ministry. For many of the children it is the ONLY meal they will receive for the entire day. It's hard to imagine that 110,000 children go to be hungry each night right here on long Island (reported in the 2010 LI Harvest/LI Cares study). After the children have lunch we give them the opportunity to choose a toy from our prize table. This is a BIG deal for these little guys- many of the children are moved around from shelter to shelter so often that they have to leave their toys behind many times. So to receive a "new" (most are used donated toys) brings a wonderful smile to their face.

By the end of the program the children are all smiling and hugging the volunteers good bye. Some of the children are crying because they don't want to leave while some of the volunteers are in tears as well. Because they know that this may be the last time they will ever see these children as they are moved around so often.

For most of the people whom come to volunteer at the LIghthouse Missions Kids club program or our street outreaches it is a life changing event. Most think that poverty is something that happens in a far away country... they quickly learn that it is just a few miles from their home.

If you are interested in getting plugged into our Kids Club program or any other outreach opportunity just give us a call e-mail and we'll be happy to get you connected showing the love of jesus in a practical way.

God Bless you..

Pastor Jim

"Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children." -- Jesus

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

7% of Suffolk County's population receives food from lighthouse Mission!




Official Press Release:


Food Pantry Feeding 7% of Suffolk’s Population Says Funding Cut Won’t Sting


Bellport, NY: March 2, 2010—While food pantries across Suffolk County brace themselves to lose more than $1 million in federal anti-poverty assistance, one organization plans to take the loss in stride. Light- house Mission, Long Island’s first and largest mobile food pantry, documented this month that de- spite lack of funding it is now feeding 7% of Suffolk County’s population*—up to 3,200 people a week.


While the funding cut will hurt providers that donate food to Lighthouse, the 18-year-old nonprofit says it will not affect their daily operations. “News of this funding cut came out as we’re preparing to move into our new warehouse, which we built in order to store 100% more food than ever before. Other food pantries may see this cut as a “setback” but we’ll use it as a ‘push forward’,” said Mission President Pastor Jim Ryan.

Every week the Mission’s mobile team gives out food to people in need in these Suffolk locations: Amityville, Bellport, Central Islip, Coram, Mastic, Patchogue, Port Jefferson Station, Wyandanch, and Yaphank. The out- reaches take place outside in all kinds of weather where people wait on line to receive a bag of food.

“Some news reports say the economy is recovering, but that’s not what we see. Every day of the week the numbers of people we serve at our outreaches are growing,” said Ryan. “People are sometimes standing in a foot of snow or in 20-degree temps for an hour just to get a bag of food from our truck.”

The Mission, which does not get the federal anti-poverty funding, receives all its food by donation. “We rely on God to provide the food day by day,” said Ryan, adding that the Mission is feeding more than 100,000 people a year in Suffolk. “Our nonprofit operates independently, so we’re not a tax burden to Suffolk residents, and yet we are feeding 7% of the people who live here—roughly equal to last year’s unemployment rate in Suf- folk,” Ryan said.

Many of the unemployed adults coming to the food outreaches are single parents who can barely afford to feed their children. So on Saturdays the Mission’s outreach is a free Kids’ Club where close to 100 children eat a free hot lunch donated by area businesses. “For some kids, this is the only square meal they’ll get all weekend,” Ryan said.


Most of the children come from the Bellport homeless shelter HELP Suffolk. “Local police, fire department and other community groups volunteer in the program to help us teach the kids about safety, healthy choices and character-building skills. The most important thing is we want them to learn that God loves them and has good plans for them—that poverty doesn’t have to be a way of life.”

Lighthouse Mission, a nonprofit 501 (c) 3 organization, has been feeding the hungry and sharing the love of God with people in need on the streets of Long Island since 1992. The Mission is funded by compassionate people, businesses, churches and community groups who donate both food and money.

*Population number based on U.S. Census 2000 adjusted with a 4% increase reported in 2008.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Economy is getting better ... yeah right



Hello everyone,

I have been reading & watching the news over the past six months and have carefully listened to the broadcasters report on how the economy is "turning around" - "on the up swing" - "rapidly improving"… I have to make a comment not as the President or Pastor of the Lighthouse Mission but as a guy who stands behind a table with a bunch of volunteers each week to help hand out food to people in need that I have never seen so many people in need. Sadly, the need is going up each week at an alarming rate.

Pastor Enrique (the Lighthouse Mission’s Outreach Director) just completed the Lighthouse Missions end of year calculations of how many people God is feeding through the Lighthouse Mission. After reviewing the report I was shocked to learn how many people need help. A little over 7% of the total population of Suffolk County receives help through the Lighthouse Mission! Think about that for a moment. It is certainly sad to think that (as seen in the photo I took above at one of our outreaches) young mothers tightly clutching their new born babies praying they won’t slip or elderly people leaning on their walkers struggling to stand would walk down dangerous snow covered roadways fighting to get to a Lighthouse Mission outreach location. Then, when they do finally arrive they have to stand in deep snow while they wait in line for food. Well, here is the good news (the good news is ALWAYS Jesus- got ch’), somehow God has been expanding the food we do get and fills every need. They other good news is that every person who comes to an outreach to receive food gets hear & SEE the love of Jesus. It’s amazing to think that God can use a small ministry like the Lighthouse Mission to make such large impact in Suffolk county.

I can’t wait to see what God is going to do next.


Bless you,

Pastor Jim

Friday, February 12, 2010

God keeps on Blessing & blessing & blessing....





Working here at the Lighthouse Mission is amazing for so many reasons.

I have been in ministry leadership for many years as a pastor of several churches and now the largest food distributor to the needy on Long Island, NY. However, I have never seen God at work like I have seen here at the mission. I am blessed to witness miracles on a daily basis. I see so many miracles you would think that I would get used to them- I have to tell you that I am blown away by Gods miracles every time I am blessed to witness one. For example, just today I was reviewing everything that we are going to need for the "Kids Club" my wife Andrea leads for the mission each Saturday. As you well know the mission does not have any money. In fact, what little money people do donate to us goes directly to put fuel in our trucks, buy food, etc. so we don't have much left over to buy supplies for the children's ministry. Today I discovered that we needed drinks for the children- we have a lunch for each of them but no drinks. Where will I find a drink for 100+ children within a day? God heard my prayer and in an hour a van pulled up from a local school and explained that since there was no school next week they had no use for the 100+ containers of milk... do we need it? If you ever get a chance to read a book about George Muller who was an amazing pastor / evangelist you will see that this is the kind of things God does on a regular basis for those who seek Him for all things

( http://www.biblebelievers.com/george_muller/index.html)

Soon after, I noticed that we are ready to start painting the new building so where was I going to find the $900+ dollars for the paint & materials needed to paint the room. Soon after a local paint supply company dropped of enough paint & supplies to paint the entire facility, another miracle.

Soon after, another school dropped off hundreds of Valentine stuffed decorated shoeboxes to give to the children of the “Kids Club”. These are packed with candies & goodies! The children are going to freak out when they get them.

Why does God provide in a way that is so specific for the Lighthouse Mission? The answer, I believe is pretty simple: Because much like the poor people in the world that have no means of getting food for their family they completely lean on the Lord for all that they need (much like the sparrow Jesus speaks about) and God simply provides for them- some how, some way God provides. The Lighthouse Mission trusts and completely relies on the Lord (lets face it- Its His ministry, why wouldn't He provide for it?).

He has NEVER let me down. Thank you JESUS!!

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Pastor Jim arrested for giving out food & sharing Jesus?

I just received an e-mail from a person who was upset when the police showed up a few months ago to arrest me for handing out food & sharing Jesus with 130+ needy people on the street of a local Long Island village. She was upset that I was not arrested (I have a lot of fans).

You see, after losing our facility in Patchogue after 17 years hundreds of people had no way of receiving food from the Lighthouse Mission as they desperately counted on. So I asked my heavenly Father for direction. Then I started a new street outreach to assist the people left behind. After months of successfully operating the outreach & feeding hundreds of people someone contacted the local Mayors office to complain that we did not have "Official Permission" to hand out food within the village limits. Soon after I received an "Official Telephone Call" suggesting that if I showed up at the outreach location the following week to hand out food that the police would arrest me on site. "Why would you arrest me for helping the poor I asked" they simply repeated "if you come back you WILL be arrested.” How cool is that I thought? so of course I showed up next week with my box truck filled with food to a parking lot filled with 100+ people waiting for us to arrive as usual. We set up the food, people got in line & I shared the Gospel of Jesus with them. As I was preaching 2 police Constables arrived and waited in their cars and motioned in my direction. I waved and motioned back to them that I would be done in a moment. They waited near their cars. When I finished sharing Gods word I explained to the people that I was now going to be arrested. For some reason this seemed to anger the 100+ people calmly waiting for their food J (sometimes I can be a wise guy if you haven’t noticed). I had to (firmly but lovingly) remind them that Jesus would NOT flip over the police cars that came to arrest the Pastor who was feeding them (thank you Jesus they listened). However, they did escort me over to the police cars. By the way, you really know who your friends are when they show up to get arrested with you in the name of Jesus. The officers nervously asked me if I was Pastor Jim? I smiled and shook my head and held out my hands to receive the cuffs (I thought this would make a great photo for my resume J) and they said that they were not going to arrest me (bummer). They came to make sure the crowd was orderly and we were not making a mess of the parking lot. Soon after they left. A week later we received “Official Permission” in the mail to use the parking lot for 1 hour per week to feed to local residents in need. The parking lot has never been so clean. Thank you Jesus

I can’t wait to see what God is going to do next!!

- God be with you, Pastor Jim

New evening outreach location in Yaphank!

I am very excited to tell you that the Lighthouse Mission now has a new EVENING outreach!

You might be asking yourself the question "whats the big deal?" hasn't the Lighthouse Mission has been feeding & sharing Jesus with more then 3200 Long Islanders at multiple locations each week for over 18 years?, so what makes this outreach so special?"

Well, many people who come to our street outreaches are homeless, unemployed, elderly, single parents or underemployed. The under employed or also known as the "working poor" are simply people who have a job (sometimes more then one) but are earning at or below the minimum wage. Anyone who lives on Long Island will tell you that unless you have a rich uncle who pays all of your bills- minimum wage can't even come close to paying even the most modest of monthly bills. Therefore, many need help finding food for their families and the Lighthouse is honored & blessed to be able to meet that need each week. Some working people are blessed to be able to take their hour lunch break & work close enough to an outreach location can meet the Lighthouse Outreach team to get food. However, those people who do not work within a reasonable distance from one of our 10 locations can not get any food. This has been a problem that has troubled me for many years. I have been praying for God to open a door to begin a new outreach at a location that could be easily reached and simple to find. Soon after, I received a call from one of my closest friends (Pastor Tony Balsamo founder of Integrity Christian Fellowship, 1 old dock road in Yaphank) who quickly & generously offered the use of his church parking lot for an evening food outreach (4:30-5:30 every Tuesday). Because of the heart of Pastor Tony & his staff to "serve the least of these...matt 25:40) The lighthouse Mission will be able to safely & efficiently be able to provide food to those families whom struggle each week fighting to get from paycheck to paycheck.

I can't wait to see what God is going to do next!

- God Bless you my friends, - Pastor Jim Ryan