InfuseSA in the Community: Harpers Chapel Ministries
Gifts come in so many unusual ways, and Harpers Chapel Ministries is a perfect example of this.
This is the story of a tiny church, Harpers Chapel Baptist Church, a new pastor, Vincent Robinson, with a vision that led to a very BIG mission – to serve a very poor and troubled neighborhood. His vision embodies loving God loving others by going outside the walls of his church to be a light for his community.
Pastor Vince took over this very small church about 2 ½ years ago. It was a church, and community, he grew up in. His community has been recognized as the poorest and most troubled part of the city: with the lowest incomes; highest crime; highest high school dropout rate; and highest percentage of single mothers in all of San Antonio.
This means he is surrounded by high hopelessness, high stress and a high degree of suffering. Lincoln Heights Courts, one of the low income projects in the city, is part of his neighborhood.
In this darkness Pastor V. is making an impact. How? He stepped outside of his church’s walls to personally meet all the neighbors, knocking on their doors and telling them of help that was going to be made available. He also began meeting with other community leaders, and offered to partner with the city of San Antonio to provide that help.
His program is called “The Resource Hub”. Every Wednesday, they offer opportunities to get food, clothing, showers for the homeless, vaccinations, health assessments, and even care for local pets (chips and shots, for example). They have a “Prayer Table” there as well, and many stop by it to ask others to pray for them. All are welcome and it is a tribute to him that the people who are homeless come as well.
Another impactful weekly ministry was developed to reach the youth in the area, especially those in Lincoln Heights Courts. The youth gather at his church once a week to be fed. And to be fed means not only physically, but also spiritually and emotionally. He provides a safe place for them where he and his volunteers give them encouragement, and perhaps the most important message of all: “We believe in you and your dreams are achievable.”
He also reminds them of their value by having them help others through different community service projects. He is lighting a candle of hope one person at a time.
Now he is asking if YOU, the reader, would be willing to help him make a difference. “Can YOU help by making a donation to feed the kids? Can YOU help by volunteering to tutor kids? Can YOU come to help out with their weekly youth gatherings?”
The very moving part of this experience is that this is a story of a man who, from the depths of his own troubled youth, heard a call to reach out. From being in prison as a teenager he rose to being a pastor. And from that, his journey lead to the birth of multiple ministries where people in need can and do receive help. He and they are inextricably connected.
He lives principles that bring blessings and hope. Through practical outreach opportunities and a house-to-house personal invite, he and his small church have taken on a mighty mission. He is trying to be and to provide a safety net for a suffering and often traumatized community. He is offering hope and help, and the community is responding. Trust is being built.
Pastor Vince is relying on the Divine Resource that are his North Star, and he hopes others seek this out as well.
If you have been touched by what he and his Harpers Chapel ministries are doing, or maybe liked what you saw of them on the news, please consider helping. Amazingly, often the gift you give becomes an unexpected gift for you.
Contact info: 1111 Lombrano, San Antonio, 78207. Phone: 210-996-6841. www.harperscbc.com.