Page 61 - Summer 2019 - Lubbock Senior Link Magazine - Online Magazine

company will pick
have helped provide the weekly
meal, but Justin recognized Calvary
Baptist Church, St. Matthew
UMC, St. Luke’s UMC, and other
local churches including his own
congregation (of mostly college
students) as faithful servants,
regularly showing up to serve the
meals and break bread with their
“neighbors”.
Another ministry housed on the
campus at Hope Community is the
Lubbock International House of
Prayer (LIHOP) headed up by Doug
Stone and Penny Simmons. For
many years, countless people who
love our city have been meeting to
pray. The director is encouraged by
the answers to prayer he is seeing
throughout the area, but especially
in the Heart of Lubbock. Doug
offered this overview, “In my heart,
the Lubbock International House of
Prayer exists:
• to raise up night and day
worship of Jesus, making our city
His dwelling place
• to support the overall body
of Christ in Lubbock with
intercessory prayer
• to continue to stand on the
promises that generations of
prayer warriors prayed before
us, believing that Lubbock has a
special destiny in the earth.”
Justin said there are many
success stories, but Jake is one of
his favorites. Several years ago,
a homeless veteran known as
“Dogman” (because of his trained
German shepherds) showed up
at Hope Community. Because of
the love shown him, he began
to rediscover his own worth.
Volunteers and staff were able to
help get the veteran on disability,
find him housing and transition him
to a steady and safe life. He has been
off the street now for over five years. heart of the city, FOR the heart of
Hope Community
is embarking in a
new direction with
“Hope Works”.
Its mission is
to establish
microbusinesses
and
entrepreneurship
in order to alleviate
poverty. Under the
skilled leadership
of a lady called
Muffin, “Flatland
Forest Pecans” is
taking shape. The
up pecans, shell
them and transform
them to delicious
sweet or spicy
treats. Another
cottage industry
under development
is “Holy Smoke”, a
homemade candle
company, overseen
by a man named
Scotty. Both of these
products will be available for sale
on site, in farmer’s markets and
other outlets throughout the city.
These initial start-ups are the first
step in what Justin hopes will stir up
latent creativity in the neighborhood
population.
Mary Guetersloh, a Hope
Community board member for the
past 15 years, has this to say, “Hope
Community’s mission of reaching
out to the many wounded souls in
the area is making a difference - one
heart at a time.”
Justin Stice senses that God has a
great deal more to do, and he is full
of ideas and hope for the people he
loves and pastors. The tagline for
Hope Community says it all. “IN the
the city.”
Lubbock Senior Link 61