October 16, 2023 Local Partner Update

At Veritas, working with and through our Local Partners are the primary way we minister to people in need within Fayetteville. These organizations have proven to have a heart for our City and its needs, and they show the love of Christ in how they run their ministries. Here are a few recent happenings with our Local Partners:

Operation Inasmuch

Saturday, September 16 was the culminating art show in this series for the Imago Dei Art Project. It was a beautiful event at The Lodge, where these men live. There was a healthy turn out, and many Veritas people stopped in and purchased art to support the men. This show was the fruit of a lot of labor from the men in the Lodge, the OIAM staff and board, and Veritas Partners who make up the Imago Dei Leadership Team.

This art show felt like a bit of a mountain-top moment for all of us, but the work is far from over! We would like to keep this project going so it can be a means of creative expression and supplemental income for more men. We are also looking for volunteers who can come teach life skills and interest based classes during the day for The Living Hope program, which is where we began the Imago Dei Art Project.

Also recently, Operation Inasmuch hosted the 3rd Annual Ray’s Run. This 5K and 10K was a way to honor the memory of Ray Helton, a previous Executive Director who passed away from cancer, as well as raise money for The Lodge. A number of Veritas Covenant Partners came out to support the organization and run!

If you’re interested in helping, click this link to sign up for our Local Partner group.

Hand of Hope

Sunday, September 24 we did a Baby Item Drive or Hand of Hope. Ken and Chrissy Hughes also used this as an opportunity to collect items from FCA, all of that combined filled my caravan to the brim! Michele Dove, the HOH Fayetteville Site Director, was moved by how much was offered to their organization. Watch a brief thank you video from her here. These items will be given to expecting and new mothers who are taking parenting and life-skills classes through Hand of Hope.

Hand of Hope is always looking for people, particularly women, who would like to get involved and support through being a life coach, appointment driver or baby-boutique organizer. With Michele Dove as their new Site Director, they’ve made great strides in organization; if you previously tried to be a volunteer and that stalled out, this would be a great time to reconnect! If you’re new and looking for ways to serve, Hand of Hope is a wonderful place to care for women and children in need!

If you’re interested in helping, click this link to sign up for our Local Partner group.

Habitat for Humanity

One of our Covenant Partners, Maggie Kettler, was able to receive funding for much needed home renovations through Habitat for Humanity. They completely renovated her bathroom, and they did some work in her kitchen. During the work, they noticed that the piping from Maggie’s bathroom to the road was obstructed by a tree root, so they dug up and replaced those. They also did some electrical work on the house.

Along with all of this, Veritas organized a day to support these home projects by putting on gutters that her husband, Matt, had bought but did not have time to install before getting sick and passing away. The group of nearly 20 people from Veritas did yard work, fixed the fence, and put up the gutters.

Here is a message from Maggie:
“I just want to express my heartfelt gratitude for everyone who came today to bless me and my family with their service of love. Words cannot express how grateful I am. I’m praising God for the church family that believes in taking care of the widows and orphans. He is an awesome God and he has given me a wonderful family.”

If you’re interested in helping, click this link to sign up for our Local Partner group.

We believe that as Christians we are called to love God and love people. Much of what we do within Veritas allows us to love our brothers and sisters within Veritas, and that is such a beautiful expression of how we are a family in Christ. But there are many people in Fayetteville who are lost, broken and hurting, and don’t feel Christ’s love. That is why serving with our Local Partners allows us to reach and care for people in Fayetteville whom we would not encounter or talk with (at least in any sort of meaningful way) otherwise. I strongly encourage you to choose one of our Local Partners, and partner with them to put your time, heart, efforts and resources into loving people.

Best and blessings,
Emily Ruth Perry | Director of Community Life