Compassion Corps

 When I moved to Fairhaven two years ago, my first order of business was to meet the neighbors and pray over our neighborhood.  I was a bit surprised when I heard a common remark about this area.  People said, “as soon as we can move – we will.”  It quickly became apparent why residents wanted to move.  The Ferry, Grafton and Chatham area of Fairhaven has been plagued with prostitution, drugs, burglary, shootings and homicide over the years.  Since moving in – my family has witnessed an increase of these activities.

I direct a non-profit charity called Compassion Corps.  Our long-term goal is to provide transitional housing for prostitutes who desire to leave the streets to regain their dignity, hope and a new life.  Our pathway to fulfilling this dream has been the development of several, smaller initiatives around the idea of Urban Restoration / Renewal – allowing us to build strong ties to the area.  We began, through prayer, to simply clean up the streets, mow common areas, plant flowers / trees and generally work to beautify Fairhaven.  These activities have opened doors and allowed us to develop relationships through conversation. 

Knowing our heart to serve the poor and marginalized – Jeff Neal engaged in a series of meetings which led to the development of an idea…let’s help Compassion Corps organize and underwrite an annual Block Party on Grafton Street.  Together, with the help of Jim Mitchell, Kevin Ewing (the Community Foundation of Greater New Haven) and concerned neighbors we developed and implemented this idea.  Our theme – An Old School Block Party: Taking Back the Streets.  Our focus was to foster relationships between neighbors and encourage people to work together for change.  Change in the direction of Fairhaven.  We want our neighborhood to be an affordable, peaceful and beautiful place for families to live in New Haven, Connecticut.  Personally, I will not be satisfied until this is accomplished. 

So – on Sunday, August 17 at 3:00 pm we “opened the doors” of our block and boy did they come.  As usual with parties – the beginning was slow.  However, by 3:30 as the first burgers, hotdogs, and fried fish hit the plates it was non-stop for 3+ hours.  Our neighborhood committee provided the main dishes / drinks and neighbors brought side dishes.  We had volunteers cooking and serving an estimated 300 members of the Fairhaven community.  In addition, we provided piñata’s, face painting, various games and a DJ.  And yes – we had dancing.  The BEST part of the day was watching our neighbors, after the cleaning was done, just standing around talking with each other.  You could feel the peace and ease in the air!  It was an amazing event for our community that has been plagued by a constant stream of negative news. 

Summer Mission Update:

This summer we were invited to give leadership & spiritual direction for 4 church teams going to 3 different states to work among the poor.  We spent two weeks with 60+ teenagers working in the 9th ward of New Orleans, LA.  We hosted a summer camp for youth & parents, continued our commitment to post-Katrina clean-up projects, and worked with New Orleans Mission – the largest provider of services for the homeless in NOLA.   Our next stop – Mt. Angel, OR.  Here we led a team from Idaho on a mission to landscape a homeless family shelter, repaint a church, and
did a variety of similar projects in the Portland area.  Finally, our last stop took us into the inner-city neighborhoods of Memphis, TN.  Here we worked with a ministry called – Eikon.  We worked side-by-side with inner-city youth, cleaning up neighborhoods that have been severly negelected.  Our team of teens from Dallas, TX integrated themselves into the program – participating in Bible lessons, team building exercises and prayer.  All four trips were unique and life-transforming.  Watching young people give of their summer to share Christ’s love through practical acts of service, sharing of thier faith and prayer.  

Urban Revitalization:

I have always said our mission to New Haven, CT and beyond can be summed up with these words, “We serve Christ today through our whole-hearted and free service to the poor and marginalized.”  
 
As soon as we arrived home – we went to work in our community.  Compassion Corps, in collaboration with World in View, was granted landscaping products(inlcuding two beautiful trees) to plant in our neighborhood through an organization called Urban Resources Incorporated.  We hit the streets, inviting our neighbors out to work, and started the process of beautifying our neighborhood.  In a place where prostitution and drugs consume people CC seeks to make a statement of life…a statement of Christ’s power to renew even in the midst of death.  This is the message we actively share!
 
And let me remind our readers…DEATH is all around us.  Not just spiritual death.  In the last six months two of our neighbors have been gunned down (killed) in or near their homes.  One of our neighbors was shot in the hand – escaping death.  And – according to our new Chief of Police there have been a number of shootings in New Haven with in the past few weeks.  
 
In response to this constant challenge – Compassion Corps is hosting a Block Party on Grafton Street.  The purpose of this gathering is to actively engage our neighbors, develop a deeper level of relationships, and find solutions to common problems.  This initative is so important – and we are already seeing fruit from our labors.  More of our neighbors are approaching us for help which positions us to beomes more active in their lives, understand their needs and ultimately to share the hope we have in Christ.  
 
Fairhaven Food Pantry:

We have been talking about our work to develop a Food Pantry to serve the poor and marginalized in our area for some time.  Well the time is fast approaching for the actual launch of this project.  The racks are in place, food is arriving and soon we will launch a series of organized food drives to prepare oursleves for the fall feeding season.  Our focus will be to assist single parent families who are struggling to provide food security for their families by supplying staple food products.  By focusing on providing just these products we enable at risk families to focus their resources on purchasing precious parishables and fresh fruits.  
 
As winter approaches – we will also collect sleeping bags, blankets, and winter coats to provide to families at risk of catching cold due to inability to heat their homes properly because of the high cost of heating oil.
 
You Can:

We recoginze that our work is a collaborative effort.  Compassion Corps needs your help.  Your sacrifical gift will go directly to support one of the programs for at risk families listed above.  Thank you for reading, caring, and sharing.  

Correspondence:

Compassion Corps

P.O. Box 4283

Hamden, CT. 06513