Pastor, ministry working on local homeless problem

Pastor Rick Brosher of Abounding Grace Ministries in Celina, is giving those in need a hand up. Pastor Brosher has been with Abounding Grace Ministries for nearly 35 years, and is trying to solve the problem of homelessness in the community.

“We knew there was a problem”, said Pastor Brosher. Pastor Brosher relayed that before the church bought their current property in 1999, they had already been trying to help people.

“I remember having a guy come and live in our church basement for several months. At one point my wife and I took a very young man in to our home,” said Pastor Brosher. Then in 2008, they developed their church and property, just north of Celina.

“When people came along and needed help, we’d allow them to pitch a tent or stay in their car”, said Pastor Brosher. He said that at the back of the churches property they had put in things their congregation could use, including bathrooms, all of which had electricity running to them. “I wasn’t thinking of the homeless when we built the bathrooms, I was thinking about all of our activities out there. I also put a shower in, but I didn’t know why.”

He said over time that the reason for the shower would become apparent, and that it was all part of a plan that he wasn’t in control of. The pastor said that when they bought the property, they ran into issues with the EPA.

“The EPA said our building was too large so we’d have to either put in a water treatment plant, or connect to city water and sewer,” said Pastor Brosher. The solution was to connect to the Bruns Addition, through a piece of property they didn’t own. So in order to connect, they bought that five acre piece of property which is in West Jefferson Township. “To get water and sewer, the city had to annex us, but those additional five acres weren’t.”

As it turned out, those five acre as are where Pastor Brosher and his church have set up Hand-Up Village, a place where the homeless

can go for a hand up.

“West Jefferson is not zoned, so we can do anything we want to on those acres, and god just worked that out without us having any plan or knowing,” said Pastor Brosher. Hand-Up Village now consists of twelve cabins and has become a village. In order to get some of it built, they had some local help.

“They contacted us three years ago. We built two the first year, which was two years ago, and one more this year,” said Brett McGillvary the Construction Program Instructor for Tri Star. McGillvary said that Hand-Up Village reached out and asked them if they were interested in helping with the project.

“We jumped right on it. We framed the cabins up, and for the first two we poured the concrete pads. We put siding on them as well as the roof,” said McGIllvary. After Tri Star did their portion St. John John Builders from Celina finished the interiors. A place to stay isn’t the focus of the village however.

“Its much more than just a roof over your head, and its designed and planned to be more than that,” said Pastor Brosher. He said that their goal is to purposefully walk along side people and to help them to be successful. Success though, may have different meanings to different people.

“Successful doesn’t always mean having lots of money, but being able to have a home, and budget. We try to teach and mentor, and help folks that have come from very dysfunctional backgrounds,” said Pastor Brosher. Even with that support, some people don’t see success.

“It’s disappointing because when you really care about people you want them to succeed,” said Pastor Brosher. The pastor said that watching people who aren’t trying to succeed by following the procedures in place, can be frustrating. “When you watch folks that are not, or will not follow procedures, for them its a hand out not a hand up.”

Recently Pastor Brosher said that he’s noticed a change in who is coming through his doors. Two groups are showing up more than in recently years, those who are between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four, and foster kids who have aged out of the system and have nowhere to go.

“That has been a big change. I think its interesting, that there are so many young people who don’t have anywhere to go,” said Pastor Brosher.

In the end, Pastor Brosher believes that what you say, is not nearly as important as what you do. He’s said that changing your thinking, is one of the first steps, and that words only get you so far.

“Your actions mean a lot more than your words do, because I’ve heard all the words,” said Pastor Brosher.