A CCO Back-to-School Rally Story

For kids at a shelter, going back to school is a really big deal.

Streamers and balloons begin to appear in the dining room of Cornerstone Community Outreach.  Tables and chairs are rearranged to make room for something special that will soon happen.  Children are wide-eyed with anticipation and intrigue as they walk through this bustling activity on their way to the local Target store where they will each pick out a brand new pair of shoes to start the school year.

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Introducing the Uptown Garden Collective

Gardening Locally Using What We Have

Ecology and sustainability may conjure up images of agriculture, recycling, and saving the oceans. As an urban community, Jesus People seems far removed from caring for natural resources when in reality it’s all about doing what you can right where you are. We formed the Uptown Garden Collective to address some of these issues together, asking the question, “What can we do, with our limited space and resources, to be part of the solution instead of the problem?”

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From New Zealand to Chicago

How driving a taxi showed Jeremy Nicholls his true calling

Night after night people would enter my car in droves, enslaved to the same lusts of money, sex, and power. They were looking for freedom, but it couldn’t be found. They were putting up fronts, but you could feel the pain and trauma wincing under their celebrations and smiles. Rich and poor were chasing the same dreams, doing the same dirt, having the same desires, but suffering vastly different consequences. I saw so much injustice. I felt too much pain. I heard too many cries for relief.

This was my life as a lonely taxi driver in New Zealand, driving the ever exciting graveyard shift, picking up anyone and everyone.

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Christmas With Those Who Don’t Have a Home

The weeks leading up to Christmas here at Cornerstone are a glimpse into what I imagine Santa’s workshop would be like. A constant bustle of deliveries, organizing toys, gift wrapping and agonizing over what to give teenagers. Between hanging holiday decorations and consuming copious amounts of caffeine, we strive to create a sense of normalcy and celebration for our shelter guests. After all, just because they are experiencing homelessness doesn’t mean they don’t deserve to have an amazing Christmas.

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