Prayers please!

The FCA at Martin Luther King, Jr. High School asked us recently if they could include the Clifton men during their weekly prayers.  How cool is that????  So we put up a box so the guys could quietly and confidentially write down their prayer requests and we'd pass them on.  When we are speaking to groups about Clifton, we always say that God is really busy at Clifton transforming lives and that your prayers are what our guys need most.  So, if you'd like to remember the guys, here's what they'd like for you to include in your prayers......

Robert - that God grants me the grace and endurance to overthrow the curses Satan has established in my life.  To stand on God's glory from this point on.  To accomplish stability, move into my own place, and marry my long-term girlfriend.  

Warren - that I may listen to the Holy Spirit and heed the message of God through Jesus Christ and that that me and my sons and daughter would be back together with a renewed relationship.  That I may be strong and disciplined in my duties at my new job.  

John - That I might get a job in the trucking industry and that I can marry my girlfriend.  

Dennis - Please pray for me - I need a job.  

April Springs Up at Clifton

CLIFTON MAKES THE NEWS......Our Clifton Toastmasters Club was featured in the latest issue of Toastmasters magazine.  We'll have a link to the article shortly on the website, but if you have access to the magazine, please take a look.  It was a great article and we've already received a couple of inquiries regarding our club.  Thanks so much to the District and State Toastmasters officers for spreading the word about Clifton.   Clifton Toastmasters wouldn't be possible without the great support of North Avenue Presbyterian Church and we're eternally grateful to them for making this exciting program available to our guests.  

MORE NEWS......  Thanks to Gay Arneri and Sarah Wynn, there's a really nice article in the Clarion, the newspaper of Lake Claire Neighborhood.  This edition is all about Earth Day and we were asked to write a piece about the beautiful land that we call home.  WE LOVE OUR NEIGHBORS!!!!

GARDENING....last year we planted a small garden on our property and the guys enjoyed cabbage, peppers, and  banana peppers.  We'd like to do that again, but increase the size and scope of our garden.  But we need help!  If you like to garden and would be willing to share your green thumb with others, please contact Alice at (404) 373-3253 x1.  The guys are happy to help, but we need someone to help us get started. 

CRAWLY THINGS......we love God's creation, but would prefer that crawly things crawl around outside.  Just like in your house, our kitchen is clean, the food is put up, but occasionally we find crawly things.  If you know someone in the pest control business that would like to donate their crawly thing elimination service, please call Alice at (404) 373-3253 x1. 

MOVING DAY ARRIVES...we're excited that two wonderful men moved across the street from the shelter to Joe's Place, our transitional house.  Tim and Jerome were thrilled to have the opportunity and we're ecstatic that they're both going to be around for a while longer.  If you're not familiar with Joe's Place, guys must have income to move to Joe's Place, they are responsible for their own meals, cleaning their apartments, and are pretty much on their own.  They receive intensive counseling on financial planning, credit repair, job skills, and, if appropriate, they are encouraged to reconnect with their families.   Congratulations Tim and Jerome!!!!  

OTHER MOVING NEWS....Alice reports that many of our guys are finding housing and moving out.  She said that we've been able to add several new guys this week to take the place of those who have moved.  Many of the new guests are older than usual and homeless for the first time - mainly due to manifestations from our shaky economy.  Keep these guys in your prayers.  They also have great work skills - most of they new guys are veterans, so if you know of a company that is hiring, please keep our guys in mind. 

$$$$....The great work that goes on at Clifton wouldn't be possible without the financial investment that our volunteers and donors continue to make.  We hope you'll add Clifton to your investment portfolio.  The returns are fabulous and you don't have to worry about what the Dow Jones is doing.....  Simply click on the "donate" button on our home page and Paypal will take it from there!  

March marches on at Clifton

Greetings from Clifton!  The needs of the month are milk, potatoes, fruit, & veggies - depending on which side of the sign at which you're looking.  

We received great news this week....  Clifton was named the state champion in February by Pathways for the greatest percentage of clients (guests) that we collaborated with partner agencies for coordination of care.  Meaning, in February 2009, 78% of our guests were referred to partner agencies by Prince and Alice for needed services.  This was the highest percentage in the state of all homeless service providers.  

In the world we live in, the staff and board of Clifton understand the importance of collaborating with other agencies for services - we need to do what we do best and then partner for the rest!  This acknowledgement from Pathways shows that we are doing just that!  Way to go Prince, Alice, and the rest of the Clifton staff!!!

Joe's Place said good-bye to Peter this month - and then waved to him as he walked next door to his new apartment.  Peter is our food coordinator and continues to turn out scrumptious vittles, so we're certainly not going to let him go very far.  Congrats Peter for completely fulfilling the mission of Clifton and living completely independently.  And we're thrilled that you're our neighbor!! 

And if that's not enough....Lee moved up and out, too.  He ventured a little further than Peter, but is still close.  Lee hooked up with the great folks from Home But Not Alone and is now permanently living with a wonderful couple who needed a little extra assistance and had extra living space.  We understand that they enjoy conversation and music, so this is a match made in heaven - literally.  

We are thrilled that the Art Institute of Atlanta recently began work on our website.  The new website should be up in mid-May.  We have a great team of five students, as well as a faculty advisor who have taken on our project.  This will totally transform how we carry our message to the community and our volunteers.  Our collective heart just explodes with excitement when we think of the possibilities.  

Many of our volunteers and donors continue to check in with us regarding our financial position in these tough times.  It goes without saying that our donations are down and the need for services are up.  But faith and fear cannot co-exist, so we're marching on in faith.  Alice continues to remind us that God hasn't brought us this far to forget about us now.  Please keep the Clifton guys in your prayers.  They're working extra hard competing for jobs, programs, and other training opportunities.  And if you'd like to make a financial investment in Clifton, please hit the "donate here" button on our website.  It's definitely one investment you can make that won't go down in value!  

February Update

First of all, the need for February is dish detergent.  The liquid kind that you use when you wash dishes in the sink.  We'd like to have a dishwasher, but that's a different story for a different day.  

January was a great month!  Several of the guys moved out and into transitional housing or independent living.  Our guests have enjoyed a couple of women's basketball games at Georgia State as guests of the GA State Athletic Dept. and the wonderful folks at Ormewood Park Presbyterian Church provided foot care and foot massages to the guys on the evening that their church served as evening hosts.  This is going to be a monthly event and I'm sure one that will a highlight of each month.  We also welcomed the members of City Church - Eastside who spent the Saturday of King weekend at Clifton working on the lawn, making meals, repairing the porch, and, most importantly, hanging out with the guys.  This was their first visit to Clifton and we're looking forward to a great relationship with them!  

But our big event was our design sale that we held on Jan 30 & 31.  Thanks again to our good friend who donated several van loads of home interiors from his showroom at the Merchandise Mart and our friends at Epworth United Methodist Church who allowed us to borrow their fellowship hall for our very successful sale.  To date, we have raised approximately $4,500 that will be be put to good use!  If you are reading this between Feb 6-14, we still have a room-full of great lamps, artwork, and accessories available for sale in the meeting room at Clifton.  Please come by and take a look!  After that date, we will donate all unsold items to our transitional housing partners. 

Buckets of thanks and love to the members of the Southwest Cluster of the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta...the admission to their January meeting was a package of paper products to be donated to Clifton.  They trekked up to Atlanta yesterday and completely filled the storage racks full of paper towels, toilet tissue, napkins, and such.  Their contributions will help us defray the costs of daily consumable products and allow us to focus all of our financial resources on helping our guests move to independent living!  And that's what it's all about....

The realization of our city's difficult economic situation is beginning to be reflected at Clifton as we have several guests who previously were self-employed or held steady jobs.  These men are ready to work and have a myriad of skills - many in culinary or home improvement.  If you have a job opening in your company or know of someone who does, please think about hiring a Clifton man!  You can call Alice for a referral.  (404) 373-3253 x1.  

Anyone got a paper towel that we can borrow???

During the King holiday season, we are often asked what can just one person do to help.....  Well, as always, Alice has come to the rescue and put together a list of contributions that one person can make.  We run a household, just like you do, and go through the same things that you do in your household.  The only difference is 30 men live in our house.  

So when you pick up the things in the Kroger, Target, or the Candler Park Market that you use in your daily life, pick up an extra one for Clifton.  When these items are donated, we can spend that money providing the services needed by our men to help them move to independent living...instead of buying paper towels.

So.....here's Alice's list of stuff....

55 gallon trash bags

13 gallon trash bags

Paper towels

Toilet paper

Razors

Soap

Small tubes of tooth paste

Deodorant

Dish Detergent (not dishwasher)

Liquid laundry detergent

Clorox Clean-up Cleaner

409 Cleaner

Sandwich bags

Lunch bags

Small bottles of water (10 oz)

Small packs of fruit juice

Small containers of fruit or applesauce

Plastic forks & spoons

Small paper plates (for snacks)

Napkins

Wash cloths

January Update

We haven't posted an article in a couple of months - oops - so I thought I'd add an update on the goings and comings at Clifton....

Our need of the month for January 2009.....PAPER TOWELS!!!!  

The guys enjoyed a fabulous Christmas....thanks to the generosity of Mt. Vernon Presbyterian, Pleasant Hill Presbyterian, and several individuals, the Clifton men each received a Christmas bag with clothes, toiletries, thermal underwear, and other fun items.  A big shout out to the Mariners' Sunday School class at Peachtree Pres who made sure our guys have proper sneakers to start out the new year!   In addition, the great folks at Duffy Realty brought over a bag of Christmas gifts for each of the guys!  This was the first time that the Duffy folks had been to Clifton.  We're so grateful for their generosity and hope to see them again throughout 2009! 

Home for the Holidays....several of our guys went home to their families for Christmas!  For some of them, this was the first time they had seen their family in many years.  One of the most important aspects of recovery and returning to independent living is reuniting with family and friends.  Many times, those relationships are really damaged and/or broken, so reunification can be difficult.  The guys are working hard on mending those relationships, so it's always awesome to see when their families welcome them home.  

Way to go, Marvin....former guest and Clifton Toastmaster Marvin Perkins was featured in an AJC article on Saturday, January 3 - Metro Section, page 3.  Marvin has been writing poems about his life for the past few years and caught the attention of an AJC reporter who met him at a Toastmasters meeting.  The AJC crew was at the Christmas program doing their story research and videotaping the event.  We're thankful for the AJC interest in Clifton and the guys!  Congratulations to Marvin - we're proud of you and your progress!  

Interior Design Sale....A wonderful friend of Clifton who owns a great home interior design showroom at the Merchandise Mart has once again donated a large number of items to Clifton for us to sell to our friends and neighbors.  We hosted a similar event in the summer of 2008.  We have received this shipment of new and beautiful items this past weekend and will hold our Design Sale on Friday, January 30 and Saturday, January 31 at Epworth United Methodist Church, conveniently located across the street from Candler Park on McLendon Avenue.  Epworth is the great church that took us in during 2005/2006 during the reconstruction following our arson fire.  We love them!  Stay tuned for more details regarding the design sale.  

Thank you for your support!  The business of providing support for men who are homeless goes on at Clifton 365 days a year.  Many folks called and asked about providing dinner during the holidays.  So many folks, actually, that we had to tell some folks that we didn't have an opportunity for them to serve - we couldn't have stuffed any more volunteers into the facility.  However, we can use your help in 2009!  Please consider bringing an evening meal, preparing lunch bags, or working one-on-one with our guests.  You can contact Alice at (404) 373-3253 or alice@cliftonsanctuary.com for additional volunteer opportunities.  You can also hit "donate now" on the website homepage if you would like to make a financial contribution, which is always greatly appreciated.  We served 250 men who are homeless in 2008; we anticipate an even greater need in 2009.  But it can't be done without your help!  Thank you, in advance, and we look forward to seeing you at Clifton in 2009.  

Wishing you peace and God's blessing this year.....

How to Have a Life of Joy

Consider the following from Steve Goodier.

Do you know how to have a life of joy?

A businessman on his deathbed called his friend and said, "Bill, I want you to promise me that when I die you will have my remains cremated." "And what," his friend asked, "do you want me to do with your ashes?" The businessman said, "Just put them in an envelope and mail them as taxes to the government and write on the envelope, 'NOW YOU HAVE EVERYTHING!'"

Paying taxes is not usually a joy. But GIVING can be joyful. We pay the taxes because we have to. But when we choose to give time or money, then giving can add to our overall happiness.

Mother Teresa teaches us an important lesson about happiness. She was one of those people who emanated joy. Born in 1910 in Skopje, Macedonia, she felt called as a teenager to move to Calcutta, India. Some months later she saw a sight that completely revolutionized her life.

Shortly after moving to Calcutta she spotted a homeless, dying woman lying in the gutter, being eaten by rats. After seeing that, compassion compelled her to beg an abandoned Hindu temple from the government and convert it into a crude, make-shift hospital for the dying. "Nobody should die alone" she would later say. Mother Teresa went on to establish homes for the destitute dying in numerous cities. But in spite of devoting her life to people in such dire straits, she radiated joy and happiness.

This incredible woman was once interviewed by Malcolm Muggeridge from the BBC News. He asked her an unusual question: "Mother Teresa, the thing I noticed about you and the hundreds of sisters who now form your team is that you all look so happy. Is that a put-on?"

Here was a woman who had none of the things we like to think of as bringing happiness: a home, a family, prosperity. Rather, she lived in near-poverty and spent her time wiping dirt and various body fluids from half-dead cancer and leprosy victims -- and appeared to be blissfully happy. "Is that a put-on" she was asked?

She replied, "Oh no, not at all. Nothing makes you happier than when you really reach out in mercy to someone who is badly hurt."

She would agree that happiness does not come from acquiring, but is a by-product of giving: time, money, love. Do you want a life of joy? Start by giving.

-- Steve Goodier
Now you can add your own comments to Life Support. You can find more thoughts from Steve Goodies on his blog. http://stevegoodier.blogspot.com/

A note from our editor:
We don't have to go to India to find tired and hurting people. They are right here amongst us, ministries such as Clifton Sanctuary are next door, we just have to look for them. In this trying time won't you take a few minutes or hours and share your blessings with those around you?