Revolutionaries,
It’s time to update you with some information pertaining to our weekly homeless outreach.
First off, I want to thank all of you for the support and encouragement I received from so many of you in response to the note I posted last week, announcing the now-dormant status of the Dirty Roots Revolution. I am humbled and overwhelmed by your response. (If you haven’t read the note, you can find it, titled “In Conclusion…” on our Facebook page or our blog:www.DirtyRootsRevolution.blogspot.com)
As I stated in that note, all activities pertaining to the Dirty Roots Revolution will cease indefinitely. EXCEPT, that is, for our homeless outreach.
This activity will continue weekly and will be moved under the umbrella of Wired, the college ministry at the First Christian Church in Greenville, IL.
I want to assure you that this means very little change as far as how the outreach is conducted.
EVERYONE is welcome to participate in the homeless outreach, regardless of their church affiliation or spiritual beliefs.
The homeless outreach will resume this Saturday, September 4th.
We will meet at my home, 615 East Oak St. in Greenville, at 10 a.m. and depart for St. Louis shortly thereafter each Saturday.
We will visit the same neighborhood in St. Louis as we have in the past (in front of the Public Library on Olive, between 13th & 14th Streets).
If you are one of our out-of-town friends or groups who have joined us in the past, or have recently inquired about joining us, you’re welcome to meet us in that location around 11:30 on Saturday mornings.
We are still accepting contributions of travel-sized toiletries and individually-wrapped, non-perishable food items for distribution on the homeless outreach (A list of needs follows this message). To contribute these items, you can drop them off at our home (we store all homeless outreach items in our garage and have a white shelf outside of the garage where you can leave items), you can leave them in the large blue barrel outside of the office at the Greenville First Christian Church, or you can contact us to arrange pick-up or delivery.
Financial contributions CAN still be made toward this program. However, we ask that you do NOT make checks to the Dirty Roots Revolution. Please make your checks to the First Christian Church and put “Homeless Outreach” or “The 3.11 Project” in the memo line. You can send contributions to the First Christian Church at 1100 Killarney Drive in Greenville, IL 62246.
ALL contributions to this effort through the church will be put in a special fund and directed to us, to be used exclusively for the homeless outreach.
This will actually be a benefit to those who choose to financially support our homeless outreach. Since the church is designated a non-profit organization, you will receive a tax break through your contribution, which was not possible for us as the Dirty Roots Revolution.
Finally, the name of this initiative will be changed. The homeless outreach will know be known as “The 3.11 Project.”
The 3.11 Project was originally a division of the Dirty Roots Revolution’s homeless outreach, wherein we sold T-shirts with the 3.11 Project logo on them. The profit from each shirt was used to provide an identical shirt to one of our homeless brothers or sisters in St. Louis.
The idea for the program was submitted by high school student Sam Filby and takes its name from Luke 3:11, which says, “John answered, ‘The man who has two tunics should share with him who has none, and the man who has food should do the same.”
That’s really what the homeless outreach is about, overall. So we took the opportunity of the changes that are occurring to apply that concept and name to the entire homeless outreach.
A few extra things for you to keep in mind:
The Dirty Roots Revolution Facebook page will most likely be removed in the fairly near future. If you would like to keep up with the happenings of this homeless outreach, please look up “The 3.11 Project” on Facebook and become a fan of that page. It’s not up and running yet, but it will be very soon.
We also have a new email address: 3.11project@gmail.com. We don’t have any immediate plans for a newsletter or anything like that, but we will from time to time communicate various needs, activities, etc., through this email address. If you would like to be added to our database to receive updates from the 3.11 Project, please send an email to that address with “Subscribe” in the body of the message.
And, finally…
Part of the reason for the changes currently happening with the DRR is a need to lessen the workload of some key people. In doing so, we’d like to recruit some more “team leaders” for our weekly homeless outreach trips. Team leaders are basically the “go-to folks” on each weekly trip. Their main requirements are to keep track of the canvas bags and coolers we take items in, return them to their storage place after the trip, keep and eye on things during the outreach, and answer any questions that may come up during the visit.
If you have been on some of our weekly trips and are interested in serving as a team leader (either on a frequent or occasional basis), please email us and let us know. We’d love to have your help!
Thank you for your support and involvement in our homeless outreach. We look forward to working with you under the new name of The 3.11 Project!
Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
Here’s that list of needed items for the homeless outreach:
Toiletries
(Please note: for some items, like soap and deodorant, the regular size is OK, but travel size is much better for toothpaste, soap, lotion, etc.)
Soap, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, lotion, lip balm, etc.
**Toiletries are not limited to these items, however we do NOT accept any mouthwashes or any types of medication
Snacks
Peanut butter or cheese crackers, beef jerky, granola bars, raisins, etc.
**Snacks are not limited to these items, but they MUST be non-perishable and individually-wrapped
Misc.
NEW men’s and women’s T-shirts, underwear, and socks (L & XL sizes)
PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO SPACE AND ORGANIZATIONAL CONSTRAINTS, WE CAN NOT ACCEPT DONATIONS OF CLOTHING AT THIS TIME, other than new underwear, socks, and T-shirts. Please take clothing contributions to your local thrift shop or another worthy cause.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
In Conclusion...
My fellow revolutionaries,
Our Lord has taken us on quite an adventure through the Dirty Roots Revolution over the past year. It has been a year of challenges, growth, blessings, hard work, inspiration, and – most importantly – positive world-changing in the name of Jesus Christ.
I have told you before that the main focus of the DRR leadership has been to make very certain that the reins of this project remain in God’s hands – not ours. This effort has consistently been rewarding and humbling. At times it has been scary, requiring us to step out on faith with little knowledge of what the future would hold. We have now reached another of these times.
The Dirty Roots Revolution is too large to be small. At the same time, it is still too small to be large. It has grown very quickly. And the administrative and organizational duties associated with it have become a full-time job. This work has required more and more attention and time. I have begun using personal vacation time from my work, not to spend time with my family, but to tend to DRR business. The administrative duties and creative requirements of the DRR consume more and more of my attention, my time, and my efforts.
All three of which should be primarily devoted to my young family. A wise man once told me to be careful never to sacrifice my family on the alter of my personal ministry.
Following too many days, weeks, and months of burning the candle at both ends, in mid-July I found the middle of my wick. I called a meeting of our board of directors and following a lengthy and emotional discussion, our official stance was that the DRR was entering “a time of prayer and fasting”. During this period of several weeks, we put aside all tasks related to the DRR. I canceled and declined speaking engagements, we let our Facebook page go quiet, and – in light of our difficulty recruiting volunteers this summer – we suspended our weekly homeless outreach indefinitely.
This was a challenging time for us as we sought “be still” and seek the voice of God. After several weeks of listening for God I became fully aware that I was going to have to walk away from the Dirty Roots Revolution. I was heartbroken. In my frustrated prayers, I cried out to God for some kind of understanding, clarity, wisdom, and peace. And, as always, He was moving in ways I hadn’t foreseen.
To make a long story short, my wife, Amber, and I felt an undeniable nudging from God to remain in our leadership position of the college ministry at our home church – the First Christian Church here in Greenville.
The Dirty Roots Revolution was basically born from our involvement in that ministry. And as we attempted to work through whatever was happening with what the DRR had become, we felt the call to take things back to where they started. “Back to the basics,” as my Dad would say.
While the mission of the DRR has always been about encouraging people to make a difference in the world in whatever way they see fit, it has clearly been the weekly Homeless Outreach that has captured the hearts of our community. In working through the past few weeks, I could not get past the negative feelings I had, associated with the discontinuation of this project.
So, we’ve opted to move it under the umbrella of Wired, the college ministry we lead. The DRR largely started with the homeless outreach and the homeless outreach has primarily been made possible through the volunteer efforts of college students. In fact, one of my original ideas for the DRR was to have a board of directors made up largely of college students.
I want to stress that other than a change in the “parent organization”, there will be NO changes to the Homeless Outreach. IT WILL REMAIN OPEN TO ANY AND EVERYONE WHO WANTS TO PARTICIPATE, REGARDLESS OF THEIR CHURCH AFFILIATION. We will announce more specific information pertaining to the Homeless Outreach in the next couple of days. Please keep your eyes peeled for this information and have a look at it when it’s released. It is our hope and prayer that you’ll remain involved in this initiative if it has meant something to you.
In addition to the continuation of the homeless outreach, the Dirty Roots Radio Show will continue unchanged. You can catch it every Thursday from 8 to 10 p.m. (Central Time) on WGRN 89. FM in Greenville, IL or online at www.wgrn.net. Dirty Roots Radio will still be your source for all kinds of unique music, thought-provoking guests, and revolutionary information.
When it comes to the rest of the Dirty Roots Revolution, whether or not it will officially dissolve its incorporation remains to be seen. That is another conversation for a different day. I have yet to meet anyone who has figured out God…and I won’t pretend to know what He has in store.
If the opportunity to direct the DRR as a full-time job should happen to present itself, I would gladly jump at the opportunity to continue this adventure and explore many of the ideas we had worked on, but hadn’t had the time and/or funding to accomplish. We certainly had big plans…But, again, His will be done – not ours.
However, we recognize that without funding to allow this to become an actual job, things simply cannot continue as they have been.
And God is definitely teaching us something through all of this.
Our message has always been that one person can make a difference. And, more importantly, that people can make that difference by doing small things, taking small actions, making small changes, giving small amounts, etc. I tell people that you don’t have to quit your job and become a missionary to Africa to make a difference. You can make a difference wherever you are. You can be a banker and make a difference. You can be a nurse and change the world. You can be a plumber and have an impact.
We can make a difference without leading an officially incorporated revolution.
I want to stress to you that we are NOT giving up.
The revolution is alive within us. And we know it’s alive within you.
You do not need a little non-profit ministry like us to tell us that you can make a difference. You don’t need us to motivate you to get involved. You don’t need us to help you change the world.
You can do this. More accurately, GOD can do this…THROUGH you!
Always remember the words of Joe Strummer: “The world is worth fighting for.” Not physically fighting of course. But, fighting for the good in the world. Our God made this world. It is His creation. And He said it was good. Biblically, this world will continue to “get worse” until Jesus comes back. But, in the meantime, we believe we must strive to increase the amount of light that is present in the midst of the darkness at any given time.
God made all people in His own image. And every life matters.
While the formal organization of how we do this is changing, please continue to join us in our efforts to change this world. Find a cause and jump in. If you don’t know where to start, watch the evening news. Whatever makes you the angriest or tugs at your heart the most….there’s your cause.
Remember, even though they may go unnoticed, small actions matter. Small actions CAN and WILL change this world! Please don’t give up on these small actions. Your choices, your attitudes, your actions – every one of them matter.
Please allow me to acknowledge the leadership of the DRR. Our board of directors consists of Amber Mifflin, Chris Harnetiaux, and Miranda Caulkins.
My wife, Amber, was witness to whatever was brewing in my heart that eventually led to the DRR for a long time before anyone else. She encouraged me to pursue it to see where God was leading. And when things took off, Amber bravely stood by my side, knowing full well the commitment that this adventure may involve. I cannot thank her enough for her patience and support.
Chris Harnetiaux is my best friend and my brother. It’s been a pleasure to have him as my right-hand-man in this adventure. Chris and I shared many late-night cups of coffee, discussing the possibility of a better world, leading up to the formation of the DRR. Chris continually provided a Biblical perspective to the board that was always needed.
Miranda Caulkins was the first person I thought of when forming a board of directors. Miranda truly “gets” the philosophy of the DRR. She is an incredibly gifted photographer and graphic designer, which was a tremendous blessing for our organization. More importantly, Miranda (a sophomore in college when all of this started) is one of the wisest and bravest people I know – of any age. Miranda always encouraged us to take risks and do what we knew God was asking of us, even when we were uncertain or it was uncomfortable.
I have been blessed to serve alongside these three world-changers. And I have been forever blessed to serve alongside each of you.
To everyone who contributed funds, materials, prayers, encouragement, guidance, interest, and support, I say THANK YOU. You have made a difference. You have made this world a better place! Please keep it up!
A few final thoughts:
- One person CAN make a difference
- YOU are the leader we’ve been waiting for
- Silence is the enemy
- If you’re thinking, you’re winning
- People can change anything they want to
Most importantly, let me remind you what our homeless friend O’Lester (a wise old prophet to be sure) told us on one of our first homeless outreach trips: “God is good….ALL the time!!!”
Thank you for the blessing of this past year. All glory to God for what has been achieved!
Our Lord has taken us on quite an adventure through the Dirty Roots Revolution over the past year. It has been a year of challenges, growth, blessings, hard work, inspiration, and – most importantly – positive world-changing in the name of Jesus Christ.
I have told you before that the main focus of the DRR leadership has been to make very certain that the reins of this project remain in God’s hands – not ours. This effort has consistently been rewarding and humbling. At times it has been scary, requiring us to step out on faith with little knowledge of what the future would hold. We have now reached another of these times.
The Dirty Roots Revolution is too large to be small. At the same time, it is still too small to be large. It has grown very quickly. And the administrative and organizational duties associated with it have become a full-time job. This work has required more and more attention and time. I have begun using personal vacation time from my work, not to spend time with my family, but to tend to DRR business. The administrative duties and creative requirements of the DRR consume more and more of my attention, my time, and my efforts.
All three of which should be primarily devoted to my young family. A wise man once told me to be careful never to sacrifice my family on the alter of my personal ministry.
Following too many days, weeks, and months of burning the candle at both ends, in mid-July I found the middle of my wick. I called a meeting of our board of directors and following a lengthy and emotional discussion, our official stance was that the DRR was entering “a time of prayer and fasting”. During this period of several weeks, we put aside all tasks related to the DRR. I canceled and declined speaking engagements, we let our Facebook page go quiet, and – in light of our difficulty recruiting volunteers this summer – we suspended our weekly homeless outreach indefinitely.
This was a challenging time for us as we sought “be still” and seek the voice of God. After several weeks of listening for God I became fully aware that I was going to have to walk away from the Dirty Roots Revolution. I was heartbroken. In my frustrated prayers, I cried out to God for some kind of understanding, clarity, wisdom, and peace. And, as always, He was moving in ways I hadn’t foreseen.
To make a long story short, my wife, Amber, and I felt an undeniable nudging from God to remain in our leadership position of the college ministry at our home church – the First Christian Church here in Greenville.
The Dirty Roots Revolution was basically born from our involvement in that ministry. And as we attempted to work through whatever was happening with what the DRR had become, we felt the call to take things back to where they started. “Back to the basics,” as my Dad would say.
While the mission of the DRR has always been about encouraging people to make a difference in the world in whatever way they see fit, it has clearly been the weekly Homeless Outreach that has captured the hearts of our community. In working through the past few weeks, I could not get past the negative feelings I had, associated with the discontinuation of this project.
So, we’ve opted to move it under the umbrella of Wired, the college ministry we lead. The DRR largely started with the homeless outreach and the homeless outreach has primarily been made possible through the volunteer efforts of college students. In fact, one of my original ideas for the DRR was to have a board of directors made up largely of college students.
I want to stress that other than a change in the “parent organization”, there will be NO changes to the Homeless Outreach. IT WILL REMAIN OPEN TO ANY AND EVERYONE WHO WANTS TO PARTICIPATE, REGARDLESS OF THEIR CHURCH AFFILIATION. We will announce more specific information pertaining to the Homeless Outreach in the next couple of days. Please keep your eyes peeled for this information and have a look at it when it’s released. It is our hope and prayer that you’ll remain involved in this initiative if it has meant something to you.
In addition to the continuation of the homeless outreach, the Dirty Roots Radio Show will continue unchanged. You can catch it every Thursday from 8 to 10 p.m. (Central Time) on WGRN 89. FM in Greenville, IL or online at www.wgrn.net. Dirty Roots Radio will still be your source for all kinds of unique music, thought-provoking guests, and revolutionary information.
When it comes to the rest of the Dirty Roots Revolution, whether or not it will officially dissolve its incorporation remains to be seen. That is another conversation for a different day. I have yet to meet anyone who has figured out God…and I won’t pretend to know what He has in store.
If the opportunity to direct the DRR as a full-time job should happen to present itself, I would gladly jump at the opportunity to continue this adventure and explore many of the ideas we had worked on, but hadn’t had the time and/or funding to accomplish. We certainly had big plans…But, again, His will be done – not ours.
However, we recognize that without funding to allow this to become an actual job, things simply cannot continue as they have been.
And God is definitely teaching us something through all of this.
Our message has always been that one person can make a difference. And, more importantly, that people can make that difference by doing small things, taking small actions, making small changes, giving small amounts, etc. I tell people that you don’t have to quit your job and become a missionary to Africa to make a difference. You can make a difference wherever you are. You can be a banker and make a difference. You can be a nurse and change the world. You can be a plumber and have an impact.
We can make a difference without leading an officially incorporated revolution.
I want to stress to you that we are NOT giving up.
The revolution is alive within us. And we know it’s alive within you.
You do not need a little non-profit ministry like us to tell us that you can make a difference. You don’t need us to motivate you to get involved. You don’t need us to help you change the world.
You can do this. More accurately, GOD can do this…THROUGH you!
Always remember the words of Joe Strummer: “The world is worth fighting for.” Not physically fighting of course. But, fighting for the good in the world. Our God made this world. It is His creation. And He said it was good. Biblically, this world will continue to “get worse” until Jesus comes back. But, in the meantime, we believe we must strive to increase the amount of light that is present in the midst of the darkness at any given time.
God made all people in His own image. And every life matters.
While the formal organization of how we do this is changing, please continue to join us in our efforts to change this world. Find a cause and jump in. If you don’t know where to start, watch the evening news. Whatever makes you the angriest or tugs at your heart the most….there’s your cause.
Remember, even though they may go unnoticed, small actions matter. Small actions CAN and WILL change this world! Please don’t give up on these small actions. Your choices, your attitudes, your actions – every one of them matter.
Please allow me to acknowledge the leadership of the DRR. Our board of directors consists of Amber Mifflin, Chris Harnetiaux, and Miranda Caulkins.
My wife, Amber, was witness to whatever was brewing in my heart that eventually led to the DRR for a long time before anyone else. She encouraged me to pursue it to see where God was leading. And when things took off, Amber bravely stood by my side, knowing full well the commitment that this adventure may involve. I cannot thank her enough for her patience and support.
Chris Harnetiaux is my best friend and my brother. It’s been a pleasure to have him as my right-hand-man in this adventure. Chris and I shared many late-night cups of coffee, discussing the possibility of a better world, leading up to the formation of the DRR. Chris continually provided a Biblical perspective to the board that was always needed.
Miranda Caulkins was the first person I thought of when forming a board of directors. Miranda truly “gets” the philosophy of the DRR. She is an incredibly gifted photographer and graphic designer, which was a tremendous blessing for our organization. More importantly, Miranda (a sophomore in college when all of this started) is one of the wisest and bravest people I know – of any age. Miranda always encouraged us to take risks and do what we knew God was asking of us, even when we were uncertain or it was uncomfortable.
I have been blessed to serve alongside these three world-changers. And I have been forever blessed to serve alongside each of you.
To everyone who contributed funds, materials, prayers, encouragement, guidance, interest, and support, I say THANK YOU. You have made a difference. You have made this world a better place! Please keep it up!
A few final thoughts:
- One person CAN make a difference
- YOU are the leader we’ve been waiting for
- Silence is the enemy
- If you’re thinking, you’re winning
- People can change anything they want to
Most importantly, let me remind you what our homeless friend O’Lester (a wise old prophet to be sure) told us on one of our first homeless outreach trips: “God is good….ALL the time!!!”
Thank you for the blessing of this past year. All glory to God for what has been achieved!
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Homeless Outreach Supplies Needed
Revolutionaries:
The Dirty Roots Revolution will spend this coming week playing host to a youth group from Columbia City, Indiana. They will stay in St. Louis and we will take them on a Homeless Outreach, hold various educational workshops in conjunction with several of our ‘partner’ organizations, and facilitate several service projects and awareness-raising activities for them.
In preparing for the Homeless Outreach we realized we have literally reached the end of our supply of toiletries and food.
We try not to publicly cry out for money or materials too frequently. We realize times are tight. But we are in need. More appropriately put, our homeless brothers and sisters in St. Louis are in need. And unfortunately, their numbers are on the rise once again. We are seeing larger groups, new faces, and for the first time since last fall, we’re seeing many, many, many homeless children once again.
This Thursday, July 8th, the youth group will join us in Greenville to finish up the renovation project at DRR HQ (615 East Oak St.).
We’d LOVE to take full advantage of all the energetic young hands we’ll have available to sort donations of Homeless Outreach supplies. Can you help us? A detailed list of needed items follows.
Items may be dropped off at 615 East Oak St. in Greenville, IL. Please place the items on the white shelf, located under the carport. To arrange for pick-up of items or for more information, contact us at info@dirtyrootsrevolution.com or call 618-267-5436.
Financial contributions are also accepted. (Please note financial contributions to the DRR are not yet recognized as tax-deductible gifts)
We need the following items:
TRAVEL SIZED TOILETRIES: Soap, disposable razors, shampoo/conditioner, deodorant, toothpaste/toothbrushes, lotion, and feminine hygiene products.
INDIVIDUALLY-WRAPPED, NON-PERISHABLE FOOD: Peanut butter or cheese crackers, beef jerky, raisins, tuna packets, tuna/chicken salad w/crackers, granola bars, etc.
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS: Men’s and women’s socks, underwear, and T-shirts (Sizes L through 2XL)
WE DO NOT ACCEPT ANY MEDICATIONS, PERFUMES, OR MOUTH WASH. WE CANNOT HANDLE DONATIONS OF CLOTHING AT THIS TIME – PLEASE TAKE THOSE TO A THRIFT SHOP OR CHARITY OF YOUR CHOICE.
Here's to Another Year...
It was one year ago that I posted a note on Facebook announcing the official formation of the Dirty Roots Revolution.
At the time, a few folks were holding conversations about things we could do to make the world a better place. Three of us were taking occasional trips to St. Louis to hand out care packs to homeless people (8 was our record on a given trip). I had begun to speak about this “revolution” on my Dirty Roots Radio Show.
We had given it a name…the Dirty Roots Revolution, but it was more of a philosophy than a group.
And last July 3rd, I posted a note announcing that we were going to “get organized”.
We were going to do the Homeless Outreach every single Saturday. We were going to officially incorporate as a non-profit organization. We were going to make a difference.
I ended that note with these words: A revolution is coming. WE are the insurgents.
And one year later, not much has changed. But a lot has GROWN.
The Dirty Roots Revolution now serves about 120 homeless individuals in St. Louis every Saturday. We’ve been able to build relationships with many of these folks and are very proud to call them our friends.
We started the Generations Project, which brought several high school and college students into local nursing homes and retirement communities to visit with elderly residents there.
We’ve raised hundreds of dollars through our CHANGE the World program.
Thanks to the growth of the Dirty Roots Revolution and the magic of social networking, Dirty Roots Radio has people all over the world tuning in every Thursday night.
Social networking has also helped us spread our message, literally, across the globe. People in England; Brooklyn, New York; China; and many places in between have told us they believe in our cause and are taking similar actions in their communities.
We’ve been in touch with countless organizations in our region, our nation, and internationally who are taking small actions to change the world around them. We are truly part of a global movement of love.
With the help of a creative high school student we launched the 3.11 Project, a self-funding program where for every T-shirt someone buys, we donate an identical shirt to a homeless brother or sister.
We’ve been invited to share this message throughout our region and as far away as Kentucky, Ohio, and Minnesota.
College students in Iowa have asked us about starting a Dirty Roots Revolution chapter on their campus.
This week we move into the arena of planning weeklong mission trips for visiting youth groups.
This week we will also roll out our newest program: DRR for Kids.
One year ago we said a revolution was coming. Now, a revolution is HERE. And you made it happen. With your small and large contributions. With your gifts of encouragement and prayer. With your coins. With your crocheted hats we gave out in the winter. With your donations of toiletries and food. With the skills of your hands. With the food you made for our meetings. With the ideas you shared with us. With the greeting cards and pictures your children drew for homeless people. With the $1 proceeds your kids made at their lemonade stand. With the gift of an eye exam and glasses you gave to a homeless man with poor eyesight. With the funds you gave us to make sure a man on death’s door with diabetes could get a month’s worth of the medication he needed. With your regular visits to local nursing homes. Every time you paid for the meal of the man behind you in line in the drive through. With every smile, kind gesture, and warm greeting you gave someone.
There’s a revolution happening. You are making a difference. Small things DO matter.
We CAN change the world. Maybe thinking that way makes us crazy. We’re just crazy enough to try.
And so, on this one-year anniversary of the official launch of a new kind of revolution, I offer the following pledge on behalf of the Dirty Roots Revolution…our board of directors…our supporters…our sympathizers…and our fellow malcontents, co-conspirators, and insurgents:
This world is an imperfect and fallen place. And Heaven is our one true home. But we’re here on this earth for now. God created this earth and He said it was good. He made all people in His image. So, as long as our good Lord puts breath in our bodies and as long as He keeps this passion burning in our hearts, the Dirty Roots Revolution is and shall remain A THREAT TO APATHY EVERYWHERE.
Join the revolution.
Friday, July 2, 2010
REVOLUTION THROUGH COMMUNITY!
The Dirty Roots Revolution (DRR) will hold their second “Revolution through Community” gathering on Thursday evening, July 8th at 7 p.m. in the Family Life Center of the Greenville First Christian Church. The group hosts “Revolution through Community” events once per quarter, each in a different location.
“We at the DRR believe that being together, sharing together, learning together, creating together, is in and of itself a revolutionary act these days,” explained DRR Founder/Director Ryan Mifflin. “The point of this effort is to encourage community between churches and groups that may not otherwise gather together very often. We offer different activities at each gathering to encourage interaction and sharing. We also provide opportunities to learn about other organizations that are doing great work in this and other communities.”
The focus of Thursday’s event will be a highlight of a mission trip the DRR is facilitating this week (July 5-9) for a youth group from Columbia City, Indiana. “A mutual friend who follows the activity of the DRR on Facebook put them in contact with us,” said Mifflin. “They asked if we could facilitate a week-long mission trip for their group. We were thrilled to help them out. We are leading the group on one our Homeless Outreach trips and we have a variety of educational workshops scheduled, as well as various service projects. We are fortunate to be able to partner with International Crisis Aid, Project Restore, and Lots of Drops to make this event possible. These are like-minded organizations that we work with throughout the St. Louis area.
“At the event Thursday, we’ll share with the group some of what we did over the past week and we’ll invite some of the students to reflect on their experiences. We’re excited to hear how the week impacted them.”
The event is free to attend and everyone is encouraged to bring a dessert to share. Drinks are provided. Children and families are invited to create greeting cards, which will be used by the DRR on their weekly Homeless Outreach. Donations of snacks and toiletries to the Homeless Outreach can be made Thursday night, as well as contributions of coins to the group’s “CHANGE the World” project. Dirty Roots Revolution T-shirts and backpacks will be available for purchase.
“These meetings are always a good time,” said Mifflin. There’s music for everyone to enjoy, desserts to share, and lots of activities for everyone to do together. The kids love putting their coins in our “CHANGE the World” jug and families always have fun drawing the greeting cards. This really is just designed to be a fun time being together, to benefit a good cause.”
For information on Thursday night’s “Revolution through Community” event, contact Mifflin at info@dirtyrootsrevolution.com or 618.267.5436. For information on the Dirty Roots Revolution visit the group online at www.DirtyRootsRevolution.com or view their Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/DirtyRootsRevolution.
INFORMATION ON THE MISSION TRIP PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS
International Crisis Aid (ICA) is a St. Louis based international relief and development non-profit established in 2000. ICA's programs have reached out to thousands of children and families in need around the world. They are best known for rescuing young girls from the international sex trafficking industry. According to ICA, 1.2 million children are trafficked every year and every two minutes a child is prepared for exploitation. The average age of a trafficked victim is 11 to 14 years. ICA will share information on the work they do during a workshop as part of the mission trip. For more information, visit www.CrisisAid.org.
Project Restore is a humanitarian development and relief agency that supports, rehabilitates and enhances the quality of life and well being of individuals and communities across the world. Their areas of focus include clean water, education, hunger, and healthcare. The students on the mission trip will be presented with information on Project Restore and their efforts and will spend a day sorting textbooks for overseas distribution by the organization. For information on Project Restore, visit www.Project-Restore.org.
Lots of Drops is an informational organization founded by Dirty Roots Revolution volunteer and recent Greenville College graduate Catherine Weyers. Weyers compiled the website www.LotsOfDrops.org as the culmination of her departmental honors research on the Church’s response to the international water crisis. She became interested in this topic when she heard the statistic that every 10-15 seconds, a child dies from a water-related illness. Weyers will present information on the global clean water crisis and lead the group on a “Water Walk”. As part of the water walk, the group will walk one to two miles to the Mississippi River, where everyone will fill two water jugs and carry them back another one or two miles. The average person who lacks clean water must walk four to six miles to access water. One gallon of water weighs eight pounds and the average trip involves carrying 30 to 40 pounds worth of water. Young girls are typically responsible for carrying the water for their family and are unable to attend school because of this responsibility.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
A Tremendous Opportunity.....And We Need YOUR Help!!!
The Dirty Roots Revolution is pleased to welcome the high school youth group from the United Methodist Church in Columbia City, Indiana.
The group, consisting of about 20 students, six church volunteers, and 4 DRR volunteers, will spend a week carrying out a variety of service projects and learning about a variety of causes/issues.
We are being joined in this endeavor by Project Restore, Lots of Drops, and International Crisis Aid – three non-profit organizations doing work that we believe in and support every chance we get. Please see the bottom of this note for more info on each of them…
This is a tremendous opportunity for everyone involved. For the students, they’ll learn a lot and have the opportunity to make a difference with and for these groups in a tangible way. For the groups, they’ll have a new audience to share their mission with and they’ll benefit from some free labor for the week.
For the Dirty Roots Revolution it is a chance to share our message with a new audience. It is also a great way to test what may be a big part of our ministry as we move into the future.
A couple of physical needs have presented themselves as part of this endeavor. Would you please consider helping us with them?
1) One of the days we will stage a “water walk” for the kids. Access to clean water is one of the most pressing issues in our world today. 1 out of every 6 people on this earth lack access to clean drinking water. Thousands of them die each day from preventable diseases they caught from their water. A large percentage of the global population, are forced to walk a few miles to access water (not necessarily even clean water) and bring it back to their home. So…one day, everyone in our group will walk a mile with two empty gallon-sized milk jugs. We’ll reach the Mississippi River after the mile walk, fill the jugs with water, and walk back to our “home base”, each carrying two gallons of water. The event is carried out mostly silently, so participants can reflect on what the event represents
OUR NEED: We need MANY, MANY gallon-sized milk jugs (empty and clean, please).
2) We are FINALLY ready to renovate the garage at the home of DRR Director Ryan Mifflin. This garage space is already being used for DRR storage, but the renovation will allow us to have a more organized and useful space. We’ll keep all of the supplies for our weekly Homeless Outreach there, as well as all of our office supplies. We have a very generous supporter of the DRR who has donated time and materials to design and build shelving in the garage. The youth group will join us in Greenville for one day of their trip to help us with the renovation.
OUR NEED: We need several Rubbermaid-style storage totes to adequately organize our Homeless Outreach supplies.
If you can help with either of these needs, please bring your contributions to 615 East Oak St. by Sunday evening, July 4th.
We would GREATLY appreciate your prayers in association with this event. Please pray for a good week for everyone involved…Please pray for safety for everyone involved (including safe travels for the group from Indiana)…Please pray for the various ministries involved in the event – that they would be blessed by their involvement…Please pray for all of the participants – that their lives would be impacted as God wants…And please pray for what this event may mean for the DRR (again, endeavors like this could be an area we focus on as part of our future).
WE’D ALSO LIKE TO INVITE YOU TO OUR NEXT “REVOLUTION THROUGH COMMUNITY “ EVENT ON THUSDAY, JULY 8TH AT 7 P.M. IN THE GREENVILLE FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH FAMILY LIFE CENTER. THAT EVENT WILL SERVE AS THE CONCLUSION TO OUR WEEK-LONG MISSION EVENT. WE’LL SHARE STORIES FROM THE WEEK AND MUCH MORE…..WE’LL HAVE MORE INFO COMING SOON.
INFO ON THE MINISTRIES HELPING US WITH THIS EVENT:
LOTS OF DROPS (www.LotsOfDrops.org)
Catherine Weyers is a Dirty Roots Revolution volunteer from the original days of the group. During her senior year at Greenville College, she compiled this website as the culmination of her departmental honors research on the Church’s response to the international water crisis. She became interested in this topic when she heard the statistic that every 10-15 seconds, a child dies from a water-related illness. As a soon-to-be medical student, she began to see the treatment and prevention of water-related diseases to be one of the most primitive and wide-scale opportunities in the medical field. Through time in the Scriptures, particularly in Matthew 25, the prophets, and throughout the gospels, she began to be challenged by God’s imperative that His people take care of those less fortunate than themselves. She hopes that by visiting this site, you are challenged by the staggering statistics and stories, and that you take the opportunity to be involved in the life-changing opportunity to provide life-giving water.
INTERNATIONAL CRISIS AID (www.CrisisAid.org)
International Crisis Aid's mission is to assist in sustaining life, bring encouragement to those suffering and collaborate with other relief organizations in bringing necessary foods, materials and medicines to people in times of crisis, particularly where life and death situations exist. Additionally, we attempt to bring public awareness to these situations and to solicit citizen involvement whenever and wherever possible. All assistance and resources are traditionally secured in the country of need when possible, so as to develop relations with the local business people and foster a true spirit of cooperation. Demonstrating God's love and care for people is our highest and most cherished goal. To accomplish this vision we will continue to target our efforts in "no-go zones" where other organizations cannot or will not go. Frequently this means taking on escalated risks. We feel that these risks are a small price to pay in a game where the stakes are so high: literally, life and death.
PROJECT RESTORE (www.project-restore.org)
Project Restore helps relieve the suffering and oppression that overwhelms underprivileged individuals and communities. By focusing on four key issues, we promote self-sustainable, prosperous communities here and around the world. Our four areas of focus are Clean Water, Education, Hunger, and Healthcare.
The group, consisting of about 20 students, six church volunteers, and 4 DRR volunteers, will spend a week carrying out a variety of service projects and learning about a variety of causes/issues.
We are being joined in this endeavor by Project Restore, Lots of Drops, and International Crisis Aid – three non-profit organizations doing work that we believe in and support every chance we get. Please see the bottom of this note for more info on each of them…
This is a tremendous opportunity for everyone involved. For the students, they’ll learn a lot and have the opportunity to make a difference with and for these groups in a tangible way. For the groups, they’ll have a new audience to share their mission with and they’ll benefit from some free labor for the week.
For the Dirty Roots Revolution it is a chance to share our message with a new audience. It is also a great way to test what may be a big part of our ministry as we move into the future.
A couple of physical needs have presented themselves as part of this endeavor. Would you please consider helping us with them?
1) One of the days we will stage a “water walk” for the kids. Access to clean water is one of the most pressing issues in our world today. 1 out of every 6 people on this earth lack access to clean drinking water. Thousands of them die each day from preventable diseases they caught from their water. A large percentage of the global population, are forced to walk a few miles to access water (not necessarily even clean water) and bring it back to their home. So…one day, everyone in our group will walk a mile with two empty gallon-sized milk jugs. We’ll reach the Mississippi River after the mile walk, fill the jugs with water, and walk back to our “home base”, each carrying two gallons of water. The event is carried out mostly silently, so participants can reflect on what the event represents
OUR NEED: We need MANY, MANY gallon-sized milk jugs (empty and clean, please).
2) We are FINALLY ready to renovate the garage at the home of DRR Director Ryan Mifflin. This garage space is already being used for DRR storage, but the renovation will allow us to have a more organized and useful space. We’ll keep all of the supplies for our weekly Homeless Outreach there, as well as all of our office supplies. We have a very generous supporter of the DRR who has donated time and materials to design and build shelving in the garage. The youth group will join us in Greenville for one day of their trip to help us with the renovation.
OUR NEED: We need several Rubbermaid-style storage totes to adequately organize our Homeless Outreach supplies.
If you can help with either of these needs, please bring your contributions to 615 East Oak St. by Sunday evening, July 4th.
We would GREATLY appreciate your prayers in association with this event. Please pray for a good week for everyone involved…Please pray for safety for everyone involved (including safe travels for the group from Indiana)…Please pray for the various ministries involved in the event – that they would be blessed by their involvement…Please pray for all of the participants – that their lives would be impacted as God wants…And please pray for what this event may mean for the DRR (again, endeavors like this could be an area we focus on as part of our future).
WE’D ALSO LIKE TO INVITE YOU TO OUR NEXT “REVOLUTION THROUGH COMMUNITY “ EVENT ON THUSDAY, JULY 8TH AT 7 P.M. IN THE GREENVILLE FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH FAMILY LIFE CENTER. THAT EVENT WILL SERVE AS THE CONCLUSION TO OUR WEEK-LONG MISSION EVENT. WE’LL SHARE STORIES FROM THE WEEK AND MUCH MORE…..WE’LL HAVE MORE INFO COMING SOON.
INFO ON THE MINISTRIES HELPING US WITH THIS EVENT:
LOTS OF DROPS (www.LotsOfDrops.org)
Catherine Weyers is a Dirty Roots Revolution volunteer from the original days of the group. During her senior year at Greenville College, she compiled this website as the culmination of her departmental honors research on the Church’s response to the international water crisis. She became interested in this topic when she heard the statistic that every 10-15 seconds, a child dies from a water-related illness. As a soon-to-be medical student, she began to see the treatment and prevention of water-related diseases to be one of the most primitive and wide-scale opportunities in the medical field. Through time in the Scriptures, particularly in Matthew 25, the prophets, and throughout the gospels, she began to be challenged by God’s imperative that His people take care of those less fortunate than themselves. She hopes that by visiting this site, you are challenged by the staggering statistics and stories, and that you take the opportunity to be involved in the life-changing opportunity to provide life-giving water.
INTERNATIONAL CRISIS AID (www.CrisisAid.org)
International Crisis Aid's mission is to assist in sustaining life, bring encouragement to those suffering and collaborate with other relief organizations in bringing necessary foods, materials and medicines to people in times of crisis, particularly where life and death situations exist. Additionally, we attempt to bring public awareness to these situations and to solicit citizen involvement whenever and wherever possible. All assistance and resources are traditionally secured in the country of need when possible, so as to develop relations with the local business people and foster a true spirit of cooperation. Demonstrating God's love and care for people is our highest and most cherished goal. To accomplish this vision we will continue to target our efforts in "no-go zones" where other organizations cannot or will not go. Frequently this means taking on escalated risks. We feel that these risks are a small price to pay in a game where the stakes are so high: literally, life and death.
PROJECT RESTORE (www.project-restore.org)
Project Restore helps relieve the suffering and oppression that overwhelms underprivileged individuals and communities. By focusing on four key issues, we promote self-sustainable, prosperous communities here and around the world. Our four areas of focus are Clean Water, Education, Hunger, and Healthcare.
Friday, June 18, 2010
PRAY FOR THE DRR
A wise man told us not too long ago that if you‟re doing any kind of missions work, you need to have someone praying for you every sin-gle day. So that’s our goal.
As the DRR has grown and as we strive to fulfill our mission, we have come up against more and more obstacles, struggles, and even what we could fairly call persecution. The Bible tells us that when we do God‟s work, we will come under attack. And while this is tough, we consider it a sign that we‟re on the right track. A blessing, even. Still, we need to continually be in prayer that God would pour His Spirit out on this ministry. Most of all, we want to make sure we never take the reins on this endeavor. We work daily to make sure they stay in HIS hands.
We’re asking all willing revolutionaries to pick a specific day to pray for the DRR. It can be one day per week, one per month, multiple days, or every single day. If you're willing, please visit our Facebook page and add a comment too our "PRAY FOR THE DRR" note on the page. Please post the day(s) you select in the comment section below. Again, feel free to post a single day of the week or a specific date of the month.
If you are not on Facebook, you can send us an email with the day/date of your choice and we'll add it. If you prefer to remain anonymous, but want to make a commitment, please email it to us and we'll add "Anonymous" with your date on the Facebook note.
Our Facebook note is located at:
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?saved&&suggest¬e_id=433790751022&id=94601137886
Our email address is: info@dirtyrootsrevolution.com
By posting this commitment publicly, we believe you will be sending an inspirational visual image for people who see this note and see the names and prayer commitments. We know it will be an inspiration to us. Above all, we know God will be glorified by it.
WHAT TO PRAY FOR:
Please pray for the leadership of the DRR. Our leadership consists of our director, Ryan Mifflin, and board members Chris Harnetiaux, Amber Mifflin, and Miranda Caulkins. Please lift them up by name.
Please pray for those we serve. This population mostly consists of homeless individuals in the St. Louis area, but also involves residents in the local nursing homes that we visit with through our Generations Project. Additionally, we serve people right here at home; by providing them with the knowledge that one person CAN make a difference in our world.
Pray that lives would be impacted and hearts would be changed as God sees fit.
Most of all, pray that He pour his Spirit out on this ministry and that His will be done.
OUR LIST OF PRAYER REQUESTS CHANGES ALL THE TIME. IF YOU'D LIKE TO KNOW SPECIFIC THINGS YOU CAN PRAY FOR, PLEASE CONTACT US AT INFO@DIRTYROOTSREVOLUTION.COM AND WE'LL BE GLAD TO FILL YOU IN!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ONGOING SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT!
As the DRR has grown and as we strive to fulfill our mission, we have come up against more and more obstacles, struggles, and even what we could fairly call persecution. The Bible tells us that when we do God‟s work, we will come under attack. And while this is tough, we consider it a sign that we‟re on the right track. A blessing, even. Still, we need to continually be in prayer that God would pour His Spirit out on this ministry. Most of all, we want to make sure we never take the reins on this endeavor. We work daily to make sure they stay in HIS hands.
We’re asking all willing revolutionaries to pick a specific day to pray for the DRR. It can be one day per week, one per month, multiple days, or every single day. If you're willing, please visit our Facebook page and add a comment too our "PRAY FOR THE DRR" note on the page. Please post the day(s) you select in the comment section below. Again, feel free to post a single day of the week or a specific date of the month.
If you are not on Facebook, you can send us an email with the day/date of your choice and we'll add it. If you prefer to remain anonymous, but want to make a commitment, please email it to us and we'll add "Anonymous" with your date on the Facebook note.
Our Facebook note is located at:
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?saved&&suggest¬e_id=433790751022&id=94601137886
Our email address is: info@dirtyrootsrevolution.com
By posting this commitment publicly, we believe you will be sending an inspirational visual image for people who see this note and see the names and prayer commitments. We know it will be an inspiration to us. Above all, we know God will be glorified by it.
WHAT TO PRAY FOR:
Please pray for the leadership of the DRR. Our leadership consists of our director, Ryan Mifflin, and board members Chris Harnetiaux, Amber Mifflin, and Miranda Caulkins. Please lift them up by name.
Please pray for those we serve. This population mostly consists of homeless individuals in the St. Louis area, but also involves residents in the local nursing homes that we visit with through our Generations Project. Additionally, we serve people right here at home; by providing them with the knowledge that one person CAN make a difference in our world.
Pray that lives would be impacted and hearts would be changed as God sees fit.
Most of all, pray that He pour his Spirit out on this ministry and that His will be done.
OUR LIST OF PRAYER REQUESTS CHANGES ALL THE TIME. IF YOU'D LIKE TO KNOW SPECIFIC THINGS YOU CAN PRAY FOR, PLEASE CONTACT US AT INFO@DIRTYROOTSREVOLUTION.COM AND WE'LL BE GLAD TO FILL YOU IN!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ONGOING SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT!
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