Reach4Hope Joins Rise Again Outreach

We are excited to announce that the boards of directors for Reach4Hope and Rise Again Outreach recently voted unanimously to bring Reach4Hope into Rise Again Outreach.  Reach4Hope is now a ministry of Rise Again Outreach.  After years of working side by side, sharing volunteers and resources, and from that, seeing how coming together would strengthen both missions, the decision to unite seemed a natural progression. 

While each organization targets a different area of need, we use a similar method and philosophy.  Rise Again Outreach is a 3 year old mission helping families and individuals through their mobile food and clothing pantry, furniture exchange and prison aftercare. Reach4Hope has assisted the homeless population in the Concord area for 5 years, with food, clothing, personal supplies and tents for those without a regular place to live. We will soon bring our administrative services under one roof so more time and resources can be directed toward fulfilling our missions. With the snows of winter not far away, our two growing ministries are combining forces to more effectively reach out to the those in need in central New Hampshire. More at www.riseagainoutreach.org


As part of this move, Neil Burtt, Reach4Hope founder and chairman, will be joining the Rise Again Outreach board of directors.  Lorinda Monroe, Reach4Hope president, will be the ministry director for the Reach4Hope ministry.  The Reach4Hope ministry will be working side by side with Rise Again's Mobile Pantry, Furniture Exchange and Aftercare ministries.
We welcome any questions or comments you have.  Please contact Bill Pelletier at wjp@riseagainoutreach.org or call 1-800-266-5017 Ext 5.

Repent and Believe the Good News!

I was visiting Fuzzy in the hospital this past Friday. I say “visiting”, but I’m almost certain that he had no idea I was there. It’s not the first time I’ve been to see him there in this condition – heavily sedated and with a breathing tube down his throat. I got the impression that the doctors don’t feel they can do much for him, but because his brother asked that they try, they are giving it a shot. You see, Fuzzy’s brother is not ready at this time to lose him to death.

Many in our society fear death because they are unsure of what awaits on the other side. It’s a door they have no desire to open for fear that what lies beyond is total nothingness – nonexistence. Some, of course, firmly believe that what awaits them are the fires of hell because they cannot conceive of a God so loving as to be willing to forgive their grievous sins. The fact that they are concerned would lead me to believe that – if they could only accept the completeness and inclusiveness of God’s forgiveness – they would likely turn to him and receive it.

God’s forgiveness is real. Unlike so much else in this world, the forgiveness of God is something we can totally depend on. Nothing we can do has any effect on the complete and all-consuming forgiveness we have in Jesus. 1 Peter 3:18 tells us that “Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” That means that your sins, past, present and future, have been paid for through the suffering and death of Jesus.

However, our acceptance of this reality depends on our turning – away from our sin and toward our Savior. There is a word in scripture for this turning, a word that you are probably familiar with. That word is repent. It means to think differently or to reconsider. It represents a 180 degree turn from our way of life apart from God and toward his intended life for us. Therefore, repentance is a choice we must make for ourselves.

Now we can choose to stubbornly make our own decisions and hope for the best, or we can turn our lives over to God and truly experience the best. Acts 3:19 “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord…” If we repent and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, salvation is ours. We will surely slip up and sin on occasion, but sin will no longer be a way of life for us. And, although – once received – our salvation is assured, repentance needs to be ongoing. As God softens our hard hearts and opens our minds, we see more clearly how our life fails to follow his desire for us. So, as we make course corrections, we turn – again and again – from our ways to his ways.

For those who are already on this road it may sometimes seem like you are making no progress and that the journey God has laid out before you is just too hard. When this is your experience, just remember what Revelation 3:19 says, “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest (sincere), and repent. Trials come to draw us closer to God, not to push us further away. Allow the trials to give you clarity of vision so that you can see more clearly what God desires for you.

As I sat next to Fuzzy’s bedside on Friday, I was sure of two things. First, I knew for sure that – regardless of the mess he made of so much of his life – he trusts in God and in the salvation which is found only in Jesus Christ. Whether or not he survives this current ordeal, he has a home with God. Second, Fuzzy is a long way from perfect, but at least he’s heading in the right direction. You see, God meets us where we are at. He doesn’t put us down for not keeping up with him, but encourages us, like a parent to a toddler, to put one foot in front of the other and trust that, if we fall, he will be right there to pick us up again.

The Lord God, Creator of heaven and earth is a God of second chances. He is waiting and willing to give you yours right now. Turn to him and trust in him. Allow him to pour his love into you and you will be filled to overflowing.

In His service,
Pastor Thom

3x3 Benefit Concert - 3 bands, 3 causes - April 16th

Mark your calendars and join us for this event!

CHILD of God

Message shared by Pastor Thom today about how God wants all of us to be His C-H-I-L-D, and a brief description of what that means...

1 John 3:1 - How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. [2] Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. [3] Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.

Chosen – God the Father chose us in Jesus before creating all that you see around you. As we find our identity, purpose and passion in Jesus, we reflect his love. This was His pleasure and elation.

Ephesians 1:3 - Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. [4] For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love [5] he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-- [6] to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

Healed – Through the life, death and resurrection of Christ, we receive spiritual healing, the chains of incarceration are broken and eternal life is ours as we are lifted together with him in the embrace of the Father. By believing the truth (Jesus), we are set free to enjoy this relationship with Jesus, just as he enjoys relating to us.

1Peter 2:23 - When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. [24] He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

Included – Jesus has purposed that we find our belonging in Him. It’s about relationship not religion. Jesus has included all of humanity in His life and love – because we “are,” we are wanted, accepted and loved.

Ephesians 1:11- In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, [12] in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. [13] And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, [14] who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory.

Linked – In Christ, we are all included by one Spirit into one body – the church. We are needed and wanted in the body and it is there that we find we belong to one another. We find friendship, support, encouragement and elation in communion with our brothers and sisters.

Romans 12:4 - Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, [5] so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

Disciple – (Student) We are called to follow Jesus—to be his disciples, joining with him in helping other people believe the truth of who they are in Jesus and follow him as his disciples.

John 13:34 - "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. [35] By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

- Thom

One Solitary Life

Carol shared a great message last week at the van....

I want to talk to about justice and injustice. We all know someone who has been treated unjustly, or maybe it was you.

Acts 8:32-35 - "The place in the Scripture which he read was this: He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so He did not open His mouth. In His humiliation, His justice was taken away. And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth." So the eunuch answered Philip and said, "I ask you whom does the prophet say this, of himself or some other man? Then Phillips opened his mouth and beginning at this Scripture preached Jesus to him."

The Scripture the man was reading is Isaiah 53:7-8. I am here to preach Jesus to you.

One Solitary Life
He was born in an obscure village 

The child of a peasant woman 

He grew up in another obscure village 

Where he worked in a carpenter shop 

Until he was thirty 



He never wrote a book 

He never held an office 

He never went to college

He never visited a big city

He never traveled more than two hundred miles 

From the place where he was born 

He did none of the things 

Usually associated with greatness 

He had no credentials but himself 


He was only thirty three 

His friends ran away 

One of them denied him;
One betrayed Him

He was turned over to his enemies

And went through the mockery of a trial
(He had no attorney - no one to represent Him)


He was nailed to a cross between two thieves 

While dying, his executioners gambled for his clothing 

The only property he had on earth 


When he was dead 

He was laid in a borrowed grave

Through the pity of a friend
(This is not the end of the story - He rose from the grave - He is alive!)



Nineteen centuries have come and gone 

And today Jesus is the central figure of the human race

And the leader of mankind's progress 

All the armies that have ever marched 

All the navies that have ever sailed 

All the parliaments that have ever sat

All the kings that ever reigned put together 

Have not affected the life of mankind on earth 

As powerfully as that one solitary life

Is there justice on earth? In our lives? Maybe yes, maybe not. True justice will be given when Jesus returns to judge the living and the dead. Luke 4:18 - Jesus came to earth "To heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed..."

He came to die for our sin so we could be forgiven and have a personal relationship with God, Creator of heaven and earth, and receive the gift of eternal life. We are here for around 70 - 80 years. Our eternal home will be with Jesus where there is no more pain or sorrow. No more tears.

- Carol

Message shared by Janet - God sees you. God loves you. God is at work—He changes not.

Good morning. My name is Janet, I’m John’s wife. I am here today as a witness and recipient of God’s love, God’s watchful attention and God’s sustaining power. I am here to tell you not to give up--that God see’s you- you are not alone, not to feel unloved - God loves you, and that He is here among us today as a Father...wanting to have compassion on each of us …if we are willing to come to Him. How do I know this?

My story before I came to trust Jesus is a simple one. I don’t have any dramatic stories to tell of a past life of addiction and hardship. When I became a Christian, I was 21, and married with an infant son. I was just an average person living an average life. I thought I was a good person, everything seemed fine. That is until the Holy Spirit showed me just how much I needed a Savior. I turned to Jesus. I trusted Him as my Savior and began allowing Him to be the Leader of my life. Little did I know that believing Him as Savior was only the beginning. The bible describes our faith journey like running a race. Now my faith race had begun.
My husband at that time did not approve of my new way of life as a Christian. For the next 25 years I experienced many hardships because I loved Jesus and wanted to live a life that pleased Him. I was disliked, excluded, punished financially, and was treated often unkindly. Until finally, I was abandoned by the person I was married to. He did not want a Christian wife. My marriage was lost. The life I thought I would have was lost. But …..I wasn’t lost. The life God had for me was not lost. By God’s love and power, I was still on the race path God had prepared for me.

In Hebrews 12:1 it tells us “… let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. Looking to Jesus the founder and perfecter of our faith….” This means that Jesus opens our eyes to our need for Him and He works in us to grow our faith—we, are to keep our eyes on Him , as we go through the difficult times and the good times in our Christian walk. We keep our eyes on Him by reading the bible, praying, and trusting Him that He will love us and guide us as He as promised.
I can tell you there were many a time when my eyes were red with tears, I would have feelings of discouragement….there were times when I was I felt as if I was merely crawling along in my Christian race ….those were the times when I wasn’t keeping my eyes on Jesus… I would cry out to Him again and again. I would get back to praying, reading the bible and trusting. He always heard me….He would fill me with His peace and turn my tears to praise of His goodness. He brought me Christian friends to encourage me and pray for me. By His grace and power alone was I able to find the strength to get up again…. He kept me going and brought healing into my life. He restored my life. He brought me a christian husband and gave us opportunity to serve Him. He has allowed me to be here today to speak about His love, His sustaining power, and His grace.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 “For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me.”
Friends do need encouragement? Are your eyes red with tears? Are you crawling?....I am here today to say--keep going don’t stop. Keep looking at Jesus because God See’s you!!!!!! God see’s you!

Let me tell you about a woman in the bible who didn’t think God saw her, but she was trusting Him. Her story is in the bible to show us that God saw her in her troubles, had compassion on her, loves her, and healed her as she trusted Him. Jesus was in a huge crowd of people, who were pressing up against Him. I think we have all been in that type of crowd, right. You can barely move. Now a local man who was important in the synagogue asked Jesus to come quickly and heal his dying daughter. So Jesus was trying to make His way through the crowd to get to the man’s house. …Luke 8:42 ”A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding, and she could find no cure. Coming up behind Jesus, she touched the fringe of His robe. Immediately, the bleeding stopped. “Who touched me”, Jesus asked. Everyone denied it, and Peter said, Master this whole crowd is pressing up against you.” But Jesus said “Someone deliberately touched me, for I felt healing power go out from me.” When the woman realized that she could not stay hidden, she began to tremble and fell to her knees in front of Him. The whole crowd heard her explain why she had touched Him and that she had been immediately healed. “Daughter” he said to her “your faith has made you well. Go in peace”
Despite the pressing crowd, Jesus noticed this woman…..He knew the cry of her heart…..He wasn’t too busy to stop …..In fact, he searched her out of the crowd….She was important to Him….but she had to step out in faith to Him……When she did He didn’t scold or criticize her for coming to Him….He had compassion on her and called her Daughter and healed her…..and gave her peace.

When two or more people gather together in His name He is there among them….Today Jesus is here, now, in this crowd--- do you need to touch the fringe of his robe? To reach out to Him? Do you need encouragement in your faith race? Do you need to take that initial faith step that this woman took? Cry out to Him he hears you…He is not too busy…..He is searching you out…….You are important to Him….He longs to call you Son or Daughter….to heal you….to give you peace. …..to be by your side as you finish the race with victory.

- Janet

Message shared by Rachel - changed by God's love

1 Peter 3: 8-12a - "Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that's your job, to bless. You'll be a blessing and also get a blessing.

Whoever wants to embrace life and see the day fill up with good, here's what you do:

Say nothing evil or hurtful;
Snub evil and cultivate good;
Run after peace for all you're worth.

God looks on all this with approval, listening and responding well to what he's asked; "

I share this word with you today because each week we come here in the hopes to meet your physical needs, yes, but more than anything, to show you God’s love.

Its not pretty but I know that I would be living much more selfishly and judgmentally if it weren’t for someone in my life who took the time to show me Gods love, which is what we’re here to show you. I don’t have all the answers, but I have faith and I believe in God’s love for me- and in God’s love for you. I believe this because when I was 15 my parents brought me to a church where God used a 21 year-old hemophiliac who had contracted AIDS through a blood transfusion to show me what God’s Love looked like.

His name was Steve and he had a heart for God like none-other I’ve met to this day. While he was battling a disease that was taking his life away a bit more each day, somehow he found the strength to reach out to the high school kids at his church, and become a friend to us- to become a friend to me. He cheered at our sporting games, he checked in to see how things were going at home. He would meet up with us for meals. He did things to show that he cared. He reached out beyond his problems.

Steve showed me that God uses EVERYONE. God has a purpose and a plan for each one of us here. Steve was up against more struggles than anyone else I knew- yet he found time to love as Jesus did.

Whether you’re employed, or not, homeless, or in a home- God can use you. God WANTS to use you. He knew where you would be today. He knew from the day you were born what path your life would take. He hasn’t always said it would be easy- but he has promised to be WITH US.

Our trusting him shows us we believe in him. Our stepping out in faith and helping a stranger, forgiving and praying for someone who has hurt you- these are things that we ALL can do to begin to show His Love. God sent Jesus because he knew we would mess up. He loves us and wants to use us despite our history.

Wherever you are at in life, I KNOW God has a plan for you. If you claim God’s love and step out in prayer for a neighbor- THAT makes a difference. If you sit down at a table over at the kitchen and extend an ear as a support to someone who needs it- THAT makes a difference. When you begin to tell people it is because of God’s Love for you that brings you to Love them- THAT makes a difference that lasts an eternity.

Yes, I was fortunate to grow up in a Christian home, but it wasn’t until I saw God’s love displayed through Steve that I realized I hadn’t truly been getting it. I needed to ACT OUT what I put my faith in. If Steve, a 21 year-old hemophiliac with AIDS could make the time to think beyond his own problems to the cares and concerns of others- Then I knew I needed to surrender my selfishness every day.

I still battle judgment and selfishness, and I know there are things in your life that you are confronted with every day too. My prayer is that you would look to what you CAN do.

We all can pray, we all can listen. Let’s extend each other Grace. We’re in the middle of a long, cold winter. If Jesus were here, I believe he would be happy to be at this van, meeting needs. But lets take this love beyond the material gifts of this morning. Let’s show each other this grace and understanding during the week. When you’re cold, hungry, tired- annoyed with trying to find work. TRUST that God is going to use you, if you have a heart open to his direction.

Many of you have touched my life already. Whether here, or talking at the First Church shelter. I see a family amongst many of you. I see that you look out for each other. Keep it up and do it with the strength of God.

My life was forever changed because someone looked beyond himself. I pray we can do that for each other as well.

- Rachel