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SPartanburg Interfaith Hospitality Network

WELCOME TO SPIHN

2010 ROSTER

HOST CONGREGATIONS

St. James United Methodist
213 N Lanford Rd.
Spartanburg, SC 29301
Rev. Will F. Malambri

Trinity United Methodist
626 Norwood St.
Spartanburg, SC 29302

Fernwood Baptist
200 Fernwood Dr.
Spartanburg, SC 29307
Rev. Allens

Central United Methodist
233 N Church St.
Spartanburg, SC 29306
Rev. Luther H. Rickenbaker

Joy Lutheran
3980 Moore Duncan Hwy.
Moore, SC 29369
Rev. Lane Bembenek

Episcopal Church of the Advent
141 Advent St.
Spartanburg, SC 29302
Rev. Stephen M. Bolle

Mt. Moriah Baptist
455 S Curch St.
Spartanburg, SC 29306
Rev. Benjamin Snoddy

Church of the Covenant
9020 Asheville Hwy.
Spartanburg, SC 29303
Rev. Phil Stout

Westminster Presbyterian
302 Fernwood Dr.
Spartanburg, SC 29307
Rev. Paul Peterson

First Presbyterian
393 E Main St.
Spartanburg, SC 29302
Rev. David Renwick
Scott Neely (Missions)

First Church of the Nazarene
9149 Asheville Highway
Spartanburg, SC 29316

SUPPORT CHURCHES

Morningside Baptist Church
987 S Pine St.
Spartanburg, SC 29302
Dr. Kirk Neely

St. Paul United Methodist Church
1320 Fernwood-Glendale
Spartanburg, SC 29307

St. Paul Catholic
161 N Dean St.
Spartanburg, SC 29306
Rev. James Crowley

Jesus Our Risen Savior
2575 Reidville Rd
Spartanburg, SC 29301
Fr. Mike Polewczak

Bethel United Methodist
245 S Church St.
Spartanburg, SC 29306
Rev. David E. Nichols
Rev. Davis Smith (asst.)

Tiger River Presbyterian
5961 Reidville Rd.
Moore, SC 29369
Rev. Doug Cushing

St. John's Lutheran
415 S Pine St.
Spartanburg, SC 29302
Pastor Boyd Cook

New Beginnings UMC
210 Rainbow Lake Rd.
Boiling Springs, SC 29316
Pastor Thomas Smith

Temple B'Nai Israel
146 Heywood Avenue
Spartanburg, SC 29302
Rabbi Yossi Leibowitz

GRAND FINALE:

Golf Ball Drop 2010

We will raffle off
$10,000*
in the Ball Drop on May 21, 2010 at 7:30 pm at Woodfin Ridge Golf Club. The cost is $25.00 per raffle ticket or $100.00 for five raffle tickets. Tickets can be purchased by any person, age 18 or older. Only 2,010 tickets will be sold!

How it works:
2,010 golf balls will be dropped from a helicopter, hot air balloon, or crane. The ticket holder of the ball that lands closest to the designated hole or inside the hole will win $10,000*!

To purchase tickets or for more info, please contact our office: (864) 597-0699

*For the complete list of the official rules and regulations of the Ball Drop, please visit our "Annual Golf Tournament" page.

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G e t r e a d y f o r t h e . . .

1ST ANNUAL SPIHN GOLF TOURNAMENT AND BALL DROP

Where:
Woodfin Ridge Golf Club, Inman, SC

When:
May 21, 2010

Time:
Starting at 1:00 PM

What better way to start a spring weekend than by having a fun game of golf to help shelter homeless families in and near Spartanburg County (SC). The maximum number of players is 32 teams, which would play a round of 18 holes in the tournament.

Trophies will be awarded to 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and Last Place winners, and prizes will be awarded to the top persons in each category: Longest Drive; Straightest Drive; Hole-in-One; Closest to Pin.

We will also have a silent auction and casual dinner following the tournament; drinks will be available inside the clubhouse. And don’t forget about the GRAND FINALE where we will raffle off $10,000*!

Please visit our "Annual Golf Tournament" page to become a sponsor and to register a team, or for the official rules and regulations for the Ball Drop.
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The Volunteer

The Volunteer is one with a heart so sincere.

No task too large, no task too small,
Who will help with anything at all.

Who will be there in the morning light,
Or help in the dark of night.

The Volunteer, our extra hand,
On whose future our families stand.

Never anyone so dear as a SPIHN Volunteer !

-- Margaret A. Francis

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BEGINNINGS OF SPARTANBURG INTERFAITH HOSPITALITY NETWORK

by Troy Bridges

In the fall of 2003 an article appeared in the Spartanburg Herald Newspaper announcing a meeting at St. James Methodist Church about a meeting regarding homeless families and to learn about an organization that reaches out to those families. I noticed the article and called our Deacon Chairman and suggested we have someone attend this meeting. He did not get anyone to go, so I asked our pastor, Dr. Kirk Neely if he knew anything about the organization and he said yes, that Morningside had a representative that attended meeting back several years before. I suggested that someone ought to go to this meeting and his response was: “Why don’t you go?” At the meeting the main speaker, Tony Dade, director of GAIHN (Greenville Interfaith Hospitality Network) explained how the program had 13 churches that hosted families one week at a time and the families spent the day at a day center where they were assisted in job search and finding housing. It was brought out in the meeting that Spartanburg had attempted to organize the program in the late 1990’s but no place for a day center was found. It was at this point that it occurred to me that Morningside had an 8,000 sq ft building that was not being fully utilized. The building adjacent to the Church property had been purchased and used for Sunday School classrooms and Youth Ministry while the New Fellowship Hall with classroom space was being built. Since the new building was completed in 2002, this left the old building mainly being used for storage and a place for Boy Scouts to meet weekly.

As I attended some of the organizational meetings I learned about the lives being touched and what a wonderful blessing it was to these families to get this kind of help. I also learned from Dr. Kirk how the Interfaith Hospitality Network became a reality in North and South Carolina. Dr. Kirk’s son, Scott was a student at Wofford College and he and a few of his friends decided they wanted to see what it would be like to be a homeless person – so they got some refrigerator boxes and spent the night outside on the lawn at the Episcopal Church of the Advent. Scott’s brother, Erik a reporter with the Herald-Journal decided to be a part of the outing. During the night three homeless men came by and Erik’s reporter skill went into action. This was the beginning of an exhaustive study of homelessness including families that were living in cars and vans. Since the Herald is a syndicated newspaper these articles were in other papers across the country. Someone from the IHN National office contacted folks in SC & NC and four cities attempted to begin programs. These were Greenville, Spartanburg, Gastonia, and Rock Hill. Three of these cities were able to start the program, only Spartanburg was not started in the late1990’s. The reason Spartanburg was unable to get started – it seemed no suitable place for a Day Center was found.

As I look at how things have fallen into place and how this facility seemed to fit every need – I am convinced the Lord has brought this about for His Glory. I feel blessed to have been a part of bringing this about. To give some insight into this – I had no idea how this building was structured, but as you look about you will see evidence that this was used earlier as the Youth Room for Morningside Youth. We found when we looked closely at the facility this space met the criteria and had its own utilities, heat, air and separate electrical meter. A contract was set up with Morningside Baptist Church to be renewed every 5 years. Renovations were completed early in 2005 and the doors opened in April.

It was fitting, I felt, since Dr. Kirk’s son, Erik had passed away due to a seizure, that the Day Center be dedicated as the ERIK HUDSON NEELY DAY CENTER. A dedication service was held May 15, 2005 at 3:00 pm at Morningside.

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