My most recent ministry letter:

September 25, 2013

Dear Friends & Family:

Thank you for your faithful support, both financially and in prayer.  Because of the intensity of the spiritual battle I was involved in, I haven’t written a letter for a while.  However, I do write about ministry related events and issues at dottiedch.blogspot.com  if you would like to keep in touch there.

The Update

I have been helping on- campus Christian Clubs (since 2007), Baccalaureate (since 1999) and the Pearland Youth Ministry Alliance (since 1991) – just as a reminder of what I have been doing in Pearland.

 

2009 was a year where everything was looking up.  Club ministry was really coming together.  People were coming to help.  Pearland was becoming a team. The vision (and the task) was becoming clearer.

2010 was the pivotal year.  At the very end of the year, the on- campus Christian club support team was destroyed by a divisive partner.  A youth pastor put himself in charge of Baccalaureate and the Pearland Youth Ministry Alliance.  He also attempted to take control of all on-campus Christian Clubs as well.

2011 was the healing and affirming year.  After the move  to put me out of everything I had been doing, I had two simple goals:  1) Finish well: finish the 2010-2011 school year with one club. 2) Move on: move  out of Pearland to another community.  By April 2011, I realized I was doing more clubs and working with more students than I had been, before the clubs were taken away.  Graciously, someone pointed out that God will prosper you in what He has called you to do – I couldn’t have figured this out at that time: I was too wounded.  My calling was affirmed.

By November 2011, something was taking place in me.  I realized that I was the point person for unity and working together in my community; it was unity and working together that was Satan’s target, not me.  I realized that the number one group hurt when we don’t work together is our children, our schools and the poor and weak among us.  I moved from licking my own wounds to a new healing and trying to rebuild, trying to help my community regain the ground that had been lost.

During this time, I started to view what I was doing differently.  Rather than just someone doing what she could, I saw myself as uniquely called, uniquely trained, uniquely designed by my Creator for my community, for clubs, for students, for such a time as this.  Rather than just doing a good thing, I started to see myself as engaged in strategic warfare for a generation.  My perception-shift  was critical:

   A unique  person, in a critical position, who is called by God to bring people and churches together, to reach students for Christ. 

I did not attend Baccalaureate 2011 – the first Baccalaureate I’ve missed since 1994.   The attendance was about 35 graduates per high school..  The low attendance was a balm to my ego, but also an assault to my community spirit – how could they ruin such a wonderful opportunity to influence students to godliness, and enable churches to work together?  I attended Baccalaureate 2012.  Attendance was even lower – about 24 graduates total.  I helped with Baccalaureate 2013 (because my daughter, Allie was a graduate), the attendance of the graduates from both HS schools was down to 12 graduates.
   The 1999 through 2010 Baccalaureate programs had been attended by about 100 graduates per year.

During July 2013, the ministry I was working with, Cross in the City, closed down very quickly:  I had less than a week’s notice.  This left me without an income and without a way to raise any support.  With only my husband’s income, our income is at poverty level;  it is a critical situation for our family.  Frankly, without God’s intervention, I don’t see how we are going to get through this one.  It is difficult enough to go without a paycheck, let alone without 6 months of paychecks.

In spite of our situation, I knew I needed to be sure of what God wanted me to do, not just continue to persevere because He was prospering my work, or run out and take the first job I was offered because our family was so desperate for the income.  It was definitely a challenge to wait on God at this point.

I also had real questions about whether I wanted to continue in Pearland.  I had two contrasting realities:.  God was clearly prospering what I was doing with on- campus Christian clubs:  6 clubs were receiving support at various levels, totaling about 600 students a week.  I was interested in supporting any type of on-campus Christian Club.  But, the local youth pastors decided that they would push a certain model of club with their youth groups.  So, if I supported a sponsor or student in their desire to do a different type of club, sometimes sponsors received critical emails.  It was an odd position to be in:  I want to support Christian Clubs.  I want to encourage students to attend church.  I want students to live out their faith on their campuses.  However, doing this caused me to be to be at odds with the youth pastor community. 

I prayed.  I looked for jobs.  I evaluated my strengths.  I considered my family and their needs.  I really thought I was going to give up on ministry and find a “real” job.

The Future 

And then, I got this exciting invitation:  to work with Youthworkers Support Network (“The Net”).  I have the opportunity to be part of a team and create community.  I will have the opportunity to encourage clubs all over the Greater Houston Area.  I will have the opportunity to help develop youth ministry networks all over!  This is the biggest thing I have ever done and I am excited about the possible impact. 

Some of the best news is that it will be part-time (20 hours per week), which will allow me to juggle my family issues, and will also allow me to continue encouraging the Pearland club leaders.  It will also give me time to evaluate whether I should develop a 501(c)(3) organization to provide this support for Pearland.  (YSN will avoid developing or supervising direct-ministry programs, so it can focus on networking and leadership development.)  In the process, I will get to serve at a level that will be both challenging and fulfilling to me.  I will get to help sponsors and students from all over our metroplex, start and improve their on -campus clubs.  I will get to help youth workers, who have just realized their community could be better if they worked together, start networks.  I will get to connect people. … .    

I am:

A unique person, in a critical position, who is called by God to bring people and churches together to reach students for Christ.

Since joining YSN’s staff on September 1, I have two immediate  projects: 

#1  Rebuilding my support base:  I’ve never had time to focus on fundraising – I’ve always jumped into doing ministry, and fundraising was put aside.  Now I will have a season to do this.  My prayer is, that by January, 2014, I will be fully funded!  Please pray for my family’s needs during this time.

#2  Researching area See You at the Pole efforts:  “Where is SYATP going on?”, “Who is promoting it?”, “How can we help them next year?”

Will you consider joining me?  My initial goal is $30,000 per year.  This will cover my part-time salary of less than half that of a starting school teacher (which I’ve never received before), plus my taxes and basic program expenses  This will take as a little as 100 people giving $25/month, or $300/year – to keep me in this critical position.  Will you be one of my 100?  Will you be two?

                                                                                                            Please pray for me.

                                                                                                Serving Him,,

                                                                                                Dottie Hinesley

                                                                                                Schools-Network Coordinator

 

Building a cathedral

  Sometimes I think about the people who built the cathedrals.  Building a cathedral took 25 years to 600 years.  It is difficult for me to imagine what kind of vision that you would have to have to build something that you would never physically see, but that you would realize would have value for your children and your children's children and your children's children's children. 
  That would take vision!  I wonder what it took to pass on the job.
  Sometimes, what I do seems like that.  build, build, build.  No fruit.  sow, sow, sow, no fruit.  again and again and again.  Ministry wise, I'm building a cathedral.
  I am fascinated by the concept of market place chaplaincy.  I am also fascinated by the concept of the working poor.  Partially, because I have joined those ranks. 
  So, there is a local McDonald's.  I go there almost every day, either for meetings or to use the wifi.  I speak to the employees.  I work. 
  On another blog, I wrote about helping Donna get an oven.  Donna works for McDonald's.  On Thursday, Donna saw me starting to pack up.  Dottie, will you talk to Carrie?
  Okay.  Carrie's eye was swollen.  Her husband had beaten her up last night.  He was now in jail.  Her precious baby - probably close to a year old - was crawling all over the table.  The staff cleared the area, so I could talk to Carrie.  I prayed with her and referred her to local ministries so she could get help with her electric bill. 
  This small thing has probably taken close to a year to develop.  But I can see that fruit could come from it. 
  Pray for Carrie.  Pray for Dottie.

Good bye to Cross in the City: At this point

It is with great regret and sorrow that I let you know that the ministry I was serving with has closed down.  It has happened very suddenly and I am still a little dazed and confused.  This has happened in less than a week, from initial notice to closing.  It will take them a little while to officially close down the 501c3, but at this point, that is the plan.

At this point, I know I want to be open to whatever God has for me to do.  There has not been time to pray, assess, to figure out.  All I know at this point is that want God to clearly direct me if He wants me to continue in ministry.  This is a point of decision, of reassessment for me.

At this point, I am strongly suggesting that you not sent any contributions to Cross in the City.  I have 2 other options.  Hold on to your contributions and I will let you know if I am continuing – as soon as I know!, where I am at, what is going on.  If you aren’t concerned about a receipt for taxes, feel free to mail your donations to me.  God knows what we need.

Dottie Hinesley

2537 Lazy Bend St.
Pearland, TX  77581

Thank you for your gracious support, both financial, prayer and those words of encouragement that have meant so much.  My plan for a little bit is to seek counsel, pray, seek God, assess my skills, consider what God is calling me to.  School starts soon, so there isn’t much time for this. 

My simple assessment at this moment in time is that God has uniquely gifted me for ministry in schools, that there are thousands of students in Pearland schools without a church home and without Christ.  Both student leaders and club sponsors welcome my services, but the Pearland youth pastor community has become hostile to me, which has made this ministry community fairly abusive and lonely.  I think the community in general would be open to supporting this if they knew who I was and what I am doing.

I appreciate your prayers during this time as I count the cost of continued service.  Please check my blog: dottiedch.blogspot.com as I will try to put updates there.

Thanks again for what your support has meant to me.

Dottie Cooper Hinesley

Where does God want me?

It's been a rough couple of years.  That is probably the understatement of the decade. 

Vicious emeny attacks in every possible area:  Family, Marriage, Finances, Health, Home, Children.  I work alone.  Ministry flourishes.  Clubs grow.  Student Leaders grow.  Sponsors grow.  I'm working harder than I have ever worked.  I'm now working with 6 clubs, which turns out to be 7 sponsors and about 570 kids a week. 

I've been trying to figure out where I need to be.  Finances is the area that screams to me.  We struggle.  What am I doing?  Shouldn't I be helping more?

Last weekend, my car broke.  Badly.  4 hours away from home.  A newly installed water pump disintergated, causing the card to over heat and my head gasket to go.  No money to replace the car and a difficult repair job.  Do you get the picture? 

So, I prayed.  A simple prayer.  God, if you want me to stay in ministry, you are going to have to give me a car. 

And then, because of my great faith, I started looking for a job. 

I mean really:  a car.  Why don't I pray that the mountain be moved . . .  Perhaps I could pray to win the lottery. . .  Really.

My dad called my husband today.  My parent's church was given a Ford van that needs some transmission work.  Could Dean do that?  Did we want that?

Did you get the message?  I weep as I write this.  God wants me to stay in ministry.  I got the message - I don't know if I will get the car, but I got the message.  And the message is probably more important than the car.

God called me to ministry in Pearland.  I need to raise an army of caring adults to help me help students & sponsors reach their schools.  I need to raise my salary, so I can help my family.

God's doing something.  Do you want to be a part of it?

Financial contributions can be mailing to: 
Cross in the City - Pearland
1320 Scott St., Pasadena, TX 77506

Sadness, Sadness, Sadness . . .

On the way to JH East this morning, I got a phone call no one ever wants:  A 7^th grade boy from that school had committed suicide the night before.  Sorrow, Sorrow, Sorrow.  He attended both the JH East CITY Club and the Ignite Bible study, there is the hope that he might have known the truth, the way and the life.  But, you can't help but wonder about the despair that causes a 13 year old to give up on life.

However, at the CITY club leadership meeting this morning, our student leaders talked about, came up with a plan, cleared it with the principal.  After each 1^st period class was notified of what had happened by a counselor, the students were invited to visit with a grief counselor or gather at the school's flag pole.  A large group of students gathered - about 100 or so, read some verses and prayed, led by two of our leadership students.  They came up with this idea on their own, with just verse suggestions from the sponsor and I. 

It was a joy to watch these students being salt and light on their campus in such a sad situation.

Donna got a new (to her) oven today!

  This has been a long time coming . . . But I am amazed at how God worked it out, like only He can.
  Donna, this woman I have met at McDonald's, needed a oven.  Donna works at McDonald's.  I'm in there often - for breakfast, for my much needed diet Dr. Pepper, for various meetings with various people and groups.  I am intrigued by the concept of marketplace ministry, so I make the effort to learn the workers names and to say hi to them.  One day, they all sat with me! 
(I often think that the fast food workers of today are the modern day "shepherds" of the Christmas story.)
  I remember that a little before Thanksgiving, I overheard Donna telling people that she and her husband would be going to Golden Corral for Thanksgiving, because her oven didn't work, so she couldn't cook dinner.  At that point, I asked, "gas or electric?" because I thought my husband, Dean might run into something. 
  Around this time, Dean hurt his back and he just wasn't getting better. At some point, I knew, with Dean's hurt back, it was going to take more than Dean and I to help Donna get a oven. 
  At some point, I posted on my facebook page that I had a friend that needed an oven and Joe Horodyski responded that he might know of one.
  Then on 12/4, I posted again that she needed an oven and wouldn't that make a great Christmas project for a small group.  I didn't have any takers.
  So, at this point, this has taken maybe two months.  Perhaps, I should point out here that if I had money and a truck and I could lift an oven by myself, I guess I wouldn't need anyone else.  And maybe things would be quicker.
  Friday, I got a call that Garden Road Baptist church would be cleaning out their old building and it was time for the oven to go.  I alerted Donna, who I'm sure, after all this time, thought she was never getting a stove.
  Saturday, my daughter had an ear infection, so I had to take her to the emergency room.  On the way, I breezed thru McDonalds and saw Pastor Daniel Davis of Covenant Community Church and I quickly explained the situation - the oven was ready, I had no truck, I'm on the way to the ER with Allie, have you met Donna?  Can you exchange phone numbers?  Could you help me?  And I left.  (Allie had a major ear infection, a ruptured ear drum, but she is healing.)
Maybe God needed me to get out of the way . . .
  Well, today, it happened.  Daniel contacted Justin, who contacted me.  Justin had me call JourDan.  I met JourDan at GRBC and someone else met him there to help him get the oven into Donna's.  So the good people of Covenant Community got the Garden Road Baptist Church's oven to Donna.
  How many people did God use to get an oven to Donna:  me, Daniel Davis, Joe Horodyski, Vicki Frame, Justin Mullins, JorDan (with the truck), Andrew and I'm afraid I might be leaving someone else out.  Seven that I can name who did one thing or another to help make this happen.
  Only God can orchestrate getting the oven out of Garden Road Baptist Church's old building by the good people of Covenant Community.  It makes you feel like you are part of a body . . .

In Satan's Crosshairs

I haven't mailed out a letter for several years.  I wrote on this year that I am pleased with, but I don't think I am going to be able to mail it.  I did want to get the word out.

I’m in Satan’s cross hairs.  Do you ever feel like that?  That is where I feel like I am living.

 

I haven’t written a ministry letter for 3 years and I really want this year to be different – I can’t tell you how often I have started this letter.

 

I have spent my time helping on campus Christian Clubs (since 2007), Baccalaureate (since 1999) and the Pearland Youth Ministry Alliance (since 1991) – Just as a reminder of what I have been doing in Pearland.

 

2009 was a year where everything was looking up.  Club ministry was really coming together.  People were coming to help.  We were becoming a team: the vision (and the task) was becoming clearer.

 

2010 was the pivotal year.  At the very end of the year, the club team was destroyed by a divisive partner.  Baccalaureate and the Pearland Youth Ministry Alliance were taken away by a divisive youth pastor.  Officially, my work with on Campus Christian Clubs was taken away from me as well.

 

2011 was the healing and affirming year.  After the move by youth pastors to put me out of the school club program, I had two simple goals:  Finish the school year helping out one club and move out of Pearland to another community.  By April, I realized that I was doing more clubs and working with more students than I had before clubs were taken away from me.  Graciously, someone pointed out that God will prosper you in what He has called you to do – I couldn’t have figured this out.  My calling was affirmed.  I did not attend Baccalaureate 2011 – for the first time since 1994, but I was informed that it was poorly done and poorly attended – the lowest attendance ever.  This was both a balm to my ego, but it was also an assault to my community spirit – how could they ruin such a brilliant opportunity to influence students to godliness?

 

The doors to the other community closed:  Unexpectedly and unexplainably, leaving me to either continue ministry in Pearland or get another job.  I chose to go thru the doors God was opening.

 

By November, something was taking place in me.  Words were falling out of my mouth that were not mine.  The words and insights were brilliant.  I started to realize that while I was the point person for unity and working together in my community, it was unity and working together that was Satan’s target, not me.  As wounded as I was, my community and students were more hurt in this.  I grieved for my community, for the students I so loved.  I moved from licking my own wounds to a new healing.

 

I started to view what I was doing differently.  Rather than a simple wife and mother, doing what she could, I saw myself as uniquely called, uniquely trained, uniquely designed for my community, for clubs for students, for such a time as this.  Rather than just a good thing, I started to see myself as engaged in strategic warfare for a generation.  This shift in image is crucial.   A critical person in a critical position who was called by God to bring people and churches together to reach students for Christ. 

 

Who?  me? 

By 2012, I was still finding and helping more clubs.  Clubs were growing and multiplying.  Student leaders were growing in their ability to lead. 

 

I attended Baccalaureate 2012.  Attendance was even lower – less than 50 people.  I was distraught to see this God opportunity becoming less than it's potential and not impacting students the way I knew was possible.  

 

On a personal note, I was facing more and more personal challenges.  Overwhelming financial difficulties, martial issues, overwhelming mental health and behavioral issues with a child, personal depression and suicidal thoughts, home and personal issues – the list made me feeling like I was battling on all fronts.

 

Summer 2012, I was ready to quit.  It was too hard.  The issues were overwhelming.  I could not work another year for annual salary of $5000.  I began looking for a job.  I even interviewed.  At this point, I would say I was depressed and definitely in some kind of spiritual battle, as I was vacillating.  When I looked at me and looked at what I was doing, I reminded myself of James 1: 6: ⁶ . . .  because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 

 

That was me – Like a wave of the sea – ready to quit one day, ready to enroll in graduate school the next, ready to stand up and fight the next.  I could see what I was doing, but I couldn’t stop it.  I couldn’t see what God wanted me to do, so I couldn’t pick His direction.  I was willing, but completely unable.

 

When the school year is starting, I decide I’m going to quit a troublesome club and I will help other clubs until I can find other employment.  I’m still determined to solve my financial problems in my way.  Do you see it?  I’m going to leave my true calling, my true purpose:  Satan nearly has me beaten down.

 

I’m in Satan’s Cross hairs and he is trying by any means to take me down.  Because: I am “A critical person in a critical position who was called by God to bring people and churches together to reach students for Christ.”

 

Will you pray for me?  I know who I am and I know what God has called me to.  Satan is aiming to take me and my family down by any means possible. 

 

Will you consider giving?  It will take as a little as 100 people giving $25/month or $300/year – to keep me in this critical position?  Will you be one of my 100?  Will you be 2? 

 

At this point, I am helping with 6 clubs about 600 students a week.  I have my finger in the Baccalaureate pot, hopeful to help bring it to its potential and impact students.  I have started a “Women in Youth Ministry Network”.  I see all kinds of opportunities to connect students with Christ and the Church, to help connect workers with the harvest.  After several difficult years, my vision has returned.  I know who I am.

 

⁹ for a wide door ^[b]for effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. I Cor. 16:9

 

Please.  Pray for me.  Join me.

 

Dottie

 

Financial gifts can be mailing to:

Cross in the City

1320 Scott St.

Pasadena, Tx  77506