​‘Tis the season!
We are now entering the season where the stores are filled with pumpkin spice everything. This is our favorite season at Outreach because we know Christmas is not always easy for people. It is hard to get into the spirit of celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior when things are not going well and some are overtaken with their circumstances. Outreach understands that and wants to make this season joyous by not only giving some toys to some needy families, but by helping to make them feel whole again so they can focus on the real reason for the season. In order to make this happen, we need to collect a huge amount of toys, stocking stuffers, money to help with utilities and rental assistance and food to provide holiday meal assistance. We have already started to fill our food pantry with an abundance of holiday goodies. We are already beginning to sort toys into different age categories. We need to start early to prepare for the huge need of the community. We need many volunteers to make this a success. This is an overwhelming responsibility, and we know from last year that we cannot do everything, but everyone can do something. If you do not have money to buy toys or donate, we can always use volunteers. We are trying to get everyone motivated to start early. We are accepting new toy donations now and will continue until Christmas Eve. We really need the bulk of these items to come in before Thanksgiving, though. We start distributing the Monday following Thanksgiving.                                        
   
Furniture Ministry
While the door has not yet been opened for us to have a thrift store, we are still contemplating the best way to go about handling our furniture ministry. We are looking for a larger warehouse space so we can keep all the furniture in one location and be able to access it more conveniently. We will start posting our furniture inventory on our website with a link from our Facebook page. As always we will sell furniture items at very affordable prices to the public. We will still continue the furniture ministry with a voucher from a partner church or agency at 75% off our already low price. In most cases, the partner church or agency will help in covering the cost of the voucher furniture. For example, if we are selling a sofa for $20 to the public, the cost of that sofa for a needy person with a voucher would be $5. We are putting small prices on the furniture now because we have been monitoring our expenditures for this portion of the ministry and it has been a small burden to the ministry with the cost of the storage, gas and repairs on our box truck. We still desire to help as many people as we can, but we would like to maintain our ability to continue helping the community while remaining debt free.                  
Holiday food baskets!
We are preparing to conquer hunger and hopelessness this holiday season. We are in need of assistance with this. We will not turn away any food donations; however we would like to have every food basket be similar. We have a list of items for each holiday basket. Each basket can be obtained for $25. We will post the list of items needed so each family will get the same ingredients for a traditional holiday meal. Everything fits in one paper grocery bag. We will staple them shut after we confirm all items are inside. The fixings were able to be purchased at Walmart for around $15 if you choose the Great Value brand. We will also include a restricted $10 gift certificate that will be available from Walmart as well closer to Thanksgiving. We chose this particular gift certificate, because it can only be used towards the purchase of a ham, a turkey, or produce. This will eliminate the storage of all the turkeys and give them a choice between Turkey and Ham. If you are not someone who likes to shop, you can send in $25 for each holiday meal you would like us to pick up.
You can help!
Your holiday dollar is able to go much further this year as we are streamlining and decreasing any unnecessary expenses. We are excited to see how this holiday season will be a blessing to so many. You are the backbone of everything that happens at Outreach and we thank you for caring and making a difference to so many lives.

Thank you!
We want to thank Pastor Steven Johnson and all the performers for putting on the beautiful, inspirational benefit concert. The concert was a huge success and we are thankful for the funds that were raised because of your amazing efforts.
We are also thankful for those that gave towards the trip for the men. We are excitedly planning their getaway. They have been working so hard with such a spirit of excellence that we were hoping to reward them with a short vacation, showing them an example of how to enjoy life while clean and sober.
 
upcoming events!
There will be a new Bible Study starting on August 18. It is a short 6 week series and open to men and women. It will start at 6pm and repeat every Friday for 6 weeks. Please pray about attending. I strongly recommend this study. When I found this one, I felt much challenged about my own personal walk. I found myself digging deep. The series covers the tough questions and challenges us to discover if we are a fan or a follower of Jesus. If you have any questions call 757-498-4700. John says we have to feed everyone every time they come out, so we will be serving dinner and dessert. This study will take place at the Discipleship House at 3026 Tait Terrace in Norfolk.
Who is reading this???
John is also trying to figure out how effective our Newsletter is in getting the word out. If you could take a few seconds of your time and call him directly on his cell at 757-553-6253 just so he knows who is reading our document. He seriously would love to hear from you.
 
we have been busy!
In addition to our huge July yard sale, we were able to give away approximately $8,000 worth of household furnishings. We were able to provide 18 households with food. We provided utility assistance to 3 families. There were 25 salvations through our street Ministry and Jail and Prison Ministry. We currently have 7 men in our residential program that receive 24 hour supervision. We housed a homeless lady and her son with the help of one of our awesome volunteers that offered a room for the lady. We also helped one homeless family of five with money towards their motel. Whew, that’s a lot! During this time, we still found time to get away for an awesome week of vacation. We are thankful for the use of the timeshare of another awesome couple of volunteers.
We would never be able to do all these amazing things without the many volunteers, faithful donors and God’s amazing grace. We truly thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
 
what’s next?
We have searched high and low for a location for the future Thrift Store. We are praying and creating a business plan for our Board of Directors. This is a huge undertaking. We know God is moving and we just ask that you pay for His provision for this.
We have several guys that are ready to go out and work in the community. They are going to make amazing employees for someone. It is our desire to be able to continue mentoring them under the umbrella of Outreach. The Thrift Store would benefit the Ministry by being an outlet for our overflowing warehouses. Instead of paying to store extra items, we could sell them quickly at our Thrift Store. This would also be the next step in the process of giving the guys the opportunity to earn some money for their hard work, while keeping them in a safe, drug-free environment. It will be excellent job skills training for the men who are ready to transition to independence. It would also help the finances of the ministry by funneling money towards our future Women’s House and the future Women and Children House. We have met with many Ministry Leaders that are currently doing this successfully and it is the next logical step to put us in the financial situation to be able to afford to continue moving forward with these goals in mind. Please keep the furniture donations coming. There is a huge need for furniture right now. 

prayers needed
We are praying for more churches to partner with us in the upcoming Christmas Toy Ministry. We want to start early in gathering the toys this year as there is a huge need. Last year we did not have to turn anyone away and we hope to be able to say that again this year. We would love to have donation boxes in many different and new locations this year. Please pray that God moves the hearts of the local churches to work together in this holiday season. We are already looking for ways to do this ministry more efficiently and effectively.
     John and Tammy Savola
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​Current Events:
Bible Study
• We are enjoying our Thursday Evening Bible Study! People start gathering at Outreach’s office building at 6pm. We always enjoy food, fellowship and an open study and discussion of the Word. It is truly a time of iron sharpening iron. Feel free to join us. We do it pot-luck style, so if you want to bring a dish, you can.
• There is now a men’s Bible Study on Tuesday nights at 8pm at the Discipleship House. It is located at 2605 Ballentine Boulevard in Norfolk.

Discipleship House Open
• We have 6 men in the Discipleship program right now and we are expecting 2 more soon. Please continue to pray for God’s will to be done in the lives of these gentlemen.
• The men have been hard at work building the new beds for the Discipleship House. It was cheaper for us to buy the materials than to buy new beds. All labor has been volunteers.
Yard Sale
• We are having another huge yard sale at the Men’s Discipleship House on Friday July 21 and Saturday July 22 from 8am to 2pm. It is located at 2605 Ballentine Blvd in Norfolk Virginia.      
•  Benefit Concert
We are having our very first benefit concert. We are asking everyone to come out and see what God is doing. Please join us for a night of Worship. You will hear testimonies of the guys currently in the Discipleship Program. They have stories of inspiration. They are prepared to share how God is using Outreach for Christ to impact their lives for God’s glory. We are seeing miraculous change. The concert details are as follows:

A Night Of Worship
Saturday July 15, 2017
7pm
Redeemed Fellowship Kingdom Ministries, Inc
961 Canal Drive                   Chesapeake VA 23323
Current Needs
• Our biggest need right now is a 15 passenger van. We are praying and believing for God’s favor over this. We are currently taking 3-4 different vehicles to transport everyone to church every week. This is not very cost effective as we are paying for gas. Please continue to pray for this need. 
• Please continue to donate items for the furniture ministry. We have been able to furnish many houses of people in need. We have a huge need for beds at this time, but also any item for the house. We always find a home for everything that comes in.
• We could always use Study Bibles and notebooks. The gentlemen in the Discipleship program are required to study the Bible and journal daily.
• We are always in need of volunteers. People in need stop by the house and request all kinds of help. We give away food, furniture, clothing and various other items. We have had to be creative at times, but we have never turned anyone away. We praise God for all of our generous donors. Without you, none of this would be possible.

​Current Events:
Bible Study
·         We are enjoying our Thursday Evening Bible Study! People start gathering at Outreach at 6pm. We always enjoy food, fellowship and an open study and discussion of the Word. It is truly a time of iron sharpening iron. Feel free to join us. We do it pot-luck style, so if you want to bring a dish, you can.
·         There is now a men’s Bible Study on Tuesday nights at 8pm at the Discipleship House. It is located at 2605 Ballentine Boulevard in Norfolk.
 
Discipleship House Open
·         We have been blessed to open our first Discipleship House. We currently have 3 men working towards amazing goals. We are seeing awesome progress.
 
Current Needs
·         The men are currently looking for another blower and weed eater so they can keep up the property as well as do small jobs in the community.
A Huge Thank You:
·         We are extremely humbled and in awe of what God is doing. We want to extend a special thank you to all the amazing volunteers that helped make our Yard Sale and Open House/ House Blessing such a wonderful success. We had no idea what we were getting into and we could not have done it without you all. We were pulled in many different directions and working like maniacs and you all made it come together so lovely. We are so blessed by all your efforts. We know there is an extra special blessing for you in heaven. We had people selling items, cooks preparing food and desserts. We could barely keep up with all the traffic.  It was beautiful to see so many people working in unity and harmony for the Glory of our Father in heaven. We cannot thank you enough for the awesome job you did. We were able to raise $2000 toward some renovations needed at the house. That was no small feat as it rained the first day of the sale and part of the second. We are forever grateful for God placing you in our lives. It is truly beautiful to see so many different people from different churches and backgrounds come together to work towards the common goals. In the process, we were also able to bless 3 less fortunate households with furniture for their homes. They came in trying to buy a little something to help them get by and we were able to deliver everything they needed. This made the entire sale worth it. It was never about the money, but only glorifying our Lord! God bless you all for stepping in and stepping up. We truly could not have done it without you. Also for the crafty ladies who made all the beautiful lap afghans for us to distribute at the nursing home on Mother’s day, we praise God for your talents and willingness to give of your time to make this happen. We know you have been working on these for many months. God bless you. The smiles on their faces were precious treasures!
Men at Work
·         John is currently working with some of the men out in the community. They are happy to be hired out for small construction projects. They have great attention to detail. They keep their work area clean and orderly. They are excellent with lawn care, pressure washing, drywall repairs, painting, furniture moving and much more. Please call Outreach to schedule. They are supervised 100 percent of the time by our CEO, John Savola. I assure you, you will be blessed by the Outreach Team.

Current Events:
Bible Study
·         We are enjoying our Thursday Evening Bible Study! People start gathering at Outreach at 6pm. We always enjoy food, fellowship and an open study and discussion of the Word. It is truly a time of iron sharpening iron. Feel free to join us. We do it pot-luck style, so if you want to bring a dish, you can.
·         There is now a men’s Bible Study on Tuesday nights at 8pm at the Discipleship House. It is located at 2605 Ballentine Boulevard in Norfolk.
 
 
Discipleship House Open
·         We have been blessed to open our first Discipleship House. We currently have 3 men working towards amazing goals. We are seeing awesome progress.
·         We would like to invite everyone to celebrate our House Blessing/ Open House on Sunday, May 21 at 2:30 pm. We will allow tours of the house and provide plenty of food and refreshments.
Yard Sale
·         We are having a huge yard sale fundraiser. It will be at the new Discipleship house on Friday May 5 and Saturday May 6 from 9am to 2pm. Please come out and find some treasures. We have more than 2 warehouses we are trying to empty. All proceeds will go towards future ministry needs for the men in the discipleship program as well as some needed renovations to the house to better serve the needs of the community.
 
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Men at Work
·         John is currently working with some of the men out in the community. The men are learning new trades as well as mastering skills they already have. They are happy to be hired out for small construction projects. They have great attention to detail. They are excellent with lawn care, pressure washing, drywall repairs, painting, furniture moving and much more. Please call Outreach to schedule. They are supervised 100 percent of the time by our CEO, John Savola. I assure you, you will be blessed by the Outreach Team.
 
 
 
Current Needs
We currently need another weed eater and blower for the lawn care. We also always need items such as toilet paper, paper towels, tooth paste, deodorants, over the counter medications like Tylenol, Ibuprofen, and Bandages. We also use a lot of dish detergent and laundry detergent., shampoos, body washes, soaps and snack items.
 

Discipleship House
 
By the time you receive this newsletter, we should be in the process of moving into the new Discipleship House.  We will have our Grand Opening soon. This home will allow us to legally take in 8 men who are ready to get serious in their walk with the Lord.  It will not be a facility to just house people. This program will be intense discipleship. We will go through the process of overcoming every stronghold and compromise, come to peace with the past and obtain victory in the future. We will assist them in job skills training to prepare for gainful employment. We have many partner agencies in the community that will provide assistance. They will receive free basic medical care as well as a free GED program if needed. They will also be required to give back to the community in service to others. There is an excellent program called “Fathers in Training” that will be a requirement for every father that enters the program. This program trains them that no matter what kind of home they were raised in, they can still become the Dad that God has called them to be. It includes anger management and solid parenting skills. We are still looking forward to the Ann Skinner House of Discipleship for Women in the future when we become fully funded for that. We are always in need of monetary donations toward the future goals.
We will schedule an Open House soon so you can see where Outreach will house the men.
Outreach Thrift Store Voucher Program
 
We are currently looking for a location that will house our Thrift Store. The non-monetary donations we receive from our supporters will serve many purposes. We plan to partner with many local churches to meet the needs of the community. Pastors will have access to an email voucher. So, when they have someone in their congregation in need, they will email a voucher to Outreach. We will meet that need. For example, if there is a single mom with a financial struggle and she needs a crib for her baby, Outreach will give her one. In turn, that Pastor will ask his congregation to donate their gently used items to Outreach. We will be partnering together to meet the needs of the community. This will also be good training for the men in our Residential Program. They will be serving the community as well as learning job skills. We will sell the overflow of donated items at our soon-to-be Thrift Store. The proceeds from the Thrift Store will help cover the housing costs of the men in the program as well as be another outlet for job training and gainful employment for the men who are ready to return to the work force. We have many devoted volunteers that are helping behind the scenes to make these goals become a reality.
 
Debt Free!
 
We are so excited to announce that we have finally made it. We are completely debt free. We owe no money to anyone. That is a good place to be. It is only possible by the grace of God and through your faithful support. We could not have done it without the amazing guidance of our Board of Directors. We are blessed to sit in a room with so much wisdom and godliness. We want to thank each of them and mention their names. We have Preston Ozmar, John Tirey, Dean Dunn, Robert Moore and Elinor Malendoski. We know they spend many hours in prayer over this ministry.
 
 
Schedule A Pick-Up
Please, remember us as you do your spring cleaning. Donate your gently used items to Outreach. It is a simple phone call to schedule a pick-up. We have a box truck to haul your items to their new home at Outreach. Call us at:
757-498-4700
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