Beacon Newsletter - Spring 2010

A Message From our Executive Director

Outside of Hendersonville, North Carolina, there is a road named World’s End. Those who built it must have followed a snake around the mountain because it curves and twists through the hills, ending at a dead-end turnaround surrounded by woods. Looking into the woods the day we first went there, I thought, is this Where the Wild Things Are? In my imagination I could see wild creatures with big eyes lurking behind every tree in the forest. Being there brought back childhood memories of leaving my friend’s home just before dark, fearing the monsters who eat little boys would come out of the woods I had to pass through and gobble me up before I got home.

People who come to Lighthouse Ministries, especially for the first time, often tell us how hard it is for them to seek our assistance. As I hear their needs and hurts, I am frequently aware of their fears. As they tell us why they have had to come to Lighthouse Ministries, it quickly becomes clear they only came because there was nowhere else to turn. Single mothers with small children fear being evicted from their homes, unemployed fathers fear not being able to feed their families, elderly couples on fixed incomes fear not being able to get their medications and all fear the volunteers who interview them will not be able to advocate for the resources they need to get through their predicament.

There is no way Lighthouse Ministries or any other agency can “fix’ all of someone’s requests. What we can do is provide a place where needs are heard and there are resources which address their situations. Often it is not helping to pay a rent bill that brings hope to a person or family, but the fact someone cares enough to listen to them in the midst of their crisis. Most of the time it’s not the medicine, but mommy's or daddy’s touch and hug that goes with the Band-aid which stops tears, returning the child back to their play.

There is an unkempt dirt road at the turnaround on World’s End Road. If you follow it you come upon a beautiful overlook across the mountains. When there is no fog or clouds, you can look across the valley to Lake Lure where Dirty Dancing was filmed. The first time I went there, I found myself putting aside my worries and drinking in the beauty of the place. When I left I felt a sense of renewal. When people leave Lighthouse Ministries, they have experienced a caring which gives them a renewed sense of hope. Keeping this hope alive is what your support provides as you collaborate with the agency.

J. Austin Watson, D. Min.

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