New Way Ministries and Project Hope Are Local and Life-changing

Timothy Newcomb
Assistant editor, The Lynden Tribune.

WHATCOM -- There is something special about being able to help people in need.

And that is what New Way Ministries and Project Hope, Lynden-based service organizations, are doing with their time and resources.

Both agencies, under the umbrella of the Christian Hope Association, operate out of offices on South B.C. Avenue in Lynden and serve a variety of local families in need. They have been selected to receive money donated through the Tribune Readers Care Fund (see adjoining article).

Jim Grennell, Christian Hope Association executive director, said that all the services offered by the organization blend together nicely.

Started in 1969 as a small food pantry, the association has grown to include five different service wings, with Project Hope (a basic needs provider) and New Way Ministries (transitional housing for women and children) as its two main arms.

Those services today also include the Hope Chest for second-hand clothing, a Seafarers Program at Whatcom County shipping ports and cross-cultural Hope Counseling.

New Way Ministries began only in 2003, but is fast becoming a successful program for bettering lives.

Jan Ruiter, New Way program director, said that a six-month residential stay is “designed to help turn lives around and get women ready for individual living.”

New Way has nine suites to house single mothers and their children (children are required to enter the program). New Way allows children from birth to age 12 for boys and birth to 17 for girls.

The  families enter into a contract with New Way, agreeing to be actively engaged in educational classes, work or searching for work while in the program. They agree to attend classes offered by New Way in life skills training, cooking, parenting, relationship-building and family rules.

Ruiter said that “moms  need to be in forward motion” and that by the end of the six months they should have a stable income, be able to locate stable housing and have a stable child relationship.

“It is not a bed and breakfast, but an intentional program,” Grennell said. “We have a strict intake process and some don’t want the rules of community living.”

The nine furnished suites, with bathrooms, are converted from the former Christian Health Care Center rooms. The families also share a common area and a dining area, giving them a chance to interact with one another.

Ruiter said that the families have chores and responsibilities in and around the New Way building.

The at-will program has prospered. What started as a 40 percent success rate -- defined as moms completing the entire program and landing successfully afterwards -- has now risen to approximately a 70 percent success rate.

Ruiter said that there is no waiting list for the program. Instead, moms are referred from other agencies or community members when openings arise.

Because New Way is not an emergency shelter, women and children will often transfer, after going through an in-depth screening process for compatibility with the program, from other agencies.

Ruiter said that  the program has served approximately 75 women so far and that there is nothing better than seeing a changed life.

“When you see one of the girls moving into a nice apartment with a smile on their face and renewed hope in her life, it is so worth it,” she said. “Little by little they can take care of their own needs.”

New Way Ministries is not limited by geographical boundaries and will help anyone with needs.

Project Hope

Project Hope is more than just a food bank, although that is its main function. Grennell said that the program offers food and money to help pay for basic human needs.

“It is an emergency stop for people and we try to help out,” he said.

Project Hope asks its recipients to live north of Smith Road to receive any repeat services. “We want to serve where our donors are,” Grennell said. “We want to serve the people in their neighborhoods and community. We won’t turn people away, but will refer them.”

Project Hope also helped birth the Nooksack Valley Food Bank 20 years ago and still provides support to that area.

Grennell said that the reward of people coming back to thank him and the volunteers, or even to pay them back, makes all the demands worth it.

About CHA

The Christian Hope Association has three full-time staff and nine part-time staff, most of them associated with New Way Ministries. The association is also served by 150-160 volunteers.

From the November 8, 2006 issue of The Lynden Tribune. Reprinted by permission.