Carry the Cross Ministries

For the past fourteen years, Carry The Cross Ministries has been working to meet the needs of children and families in urban Kansas City, KS, by way of short-term housing, neighborhood-based outreach programs and through connections with local schools and programs. We will continue to operate The Firehouse and it's programs in the heart of the city. The same programs in place now will be carried on after the transition. This building will also be turning into a transitional home for youth aging out of foster care especially those that have been through our new branch of ministry that we hope to open soon called On Eagle's Wings Farm.

This new ministry will give children who are orphaned, at-risk, or in foster care an opportunity to have a safe, stable and loving family to call home. On Eagle’s Wings Farm will be a place where families that have been broken or stained by the craziness of life will come to find hope and restoration. On the farm, children and families will be able to experience:

Shelter
On Eagles Wings Farm will be a place of refuge and hope for children who are enduring hardships in life. We will provide a place where children can come and visit or live in a Christ-centered family environment where they will be surrounded by love, encouragement, family counseling and Christian morals and principals. Children who come to stay for long or short term will have full interaction with the farm environment, where they will learn how to care for and ride horses, plant and reap at harvest time, devise ways to harness energy, acquire life and business skills and produce their own products to sell at the market.

Leadership and Skills Training
Children and youth will be encouraged in their talents, whether it is in sports, music, dance, or whatever talent or skill they find joy in. They will be given daily tasks that will prepare them for the world, such as cooking, cleaning, engineering, taking care of siblings and solving daily problems. But, most importantly, grace, hope and love will be consistently modeled and poured into their lives, through living together in a cohesive family structure.

Mentor Program
All of our children will be connected, one on one, with a trained volunteer mentor from within our community. Our mentors will build positive and encouraging relationships with our children, through on and off-site interactions.

Building Bridges Through Relationships
One of our main strengths the farm will be able to offer is a space for parents, children and counselors/therapists to meet that will encourage hope, restoration, renewal and healing. Instead of merely sitting in an eight by eight room, staring at the walls, wondering what to say to each other during visits, families and counselors will have numerous opportunities to participate in all aspects of the outdoor and farm life.

Refuge: a condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble

Our goal, for each child who comes to stay, is to be able to find a safe place, where they can feel love and grace, no matter who they are, where they come from, or what their situation is. Being in a classroom for over ten years has shown us the importance of a child feeling safe in their environment and how that relates to how successful they are in whatever they are trying to accomplish.

Restoration: The biblical meaning of the word "restoration" is to receive back more than has been lost to the point where the final state is greater than the original condition. The main point is that someone or something is improved beyond measure. A restoring to an unimpaired or improved condition

Our goal for each child who comes to stay is that no matter how hopeless or broken they feel their life has been, that through the healing power of God’s love and grace, they can be not only brought back to a point where they feel life is worth living again. But, that they can find a new freedom to be exactly who they were created to be, living with the purpose of bringing glory to God, and finding ways within their families and in the world to use the gifts He has given them.

We will also strive to restore the trail of broken relationships that usually accompany our children that come to stay with us. Whether it be with parents, siblings, or relatives, we will work fervently with them and their families, not only through counseling, but also through interacting and bonding time out on the farm and within the homes.

Renewal: the replacing or repair of something that is worn out, run-down, or broken. to become new or as new, to begin again

Our goal for each child who comes to stay is that they and their families would be able to be given a fresh new start on life. Past brokenness will be addressed through many different facets of counseling and therapy, and all involved will feel a sense of starting over. Our hope will be that everyone will learn from the the past, being careful not to dwell on it. But, looking forward to what the future holds as they find healing through their time at the farm. The renewal and restoration processes will go hand in hand together. Children and their families will grow abundantly together and will be able to share their experiences and help others overcome as well.

Reintegration: to integrate again into an entity :restore to unity

One of our top priorities for each child that comes to stay is that they would be united, back together, with the family they have been separated from, with a new sense of hope.

For the past 14 years, our organization has been working side by side with children, youth, young adults and families in trauma and crisis situations, providing them with the love, hope and skills that they need to overcome the challenges that they face in the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual world. We will continue to utilize the training, skills, and knowledge that we have encompassed over this time and will apply it to our new phase of outreach, giving children and their families the best possible chance to overcome their struggles and find success in their lives.

CTC formed in 2005 out of a desire to help individuals and families suffering from homelessness. Shortly after formation, The Firehouse, a fourplex in the heart of Kansas City, KS, was purchased in order to begin serving homeless families as well as urban families and children in need in our neighborhood. The Firehouse sits on a cul-de-sac in KCK where there is a long history of gangs, drugs, prostitution and broken families. Almost immediately after opening, our housing and community resources were put to use. We have had the opportunity to provide housing for over 20 different families since 2005 and see much improvement come to the neighborhood.

Partnering with local churches and organizations has allowed us to provide numerous types of outreach and event activities that have helped us to build relationships within our community. Those relationships have turned into weekly programs such as Friday Night Fires and Illumin8 where meals are served and those relationships are nurtured. Several years ago a large shed was also donated, which has been used as a clothing and food pantry. This has enabled us to be able to meet many supplemental and emergency needs of those staying in the Firehouse and also from the neighborhood.

As the years progressed, it was decided to explore urban farming. A pen was built on the back of our land for animals, which has housed goats, chickens, rabbits and dogs. Much of our grass was plowed up in order to form three large garden plots that have been made available to our neighbors. Everyone young and old has found joy in feeding the animals, digging in the dirt, enjoying the bounty at harvest time and flying in the air on one of several tire or tree swings that were put up on the land.

By far one of the greatest highlights along our journey has been running a mentoring program for young men who were in trouble with the l. The young men were brought out to a farm each week to learn how to ride, care for horses and how to do work around the farm. It was amazing how well the youth responded to this new environment that they were in and the responsibilities that they were given. This is around the time when the dream of having our own farm began to take shape.

Through all of our many connection points within the community we began to see a huge need within the at-risk and foster child areas. We started to brainstorm and dream about the concept of a farm where youth from these walks of life could come and not only visit and interact with the farm environment but also stay and live in a loving, Christian family community environment supported by and encouraged by the local body of believers and the church.

We have since visited many different farms and homes and networked with those that are already living out our dream. We have come alongside several of them and have learned what has worked for them and what hasn’t. Through this process we have birthed the plan for On Eagle’s Wings, a farm for family restoration!