Good Samaritans in Gwinnett: How NSPIRE Outreach Turns Prayer into Practice
Good Samaritans in Gwinnett: How NSPIRE Outreach Turns Prayer into Practice
“My prayer really shows up when I leave that prayer closet in my actions and by my words.”
This prayer-fueled action is the cornerstone for Gregg Kennard and NSPIRE Outreach, a nonprofit Gregg founded in 1999 through his church to take action against the homelessness crisis in Gwinnett County.
“We have a holistic process that involves job training, counseling, therapy, mental health services, continued education, health and nutrition services, and life coaching as well as spiritual formation,” Gregg explained. “That seems to be a pretty good recipe to bring healing and wholeness to the person’s life.”
Over NSPIRE’s 13-week program, clients diagnose areas for change in their lives and work towards a better future.
“An individual client will go through 390 hours of job training with us. They’ll go through 39 recovery meetings, 39 health workouts and 26 coaching sessions. They’ll experience 10 individual therapy sessions,” Gregg explained. “So every day is just a dance. It’s a very busy program.”
At NSPIRE, answered prayers are a weekly occurrence as God faithfully moves through the organization’s outreach.
“We have a staff meeting on Mondays, and we open that meeting with prayer. We pray a blessing over the week that we would operate from a Christ-like place of compassion, that our efforts would be blessed to make a difference in our clients, that everyone connected to us would find empowerment for that week and that our needs will be met.
“The fact that we’ve been operating now for almost 26 years is a miracle,” Gregg shared. “It’s a miracle for us to have kept our doors open for this long and to have served this many people. We walk on water every day.”
While faith permeates every aspect of NSPIRE’s mission, Gregg believes that prayer can be more than words spoken to heaven; it’s action here on earth.
“Scripture says to pray without ceasing,” he said. “Sometimes we pray in a more centered, deliberate way, but we’re always praying. Our intentions, our thoughts, our actions are all prayers.”
Gregg draws the philosophy for NSPIRE’s ministry from the Good Samaritan story in Luke 10 where a Samaritan helps a wounded man religious leaders had ignored.
“The Samaritan didn’t do anything that we would call religious. What he did do was powerful,” Gregg said. “He gave [the beaten man] a ride, he gave him money for room and board, and he bandaged his wounds.
“He did not pray for him. He did not take him to church or synagogue. He did not anoint him with oil. He did not lead him in a sinner’s prayer. He did nothing that we would consider spiritual. All he did was meet his practical needs.”
In the same way, NSPIRE first seeks to meet practical needs, and Gregg has seen God answer prayer and transform clients’ lives through their program.
“A year ago I interviewed an [NSPIRE client] in the woods [where he lived]. Now he’s gotten his plumbing certification with us. He has his own place, his own car and a good job with a reputable plumbing company. Just a year ago, he was in the woods with nothing!”
Gregg recalls another client who was facing incarceration when a judge mandated enrollment in NSPIRE’s program instead.
“During these 13 weeks, he got his GED, and now he’s moving on to college. He’s getting a lot of tools to keep him in a sustainable, successful place. He’s really dug deep with mental health and substance use and put together a lot of momentum around life skills,” Gregg said.
Client success stories are not the only prayers answered for Gregg and his team. He has been astounded when God shows up in unexpected ways to meet the organization’s operating needs. After one of NSPIRE’s vehicles broke down, Gregg asked for donations on social media to replace it, and one community member stepped up to help.
“He brought a $10,000 check, which took care of most of that expense. What’s cool about that story is not only the gift, but he is Muslim — and he knows we’re a Christian organization,” Gregg said.
“We’re driving a van now that was mostly paid for by someone who practices Islam. It shows God’s bigger than any of our boxes.”
At NSPIRE, “loving your neighbor” can take many forms from job training to coaching sessions to therapy, and each new day is a prayer answered as Gregg and his team offer practical help for individuals facing homelessness.
The next step for NSPIRE is to purchase their own housing and expand this arm of their outreach.
“We lease apartments,” Eric said. “We’ve been paying rent for 17 years and have paid millions and millions of dollars to all these apartments, housing 70 people at a time. So, of course, what we’d love to do is have our own property with our own residential community.”
With this goal in mind, Eric coordinated with the Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia to become an official fundholder last year! He hopes his fund will pave the way for an improved housing experience for NSPIRE’s clients.
Support NSPIRE by donating through https://cfneg.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=4597.
Good Samaritans in Gwinnett: How NSPIRE Outreach Turns Prayer into Practice
Good Samaritans in Gwinnett: How NSPIRE Outreach Turns Prayer into Practice
“My prayer really shows up when I leave that prayer closet in my actions and by my words.”
This prayer-fueled action is the cornerstone for Gregg Kennard and NSPIRE Outreach, a nonprofit Gregg founded in 1999 through his church to take action against the homelessness crisis in Gwinnett County.
“We have a holistic process that involves job training, counseling, therapy, mental health services, continued education, health and nutrition services, and life coaching as well as spiritual formation,” Gregg explained. “That seems to be a pretty good recipe to bring healing and wholeness to the person’s life.”
Over NSPIRE’s 13-week program, clients diagnose areas for change in their lives and work towards a better future.
“An individual client will go through 390 hours of job training with us. They’ll go through 39 recovery meetings, 39 health workouts and 26 coaching sessions. They’ll experience 10 individual therapy sessions,” Gregg explained. “So every day is just a dance. It’s a very busy program.”
At NSPIRE, answered prayers are a weekly occurrence as God faithfully moves through the organization’s outreach.
“We have a staff meeting on Mondays, and we open that meeting with prayer. We pray a blessing over the week that we would operate from a Christ-like place of compassion, that our efforts would be blessed to make a difference in our clients, that everyone connected to us would find empowerment for that week and that our needs will be met.
“The fact that we’ve been operating now for almost 26 years is a miracle,” Gregg shared. “It’s a miracle for us to have kept our doors open for this long and to have served this many people. We walk on water every day.”
While faith permeates every aspect of NSPIRE’s mission, Gregg believes that prayer can be more than words spoken to heaven; it’s action here on earth.
“Scripture says to pray without ceasing,” he said. “Sometimes we pray in a more centered, deliberate way, but we’re always praying. Our intentions, our thoughts, our actions are all prayers.”
Gregg draws the philosophy for NSPIRE’s ministry from the Good Samaritan story in Luke 10 where a Samaritan helps a wounded man religious leaders had ignored.
“The Samaritan didn’t do anything that we would call religious. What he did do was powerful,” Gregg said. “He gave [the beaten man] a ride, he gave him money for room and board, and he bandaged his wounds.
“He did not pray for him. He did not take him to church or synagogue. He did not anoint him with oil. He did not lead him in a sinner’s prayer. He did nothing that we would consider spiritual. All he did was meet his practical needs.”
In the same way, NSPIRE first seeks to meet practical needs, and Gregg has seen God answer prayer and transform clients’ lives through their program.
“A year ago I interviewed an [NSPIRE client] in the woods [where he lived]. Now he’s gotten his plumbing certification with us. He has his own place, his own car and a good job with a reputable plumbing company. Just a year ago, he was in the woods with nothing!”
Gregg recalls another client who was facing incarceration when a judge mandated enrollment in NSPIRE’s program instead.
“During these 13 weeks, he got his GED, and now he’s moving on to college. He’s getting a lot of tools to keep him in a sustainable, successful place. He’s really dug deep with mental health and substance use and put together a lot of momentum around life skills,” Gregg said.
Client success stories are not the only prayers answered for Gregg and his team. He has been astounded when God shows up in unexpected ways to meet the organization’s operating needs. After one of NSPIRE’s vehicles broke down, Gregg asked for donations on social media to replace it, and one community member stepped up to help.
“He brought a $10,000 check, which took care of most of that expense. What’s cool about that story is not only the gift, but he is Muslim — and he knows we’re a Christian organization,” Gregg said.
“We’re driving a van now that was mostly paid for by someone who practices Islam. It shows God’s bigger than any of our boxes.”
At NSPIRE, “loving your neighbor” can take many forms from job training to coaching sessions to therapy, and each new day is a prayer answered as Gregg and his team offer practical help for individuals facing homelessness.
The next step for NSPIRE is to purchase their own housing and expand this arm of their outreach.
“We lease apartments,” Eric said. “We’ve been paying rent for 17 years and have paid millions and millions of dollars to all these apartments, housing 70 people at a time. So, of course, what we’d love to do is have our own property with our own residential community.”
With this goal in mind, Eric coordinated with the Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia to become an official fundholder last year! He hopes his fund will pave the way for an improved housing experience for NSPIRE’s clients.
Support NSPIRE by donating through https://cfneg.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=4597.
