Julie Abel, ED of FLS with HBA Cares Board Members

On Friday, February 17, 2012 Family Life Services was blessed to join HBA Cares at their host booth for 2012′s HBA’s Breakfast with the Builders at Mr. Biggs. HBA Cares is a local non-profit, separate from HBA that serves other non-profits in the city with construction needs that will further their ability to provide housing and living assistance to Pikes Peak Region families in need. HBA Cares does not make contributions to other non-profits, but rather provides construction expertise and works to solicit donation of goods and services required for a construction project.

This year Family Life Services needed assistance on evaluating the roofs for all of our buildings at our South Cascade location. We contacted HBA Cares, and they connected us with local roofers who voluntarily evaluated out all of our facilities, and then fixed our problem areas. Not only did they save us time and money, they were fantastic to work with.  This group has a heart to serve agencies that are helping those hurting in our community. We are grateful for their support, and their willingness to work with us to get the word out about what we do for single parent moms and their children. Thank you fellas! We had a wonderful time at this event.

This year, Family Life Services looks back with a heart full of gratitude at the Lord’s unending faithfulness over a rich history of what is now seven decades of ministry, and celebrates a future full of newness and life as we continue to provide a haven of hope to single mothers and their children.

On March 19, 2012, join us for our New Beginnings Celebration at the Briarhurst Manor Estate as we remember the ministry’s beginning in 1942, the Lord’s mercy and grace over the past 70 years, and embrace the newest chapter in our history—our merger with Women of Courage—a ministry that has extended a hand of compassion and love to the single mothers of Colorado Springs for nearly 20 years.  This will be an evening to celebrate the past and the future, but most importantly God’s constant presence and plan.  We hope you can join us. Thank you for providing your RSVP, due to limited seating.

If your family, church or business is interested in becoming Sponsor Hosts for this event, please contact Katie Stedman at 719-632-4661 or katie.stedman@flscs.org.

New Beginnings Invitation

Our New Women of Courage Outreach Staff

We are so excited to announce the launch of our new Spring radio campaign with Way FM Colorado! These new spots will feature information about Family Life Services’ recent merger with Women of Courage and promote our new web site. Let us know Colorado Springs when you hear our new spots when you are out and about. Here is a sneak peek of what will be on the air:

Family Life Services Spring Spot

Compassion International Volunteer Group

Calling all volunteers!  Looking for a way to get involved in your community in a meaningful way? Consider volunteering with us here at Family Life Services. We have a wide variety of ways to get involved. From maintenance and handy-man work to Bible study mentorship opportunities, there is a place for you and your giftings to be put to good use!  For a complete list of volunteer opportunities, visit our Get Involved section and see where the Lord is calling you!

Part of a church, business or community group?  Bring everyone out to FLS for a group work day!  Groups make a tremendous impact on our ministry in just a few short hours.  It is truly amazing the work that can be accomplished when a group of people get together!  For more information on how to schedule a work day for your group, please contact Katie Stedman at: 632-4661.

Volunteers are the heartbeat of Family Life Services.  Come join our family and make a difference in the lives of the families we serve!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE            

January 26th, 2012 – Colorado Springs, CO.

Press Release:

A Legacy Times Two: Merging Non-Profits Partner Together for Stronger Impact

With a 70-year history of restoring dignity and hope to hurting families in Colorado Springs, Family Life Services now joins forces with like-minded ministry, Women of Courage. Poised to make a greater impact by merging, the two organizations will combine their resources and broaden their reach to help a growing number of single-mother families.

Effective January 1, 2012, Women of Courage (WOC) officially partnered with Family Life Services (FLS). Their 20 years of service to the community tell a story not unlike that of Family Life Services. Designed to offer life skills, biblical counseling and guidance toward financial independence, WOC will operate as the outreach ministry for FLS, incorporating its’ programs—designed to equip 30-40 single moms and their children—into the two year onsite residential program run by FLS.

Darlene Harris, formerly titled as WOC’s Executive Director, is now Director of Outreach. Understanding that WOC was not in the position to expand, Harris began to seek direction and spiritual guidance. Women of Courage met a tremendous need in the community, but the demands weighed on its’ small staff.

In February 2011, FLS Executive Director Julie Abel and the Board of Directors began to seek their own direction for the future of Family Life Services. It was decided that, instead of expanding their already maximized residential program, the best use of resources would be to focus on outreach programs. Already having built a solid, but informal relationship with WOC, the move to formalize the relationship and incorporate WOC under the FLS umbrella, exemplified a shared vision and commitment to combining resources for the sake of a continued legacy of healing challenged single-mother families in Colorado Springs.

For Women of Courage, the merge means a return to its core focus on the larger objective of helping single moms, along with access to the Family Life Services professional counseling team and its large network of churches, volunteers and local businesses. Though currently under the 5013c designation of Family Life Services, donations made in 2011 will still be used exclusively for WOC needs. Friends and supporters can also choose to indicate special donations to WOC as they begin their search for a new location. No staff or program changes will be made due to the merger.

For Family Life Services, the merge means a better use of resources and an opportunity to share best practices with organizations that have similar ministry goals, exploring the chance to work together instead of independently creating something new. Says Abel,

“I cannot express to you how thrilled I am to have Darlene and her team as part of our family. She has faithfully served God through Women of Courage for a long time, and it is a privilege to have the organization she founded and nurtured all of these years under the Family Life Services umbrella.”

Officially announced to the public-at-large in the new Family Life Services website (www.flscs.org), Women of Courage and Family Life Services will together continue their legacy of healing single parent families for generations to come.

CONTACT:

Julie Abel, @julieabel
Executive Director
cell: (719) 322-1637

www.flscs.org

Family Life Services Administrative Offices

Dear Ministry Partners,

…“I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, 
Who leads you in the way you should go.” ~Isaiah 48:17 NASB

I am so excited to finally share with you some terrific news about Family Life Services and how the Lord has been working in recent months to advance our mission.

In February 2011, our Board of Directors met for an all-day meeting at FLS to pray, plan and seek the Lord’s vision for the organization. Throughout our time together, and in the weeks following, we gained clarity in several directions. The first was that we did not sense God leading us to grow our existing residential program at this time. We feel that at present our resident program for nine families is at capacity for both our staff and facilities. Instead of growing our residential program, we believe it is a better use of our resources to share what we have learned with other organizations doing related ministry, both locally and nationally. I have shared this in my ministry letters several times, but it has actually become a critical piece to the new door through which we currently feel called to walk.

We sensed, and it has since been confirmed, that God is asking us to grow our outreach ministry to even more single moms in the local community. We resolved to follow the Lord’s leading and to be aware of other organizations that were similar in mission to ours. We began to explore opportunities to work with others instead of creating something completely new.

This summer, through several meetings and conversations, we began to thoughtfully discuss this idea with another local ministry that we have informally partnered with for many years. Women of Courage has served local single-moms and their children for twenty years in the Colorado Springs area. After much prayer and consideration, both of our Boards of Directors felt we will be able to make an even greater impact for families—and the Kingdom of God—by working together.

So this month, Women of Courage becomes an official outreach program of Family Life Services! Darlene Harris, their Executive Director, will become our Director of Outreach. Women of Courage serves 30-40 families throughout the year with encouragement, training and critical benevolent resources to working-class, low-income single moms who are setting goals and desire personal accountability for their families. Women of Courage, not unlike Family Life Services, also has specific programs that minister to children through character development and practical training while their moms are participating in monthly meetings.

Soon, information about Women of Courage will be available on our new website at flscs.org. Be sure to check there often in the weeks ahead to get a better idea how this critical program fits so well into the existing mission of Family Life Services.

Personally, I cannot express to you how thrilled I am to have Darlene and her team as part of our family. She has faithfully served God through Women of Courage for a long time, and it is a privilege to have the organization she founded and nurtured all of these years under the Family Life Services umbrella.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call me. I welcome the opportunity to personally answer any questions that you may have about this ministry opportunity. Thank you, friends, for your faithful support all of these years. That support built a strong foundation that allowed us the opportunity to follow the Lord’s leading and be blessed by His favor.

In His Service,

Julie Abel, Executive Director

Dear Friends,

We pray for you a “Joy of the Lord New Year.”  We know that happiness is dependent on the circumstances in our lives being good but life is not always that way.  The joy of the Lord is based on our reconciliation with God and the presence of His Spirit in our lives and is never altered by circumstances.  May His joy be a constant in your life no matter what this year brings.

I now want to share with you a wonderful and exciting provision and answer to prayer our God has made possible for Women of Courage.  For the past 2-3 years we have been praying about the future of WOC while continuing the work of the ministry.  Our level of resources did not allow for expansion and we needed a way to continue the ministry when I was no longer able to be involved.  Last summer God began to unveil His plan.

There is another ministry to single moms in our city that we have worked with for a number of years.  Family Life Services is a longstanding residential, two year program for single mom families with a capacity for 9 families at a time.  They were looking for an outreach piece to their ministry apart from the residential program.

After six months of prayer and discussions between both boards and Executive Directors, it was evident that God was directing us to merge the WOC program under the Family Life Services umbrella.  This was done effective the first of January 2012.

The WOC program will remain the same as it has been, including the mission, staff and volunteers.  My new title will be Director of Outreach for Family Life Services.  I can now focus on the program itself and not on the business, fundraising, legal etc. aspects.  We will have access to a great counseling program.  FLS has established relationships with foundations, churches, volunteers and the business community that will benefit us as well.  This partnership will help us in the search for a building that will house our entire WOC program in one location.  We have prayed for many years for this.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

All the financial gifts donated last year to WOC will continue to be used exclusively for WOC needs.  Donations can still be made to WOC by writing that in the memo of your check or it can be made out to Women of Courage.  We are under the Family Life Services 501C3 designation now.

If you are one of our financial donors we still need your support to continue serving the needs of our single mom families and we are so grateful for your faithfulness.

Please join us in celebration of this exciting journey and continue to pray that we follow only the leading of our great God, Jehovah Jirah. We believe He will continue to open new doors for us beyond anything we could imagine.  I would be thrilled to receive your comments and answer any questions you may have.

Our office address and contact information remain the same.  Soon you will be able to check us out on the Family Life Services website at flscs.org.

To God Be the Glory and Praise,

Darlene Harris,

Director of Outreach – Women of Courage

Family Life Services