Everything was going along just fine. Suddenly the two men felt a strong tug at their fishing boat. The fishing lines from the boat were caught and they were unable to stabilize. Within minutes the men found themselves helplessly adrift in raft they realized too late had not been adequately maintained. Their boat, which had been strong and sure a few moments before, had been reduced to scattered wreckage. Cold and hungry, they prayed for help. As they bailed water from the raft, their sense of hope diminished. Suddenly the raft lurched as if it were being pushed. “Sharks!” they thought in terror. Again the boat was nudged; this time they saw the long body of a whale. As the whale’s head rose from the water, one of the men found himself eye-to-eye with the magnificent animal. In that moment the man felt a great peace. Over the next day and a half the whale remained with the boat; there was some comfort in its presence, but the raft was still adrift and hope for survival was low. Still the men prayed. At dawn on their third day in the raft, one of the men reached out to something floating in the water and found himself grasping a long strand of kelp. They had reached land. The whale had been pushing them steadily toward safety when they had nothing left but prayer.

This is a true story.

In these tough economic times, our individual, community, and national lives can seem out of control. Our sense of security and well-being can become severely damaged. For those who come to Advent House Ministries looking for assistance the picture often appears unbearably bleak. But we know from experience that hope is possible in all situations and prayer is powerful. Every day we assist people in taking the steps—one at a time—that are necessary to build stability and change their lives.

Yes, we are seeing more people come to us having lost jobs and homes. In each case, we offer information, guidance, and whatever resource and program support we can. We are like the strand of kelp that was found by the men in the story. We are the sign that safety and security is near. Over the years, God has provided us with great resources, including your support, that allow us to serve those most at-risk in our community. In this web site, you will meet some of those who are taking steps toward stability. Their stories are filled with hope. Please continue to keep them and us in your thoughts and prayers, knowing that all of us are being guided home.

If you want to help us by volunteering your time, click here. If you want to give financially instead, click here.

Thank you to all for your continued prayers and support!

For the last twenty years, Advent House Ministries has served the Lansing community with invaluable programs and services. We provide food, temporary housing, employment assistance and a variety of family services to the economically disadvantaged.


Rooted in a tradition of community outreach from a faith-based perspective, we have built a solid relationship with those in need in our community. Each one who comes to us is accepted as he or she is and provided, through the resources in our programs, with an anchor of hope for the future. The process our guests go through here is about building trust. They open themselves up to us when they ask for help, and we trust them to work at making the right decisions about their lives. Our guests learn to trust us to help them help themselves. Ultimately, they learn to trust themselves.