Vine of CHRIST Ministries, what is the vison

 Praise the LORD!!!

   This is going to be something I've never been led to do and is only coming about because I've been getting promptings to do so all day!!! I'm going to try and keep this as short as possible, but this like all things within my life are in GOD's hands alone.

 Due to the depravity of my early life, when the LORD showed me all of my wrongs and HIS grace awaiting me, I didn't make a half-hearted choice, but a complete, petal to the metal decision. I was never known for doing things to a minor degree, but always stepped in with complete devotion to whatever it was. My giving my life to the LORD, was none the less.

  It maybe easier to state what the ministry won't cover, than what it will, because of it's total reach of Christian ministry. That might defeat the purpose of this post though, so it will not be the case. Early on in my walk for the LORD, which you all should know by now took place in prison, I was beginning to see many great needs in the body of CHRIST. Having at one time making a confession of belief, age 16, I was soon to fall away. This due to a lack of proper mentor-ship. You can see then that there will be a focus on discipleship training, not just conversion through a GOSPEL message, but the follow through that is needed after wards.

  During my prison time I was beginning to see how the families of the incarcerated were cast into a deeper pit than the incarcerated themselves. Shunned by those around them, even when these weren't any great saints themselves. Children being ostracized by their once loyal classmates. Churches and ministries that are supposed to reach out and assist those in need, turning a deaf ear. This because they weren't members of their 'out standing community.' What? Here I am having just been a Christian for a short while and I hear my wife(X) say she was told this! From this you can see there will be a section of the ministry that deals with the needs and cares of the families of the incarcerated. This should also allow you to see that with this would also come a focus on those within the confines of prison too.

   Since so much of my life was spent wasted on drugs and alcohol, there will be a CHRIST-centered drug and alcohol intervention and recovery program. I've become familiar with a number of good systems over the years through research and this may be a combination of several, working together under one 'roof.'

   Other areas that we'll have services in will be those related to sex. Yes, you heard me right, sex. Since I was molested at an early age by several of my sister's girlfriends and the way my life was presumed after wards, there will numerous groups of focus here. Some may be porn addictions, the sex trades and those effected by them(sex slavery included), pregnancy consoling and assistance, a men's responsibilities group. This list could go on to encompass most of the current social services programs, but truly as Christians we should focus on EVERY ASPECT of life. Part of loving your neighbor as yourself!!!

   Of coarse there will be the normal Christian fair of 'soup kitchens', food pantries, clothing and housewares recycling, job training and procurement services and the list could go on for some time:), but for brevity purposes, I'll stop with these. 

   OK now, let me go onto an area of the ministry you may of seen more of, the disaster related one. Maybe the best way to describe this branch of the vine would be, an army. Not a defensive one either, but one that actually assaults the disaster. Going into areas, when most are waiting for the problem to settle down. This is not going to be a little branch either, but a massive one with over 15 DROC's located in the continental U.S. alone. As I was shown, by vision, in the beginning, this will be like taking ten of the largest world spanning disaster relief agencies and clumping them together. A massive undertaking in the least and one I take very seriously. For I've been involved in numerous disasters, from the flooding of my hometown in the mid '70's' to Katrina and Rita in '05.' I've witnessed firsthand the shoddy example man calls relief and it isn't good at all. Kind of like defending against a rogue elephant with a fly swatter. Far from effective.

   Here there will be a massive computer network set up. For the monitoring of weather and earth related issues. These will be tied with every known source for the gathering of the needed information and where there isn't one, it will be created. Then there will be the stores of equipment and supplies needed to begin an almost immediate response to any need. Not the gathering of the items when needed, as we currently see, but the items already on hand and readied for distribution to an area, if not their being in transport already. The goal, as I was shown, is to be on site within 24 hrs. of a disaster.

   So far, this sounds like an impossible feat, for man, it would be, but for GOD nothing is impossible. Though I've worked on developing this ministry for 12 yrs. now, with but the leadership of GOD and it is myself alone at the helm. I know that HE would not have kept me working on it, going through almost every different division of it, for it not to happen. I'm no businessman, great logistic coordinator, or computer guru, I'm but a simple man that has humbled myself before GOD and realized that HE has called me to do this. An though I've done a lot of charity work along the gulf coast, because I'm a carpenter and work with my hands, I've not the slightest ideal as to how HE'll bring this all about. The only thing I do know, is that this is my calling, GOD has chosen me for and I'll work it until the day I die, alone, if need be!!!

   (I don't know the reason for this posting, I'm just doing as led, for most of this can be found somewhere on the ministry's web site. I pray that the LORD will open the ears and hearts of those that HE wants this to come to and they'll pray and follow that which HE leads them unto. My life is GOD's and in HIM only I trust!!!)

 May GOD bless you and lead you,
Rev. Marshall Barth
Vine of CHRIST Ministries