47 :: West Blvd Ministry

Today I spent time at West Blvd Ministry in Charlotte. I reached out to West Blvd Ministry's Founder Bart Noonan [link] on LinkedIn. In recent months, I had seen a large number of interesting posts that made me think that something of great significance was happening at West Blvd Ministry. My visit more than confirmed that. This organization is making a positive difference for both time and eternity.

Their mission statement - West Blvd Ministry's mission is to serve the spiritual and physical needs of the families and communities in the West Blvd corridor to the glory of Jesus Christ. 

During my visit, I heard Bart's testimony, learned more about what West Blvd Ministry does, as well as had a chance to reflect that I was seeing the Gospel in action. 

When I arrived, Bart met me with a big smile and firm handshake. We sat down and had a conversation, which ultimately led to his testimony. 

The breadth and depth of Bart's story is too much to write here. Instead of recounting its entirety, I'll focus on the parts that made the biggest impact on me.

The arc of Bart's walk to the cross involved the entirety of his life. 

Bart was raised in Miami, where his father played for the Dolphins. His family kept a vacation home around Blowing Rock, giving him a connection to the Carolinas during his youth. As time passed, Bart's family moved to Charlotte, where he graduated from The Charlotte Latin School. After Latin, Bart went to East Carolina University.

During his time at East Carolina University, the momentum of Bart's "partying ways" accelerated. 

The theme of excessive alcohol and drug use followed Bart through his adult years. At the end of 2011, Bart found his life spinning out of control, his marriage in shambles, his role as a father collapsing as he approached the place known as "hitting bottom." 

As Bart shared more about his story, he made a point about hitting bottom that I had never heard before.

"You know, Byl, what people forget about this idea of hitting bottom - there's always a trap door underneath it," he stated. 

I sat in silence pondering that point.

Death. There is always death lurking below the bottom.

He explained that as he kept hitting a deeper bottom through more intense addiction, it felt like his own life was telescoping away from him. His very existence was getting farther and farther away from what he could see.

"It got to the point that the two options that seemed available to me were a gun in the mouth or Jesus. And I chose Jesus. I actually spoke audibly to God and told Him I was ready to hand it all over to him."

That was January of 2012.

"Did this redemption come all at once? Did you have the kind of transformation that occurred all in a single moment?" I asked.

Bart pondered the question.

"To some degree, yes. My whole life changed at that time. After you get saved, you can look back and see what God was doing the whole way through. I now see that God was working on me the whole time," he answered.

Then Bart said something that was deeply simple and deeply profound.

"Byl, from where I sit, the whole world wants answers.

The answer to homelessness is _____. (he said the word blank each time)

The answer to addiction is _____.

The answer to crime is _____.

The answer to violence is _____.

The answer to broken families is _____.

The answer to oppression is _____.

The only lasting way to fill in those blanks is Jesus."

"I know this to be true," I said, smiling.

I asked about Bart's family.

Bart's family survived the challenges that his addiction brought their way. His marriage made it through. His children are thriving and moving into their adult lives. When he spoke of his children, Bart got choked up. I interpreted that emotional response to be a combination of things. A father's pride in how well his children are doing. Perhaps a dose of regret about the pain that they felt many years ago from things he had done and left undone. And a deep appreciation for what the Lord has knit back together and made new.

I'd be leaving out a key point if I didn't admit that I got a bit choked up at that moment. I can personally relate to these same themes - both the current good and the past challenges.

Bart finished up his testimony by saying that when he experienced his transformation, God put a heart of service into him. He spent multiple years working in a local charity and then five years ago, Bart started West Blvd Ministry. He moved his work life onto a side of Charlotte where there is profound need and where most of the local people don't look like Bart or like I do.

He stood up. 

"Let me show you what we've set up here."

Bart walked me around the property and house that is West Blvd Ministry. The lot has an expansive backyard. It has a very nice house on the property. There's a shelf that has pictures of the community members that West Blvd Ministry has helped. There was also a table with information about the ministry and about new life. On that table were some stickers from Stop the Killing, a partner organization of West Blvd Ministry. Stop the Killing is focused on eliminating black on black violence, which is the number one cause of death for young black men in the US. It's headed up by one of the many pastors from the black community that Bart works with.

West Blvd Ministry helps people in the local community with the various difficult circumstances that they can face. It's always contingent on the individuals showing the right willingness to do the work needed to make things better.

"I'm dealing right now with multiple six and seventh grade kids who haven't been showing up to school. There's almost never a man in these homes. Most of the mothers are scrambling just to keep a roof over their heads, in a lot of cases," Bart explained. "I talked to the people at the school about one of the kids and they talked my ear off. They were just excited that someone was finally reaching out to talk about him."

"Can you make the difference in his life?" I asked.

Bart paused for a minute. "Honestly, I don't know. If he is committed, I am too. I'm going to try."

When Bart showed me his office, he read me a brief section of a book that also he gave me a copy of - The Barbarian Way [link]. I look forward to reading it!

The time came when I had to return back to my car for a work meeting. I committed to make a contribution to West Blvd Ministry, which I have now given. We stood there for a moment and smiled, knowing that each of us had secured a life-changing redemption from the same Source. We shook hands and said we would stay in touch. 

Knowing about West Blvd Ministry is important. I will talk about what is happening here. I will contribute in the future, as well.

Additionally, the visit to Bart reminded me of a few things. 

First, there is great difficulty in the lives of so many people, both in Charlotte and beyond.

Secondly, communities and lives improve when people are connected.

Finally, we most definitely follow a God of second chances.

Thanks to Bart Noonan and West Blvd Ministry for today's visit. 

God is good!