Dear Friends in Ministry,

Thank you for joining me on this important journey to discover the beauty of Flat Rock Homes, Care Center and Community Services. Here at Flat Rock Homes, we choose daily to serve children and adults who are diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The challenges are great, but with God leading us on our journey, we can do all things.

      “For I know the plans I have for you,“ declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you
       and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Jeremiah 29: 11-13

Have you ever been so paralyzed that you think there is no hope? So many of the parents who bring their children to us come seeking a glimmer of hope because in so many other places they have found only the warning of what their child would never be. Can you imagine what it is like when you find hope? Flat Rock Homes is place that grows hope and everyone who is involved in our ministry is involved as a hope-bearer. Do we not all long for hope in our hopeless places?

The individuals we serve renew our hope. Take for instance, Charles, one of our residents. Charles is diagnosed with mental retardation as well as cerebral palsy and he walks with a walker. In our former buildings, Charles could not move freely in his own living space without the assistance of staff. As soon as our new facility was opened, Charles was the first occupant. He gleefully entered the single story building, and within the first hour learned how to use the handicap accessible buttons along the way. With every doorway he encountered, he hit the button, threw his head back and ran his walker and himself through. He ran out the door and into the hallway and around the square surrounding the courtyard. He threw back his head in joy and he laughed out loud as he ran with his walker in front of him. Charles had a physical freedom he had never known before.

Hope and a future. These are the promises that the Lord has made to us. Together, we join together to care for these individuals with a multitude of gifts, talents and treasures. I am continuously humbled at the generosity of so many of my United Methodist Brothers and Sisters. Additionally, those who come to Flat Rock from other faith backgrounds are equally as giving and caring. In unity, you truly do enable us to fulfill our mission.

I am blessed to have an amazing Board of Directors who walk this journey with me and the key leadership team of this agency. Their wisdom and expertise, their genuine caring for the individuals we serve, and their leadership in stewardship of their own resources for the good of this agency continually astound me. These persons are volunteers who have demanding jobs and lives outside of Flat Rock Homes, but who are always willing to give of themselves to support our work.

It is no secret that economic times are difficult for everyone. Yet there are some persons in our society who are so vulnerable that they will always need the “compassionate society” around them to care for their needs. Those we serve will always need some form of caring in order to fully live their lives. I am so grateful for each of you who are willing to offer your own gifts for the sake of those we serve. Thank you for partnering with us in our ministry. Thank you for walking this journey with me.

In Christ’s Love,

Rev. Nancy S. Hull
President and CEO