Layman Lessons Ministries began in 2000, founded by current "servant director" unpaid volunteer minister Louie Johnston Jr., preceding formal corporate organization as a Tennessee Non Profit corporation, formalized in 2003 as an approved IRS 501c3 Religious and Charitable Organization.  In September 2003, Layman Lessons Inc. acquired a Church in Shelby, NC known as Welcome Baptist Church/Rescue Mission, and merged that Church with existing Layman Lessons Ministries.  Layman Lessons Ministries in Shelby, NC held regular inter-denominational Church services for the public in the Chapel of the Rescue Mission building owned by Layman Lessons since 2003, located at 302 N. Washington Street, where daily meals for the homeless were served.   The North Carolina services ceased in 2004 from lack of local support.  Tennessee Church services were established weekly in January, 2003 in downtown Nashville locations, using a Mobile Stage, seating for 150 homeless, Mobil Clothing Store on a bus, and feeding a hot banquet meal after the non denominational Church service concluded...this all volunteer Church of Laymen has served Homeless for 8 years now.

"Layman Lessons" began as a series of Christian books, "Lessons" straight from the Bible for every "Layman".  It evolved  from 2000 into intensive personal ministry and research by Author, Founder, Funder, and Director Louie Johnston.  Louie Johnston has 30+ years experience in Lay Ministry to  people with Addictions, Homelessness, and serious Mental Illness, a unique combinations of skills from the Spiritual perspective, but also is a nationally known expert identifying "best practices" in Behavioral Healthcare, then designing and implementing State of the Art computer systems that insured those best practices are followed, where exceptions are brought to managment attention immediately, continuing upline quickly until resolved. 

Extensive Bible Research to find God's priorities for Christians is clear.  The highest priority for every Chrisitian Layman is to Feed the Hungry, Clothe the Naked, Shelter the Homeless, and Make Disciples!  Louie Johnston invested 3 years as a volunteer with Teen Challenge, an international Drug and Alcohol Christian Rehabilitation program, featuring Street Ministry to Feed the Homeless.  He directed and produced Operation Compassion, a documentary about Homelessness and Addiction, researching and assembling the very best practices from proven successful organizations like the Campus for Human Development in Nashville, TN.  These "best practices" produced new, creative ways of ministry proven successful, comprise Layman Lessons.  The proven programs are now documented in "Franchise Ministry" form, so that "Any City, USA" can implement these programs with Christian volunteers. 

Layman Lessons Inc. established itself as a non-profit 501(c)3 organization of volunteers fighting Hunger, Homelessness and Addiction problems in America.  Our 2003 Audited Financial Statement and IRS Form 990 was the last required before becoming a Church, thus it is the last posted Financial Statement.  We remain in good standing with the IRS and State, according to the IRS in January 2007, after an extensive audit back to inception.  The audit of our finances, mission, and Administration found no changes required or needed, giving 100% approval in writing with the statement "Layman Lessons continues to be in good standing with the IRS".  All donations are charitable contributions with full deductibility according to IRS rules.

 

Our Mission is to lovingly and unconditionally Feed the Hungry, Clothe the Naked, Shelter the Homeless, Preach the Gospel (Good News), through open air Street Ministry.  For those counseled in Street Ministry that truly want to change their lives, we Make Disciples via our Christian Discipleship Training Centers that offers proven successful Addiction Recovery and Restoration for "Re-Entry" back into mainstream society.  We provide Food, Clothing, Housing, Training, Transportation, Public Health care and Behavioral Healthcare, for those who truly want a "New Life".  Our Street Ministry services are at no cost to the Homeless or Needy.  Our Residential Training Centers are funded by donations to provide Shelter, Food, Clothing, Training, Transportation, Laundry, on an average of $100 weekly to working Men and Women...less than $15 daily, which enables them to save at least half their earnings! 

 

Our Training is intense daily Bible based Character Education, without denominational bias.  In fact we encourage individual research of opposing denominational positions to allow each man to develop or reinforce his own beliefs as God leads.  Strong beliefs are vital to success.

 

Our students in training do the work setting up and taking down the Saturday street ministry, serving food and drinks to the very peers they used to do drugs with,  learning to serve others rather than themselves.  Our students wash those 170 plates, forks, and plastic tumblers after the Street Ministry banquet.  Our volunteers make sack lunches to go. These are Bible Based Lessons for Christian Laymen, thus the name Layman Lessons.

 

Our Non-Denominational Addiction Recovery programs are filled by our Homeless and Prison ministries, particularly our Street Ministry in Middle Tennessee, and Rescue Mission ministry in North Carolina, and by the courts, as far away as Connecticut.  We also have “selected” Juveniles, Orphans, and Men and Women of all ages and from all backgrounds and socio-economic groups succeed in our Training Programs. One Juvenile Orphan, court ordered to our program from Connecticut, went from being in Reform School in 2004 as a high school junior to a senior graduating in 2005 with a Straight A academic record, and induction into the National Honor Society!  A portion of our graduates are referrals from Churches across America.

 

 

 

Layman Lessons provides volunteers opportunity to serve "a couple of hours a week" in local Christian "front line" ministries outside the Church walls, but close enough to be a short drive from home. The very definition of "ministry" is "to serve others as a waiter". Therefore, to have a consistent ministry it must be in the local community to have constant, fast access to the needy.

While less than 1% of Church members can afford the time and money for a "missions trip", normally out of the country, 99% can be involved in "ministry", which is local community service. Both Missions and Ministry provide a revival in the hearts of participants, and a vehicle for God to bless their obedience. Ministry in the local community can be consistent, which provides opportunity for relationship evangelism AND discipling! 

Programs and Ministries directly supported by Layman Lessons include:

Homeless Street Ministry…Layman Lessons began with its founder investing "a couple of hours a week" to Feed the Hungry, Clothe the Naked, Shelter the Homeless, and Make Disciples.  The Bible says by doing this we may entertain angels.  A Christian Layman immediately realizes they are blessed from their service personally more than the homeless persons they serve. Feeding a hot meal weekly during a Praise and Worship service held outdoors requires volunteers to carry hot meals on serving trays, serve drinks, refill drinks, serve deserts, pick up trash…wonderful training opportunities for entire families with children of any age to serve together. Opportunities abound to just provide a loving, listening ear, then pray with and for homeless people who literally live in terror daily. Love of strangers is a God thing, which impresses homeless people who know very well that all of us have other things to do than volunteer our time to love on them every week. It makes a huge difference to the givers and the receivers. Volunteers use Layman Lessons as a vehicle ministry to help with the constant need to provide:

• Meals ( Street Ministry Miracle Meals)
• Clothing (85% men’s clothing, socks, boxers shorts, coats, hats, gloves, sweats )
Shelter, group housing, Weather protective items (plastic sheeting, bags, paper plates & eating utensils)
• Worship Services (in a open air parking lot weekly draws hundreds of Homeless Repenters to God!)
• Evangelism and Discipleship Tract distribution (personal prayer, sharing)
• Christian books distribution (loan, exchange…and discuss Christian books)

Christian Discipleship Training Centers, the first in Gallatin, TN on almost 4 acres, housed up to 29 former homeless addicts discipled in our New Life Residential Discipleship Training Center.   This Center proved itself with over 1,000 homeless men assisted from life on the street into productive Christian lives.  Upon completion of New Life and Re-Entry, around 12 months after coming off the streets, our graduates able to work and keep a job will have worked and saved over $5,000 for their "Re-Entry" back into society, as men, free from all bondage, with good jobs, Church support, serving others instead of themselves.  Centers are available anywhere in America with local volunteer support.  Exchange programs are the goal, where cities 5 hours apart send their former addicts to a rural environment where they have no contacts to get drugs...this is vital for the first 60 days.

Mobile Christian Center (Bus, Motor Home) - Free Food, Clothing, Library, Street Ministry and Discipleship Training Center…hurting, homeless, hopeless can and do read, whatever is available to read (good or bad material) often receiving the spark of hope they need to turn their lives over to God through the written word. Layman Lessons collects used (or new) books and tracts to distribute to those in dire need who cannot afford to purchase books, have no place to store or carry them, but can manage to read one book at a time, then swap for a new book. Volunteers needed to gather and distribute: