About 4-5 months after getting over his he**in addiction and almost being homeless, Reverend Phillip Brickle dedicated his life to stopping homelessness in the community. In, 1996, he sat down with five volunteers and over a bowl of chili, laid out his plans of doing work that would improve the lives of those in need. Eighteen years later, his vision and incredible work paid off. His organization,
Lost Sheep Outreach Ministries, has been a referral service for those looking for work. We host Holy Ghost Block Parties once a month in different locations, where hundreds and thousands attendees come out and are ministered. These parties are held on the street where talent comes out to sing, dance, preach, offer gifts, perform spoken word or Christian rap-tons of clothes are given away. There is also HIV testing, haircuts, facials, kid's face painting and blood pressure checks. During Thanksgiving and Christmas, over 5,000 donated gifts and food are given away. meals sere provided, buses and vans provided transportation to church services and to Bible Studies. They collected clothing items and distributed those to the need. A coalition of churches was formed in time some fifteen churches were providing meals on Sundays when the shelters offered no meal. Brother Brickle remained the primary coordinator of the ministry until 2001 when he began to train others to continue the Ray of Hope Ministry. Many brothers and sisters have given their time, talents, money and love to the continuation of the ministry. Brickle began his Theological Studies and plans toward Ordination and was ordained a Minister of Jesus Christ on November 16, 2001 by The Wake County Baptist Association in The United Church of Christ for All People. Raymond Grant, pastor of that church, and Brother Ron Cabiness kept doing the work of Outreach Ministering in Raleigh. Brickle continued to collect clothing and provide food and monetary assistance to all he could. He spent many hours counseling, coaching and mentoring persons who were unnoticed by the community.
