Where did we go?

Feeling stupid because you haven't heard from us lately? It's not because we're not listening to you but because we're reorganizing around here. Please bear with us during this time of transition. A lot is changing since we last posted, but underneath our commitment to you and the community we serve has gotten even stronger. We're completely updating our websites and have now moved our Grapevine newsletter and integrated it within our main website at www.hisbranches.org. Check us out, then visit our new Grapevine (link is under the "Home" tab) and sign up to get regular email notices when we post. Thanks for being patient with us!

Merry Christmas!

Glory to God in the Highest!

Thanks for all your amazing support this year!
We're looking forward to sharing 2014 with you.

  Dr. Bill & Susan Morehouse

Click here to read our Christmas letter.

Open-Air Drug Market

Shootings and homicides are often just the fruit of the tree called crime. The roots are usually in drugs. Dr. William Morehouse has been helping people for 35 years at Grace Family Medicine on Arnett Boulevard. But how he and his wife Susan need help to save their neighborhood from the drug dealers right outside their front door.

"Is there a real safety issue here," I asked him.

"The patients certainly think that there is. They're very worried when they get out of their car and they see people like that and they have to walk past them or through them," Morehouse answered. "You battle it and you fight it and you say no not here. We've got patients coming in, we've got little kids; and they go away and then they come back," Susan said.

Empty bags of marijuana litter the sidewalk in front of the clinic. We showed them to Rochester Police Officer Ben Caruso.

"Why this quantity? Is is so they can't get into trouble," I asked him.

 "Well the folks out here are dealing in the hand-to-hand stuff. It's a difficult arrest," Caruso answered. "As fast as they're arrested on this charge, they'll be released on it just as quickly."

So how can a small inner-city medical clinic fight back against drug dealers? What is at stake if they lose?

Kevin Doran for WHEC-TV, Channel 8 News, Rochester, NY, November 12, 2013

Blue Choice Option

 

“It could force us out of business.” That's what some doctors are now saying about the fact that Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield may soon drop certain Medicaid patients. A week ago, Excellus announced, beginning in January, that it will no longer offer certain Medicaid plans. That includes 85,000 people in the Rochester area. It's all because Excellus is already looking at $100 million in losses for 2013 and says it can't afford that.

Local doctors say this is bad news for them. Patients who currently use the Blue Choice option for Medicaid will have to find another health care plan. Doctors say, under those new plans, they will not be reimbursed as much for their services. News10NBC spoke to a doctor who says about 20 percent of his patients have Medicaid through Excellus.

Dr. William Morehouse said, “If our patient transfer over to any of the other plans currently in town, our overall practice could stand to lose between five and ten of its income on an annual basis which is a substantial loss when you are an inner city practice that is already having a hard time making ends meet.”

Other doctors in the area have a much higher percent of Blue Choice Medicaid patients, some as high as 60 percent. It's those patients who could feel the brunt of this. News10NBC sat down with Nancy Adams with the Monroe County Medical Society. She says doctors are worried about the people they care for.  The first problem they see is with the transition. Patients may have less access to care because their current specialists may not be on their new healthcare plan's network.

Doctors are also worried about the trickle down effect. Less reimbursement means less income. Some say they will have to close up shop all together. Others say they won't be accepting new Medicaid patients. Nancy Adams, Monroe County Medical Society, said, “We're already in short supply of adult primary care physicians and then when you throw into the mix that not all physicians may except these other  health plans then it would make it even more difficult to find a physician.”

According to the Monroe County Medical Society, there is still a chance Excellus could work something out with New York State and continue to carry these plans. News10NBC will continue to follow this story and update you on any developments.

Gun Buyback a Great Success!

We thought you all would like to hear the results of the Gun Buyback last Saturday. We brought in 243 guns - more than 1/2 were hand guns and of those 150 only 10 were legally registered, in other words 140 illegal handguns! Also one assault rifle was brought in with its magazines of ammo. At least two young men bringing in their guns that were definitely coming from off the streets. One young man said he was making some changes in his life and didn't want to be involved with guns anymore. Wow! It was an amazing day for us all. The Rochester Police Department says this is the biggest single gun buyback ever in Rochester. Thank you to those who brought in food for the officers and people who brought in guns. It was much appreciated!

Click here to read the full article in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.

EO Volunteer Men Bless HBI

Saturday morning at 8 am a crew of 7 gifted and talented men gathered at His Branches for prayer, followed by a very structured work day - they were there to install 30 new custom insulated windows in our 3 upstairs offices suites to replace the original, leaky, rattling, wooden windows we've been living with for years. Old and drafty in the winter, hot in the summer, but at least they kept the birds out...

Our experienced crew chief had estimated that the job could be done in one full Saturday, but others were doubtful and thought it would take at least two full days. Well, this gang pulled together in such a remarkably efficient way that all 30 windows were installed, rubbish cleaned up, and old windows hauled away before 3 pm! Is that a praise report, or what? Our faithful staff and clients will be offering their own thanks as the years go by when they're warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Special thanks go out to all who made this project such a success.

RYO Garage Sale

Rochester Youth Outreach will be participating in a community garage sale at the Public Market (280 N. Union St.) on Sunday, June 30th from 8 am to 2 pm. All profits made from sales will go toward supporting RYO programming. We are in need of donations of any goods which could be sold including clothes, books, appliances, furniture, etc. Please bring any of these items to His Branches by June 29th, and the RYO youth and adult team will transport and sell them at the Market. Thanks!

Click here for a printable PDF flyer.

Banquet Report 4/25/13

We had a wonderful evening at our Banquet of Blessing last Thursday! The atmosphere was alive with 270 guests filling our warmly decorated hall at the RIT Inn & Conference Center. From Karen Webster's greeting music, through a delicious dinner and time of fellowship, to engaging ministry reports, gifted music, and an anointed message given by our guest speaker, Melinda Delahoyde (see bio below with player link to hear her message), the evening was covered with prayer and blessing. Special thanks go out to all who have served and supported His Branches over the past year!

For a taste of the evening, click on John Allison's arrow above to start a sample of the music John and his band shared with us. Then, while the music is playing, click on the slideshow arrow to see an overview of our ministries. You can let the inner geek in you show by making it full screen and then, if you have a very fast Internet connection, going to the gear in the bottom margin and selecting an even better screen resolution. Enjoy!

Speaker Melinda Delahoyde

A lifelong leader in the pregnancy center movement, Melinda Delahoyde was appointed President of Care Net in 2008. Melinda has worked with Care Net from its inception, serving in various roles both on staff and on the Board of Directors. She previously represented Care Net as Board Chair Emeritus after serving as Chairman of the Board from 2003-2006.

Melinda has been strategically involved in a host of non-profit organizations focused on life and bioethics issues. Before coming to Care Net, Melinda led the educational outreach for Americans United for Life. She originally joined Care Net to serve as the director of special projects before becoming a member of the Board of Directors.

Click the arrow in the player below to hear the message Melinda brought to our Banquet:



An accomplished writer, Melinda is author of Fighting for Life (Crossway Books, 1984), co-editor of Infanticide and the Handicapped Newborn (Brigham Young University Press, 1982), and contributing author to three additional books, including one with Christian philosopher Francis A. Schaeffer and another with top publisher Thomas Nelson. Her writings on life and bioethics have been published in a variety of publications and websites, including Christianity Today, Religion and Society Report, Moody Monthly, Christian Life, Outcomes, and WorldNetDaily.

Melinda is a sought-after spokesperson in the media on pregnancy centers and the emerging culture of life. She has been quoted widely by Associated Press, Christianity Today, TIME, WORLD, Gannett News, National Catholic Register, and Baptist Press and has appeared on CBN’s “700 Club,” Moody Radio’s “In the Market with Janet Parshall,” Salem Radio News, and Family News in Focus. She also was a featured panelist on the Annenberg Media Channel in a series on “Ethics in America.”

From her wealth of experience as a leader in the pro-life, non-profit arena, Melinda is well-respected among the broader faith-based community of organizations. In 2010, she was elected to the Board of Directors of Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA).

Melinda graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and received a Masters of Arts in Philosophy of Religion from Trinity Divinity School. Melinda and her husband are from Raleigh, North Carolina and have four children.

Spring Grapevine

A Time of Growth

Our 4 branch ministries - Arnett Block Association, Embracing Options, His Branches Health Services, and Rochester Youth outreach - have been actively touching lives, thanks to the generous support of so many of you. From patient care to much needed activity for neighborhood youth and critical counseling in the area of life decisions, the staff and volunteers of HBI have been pouring their God-given passions into the work they do for their community. For a full report click here to read our Spring Newsletter, being sent to our local mailing list in print form this week.


ROC the Day on 12/12/12, doubled by our generous matching partners, has enabled us to completely update our aging computer network. Now we're looking forward to building our youth program, renovating out facility, partnering with others to make our neighborhood a safer place to live, and providing more medical and counseling services to people in need. Please consider supporting our upcoming Banquet of Blessing on April 25th at the RIT Inn and Conference Center. See post below for more information.

Spring Banquet of Blessing

 The Ministries of

His Branches, Inc.

Invite You to Our

Spring Banquet of Blessing

“A Celebration of God's Goodness”

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Seating begins at 6:30 pm

Dinner and Program 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

RIT Inn and Conference Center

5257 West Henrietta Road, Henrietta, NY

With featured Speaker

Melinda Delahoyde

Care Net President Emeritus

Click here to RSVP before April 17th

An opportunity to make a financial gift will be extended.

Dinner is complementary ~ Adults only as seating is limited ~ Semi-formal attire

Merry Christmas!

Glory to God in the Highest! 

Thanks for all your amazing support this year!
We're looking forward to serving together in 2013.
Dr. Bill & Susan Morehouse
  
Click here to read our Christmas letter.

Mesple Fundraiser at BCC!

  
THIS SUNDAY NIGHT - DECEMBER 16

Taylor Mesple has played on over 110 CD's since becoming a full time musician at the age of 13. He now keeps busy as a studio keyboardist/vocalist/producer and lives in Colorado.A world class musician, Taylor has a heart for God and his music reflects his deep convictions and sincere desire to share the power of God through music with all who have ears to hear.

Please invite your friends and come out!

2530 Browncroft Blvd, Rochester, NY

6:00 PM Desserts and Refreshments | Concert at 7:00 PM | Admission: $5.00 donation per person to benefit His Branches, a faith-based non-profit organization committed to providing vital services to inner-city residents and families in Rochester, NY since 1978.

You ROC'd on 12/12/12!

We ROC'd around the clock!

A huge THANK YOU goes to each and every one of you who made this incredible day of giving such a great success. The Greater Rochester community continues to be one of the most generous in the country, and ROC the Day 12/12/12 was no exception. In an outpouring of grace, you blessed His Branches with over $5,000 in donations in one day. Matched that makes over $10,000! You ROC!!

PS - If you missed 12/12/12, there's still time to help us redeem the remaining $5,000 of our matching funds! Just contact us, send in your donation, and our partners will match it, up to $5,000!

Keep on ROC'in!

His Branches Mall

Our own shopping portal

  
Where every purchase benefits both of us

Finally, a way to help His Branches where we aren't asking you to donate money but offering you a convenient way to shop online that pays you to participate!!

His Branches now has its own online shopping mall featuring thousands of partner stores like Staples, The Home Depot, Sears, Macy’s, Dell, Best Buy, Gap, and many more: All the stores you shop at on a regular basis for items needed in your household - stuff you're planning to purchase anyway, regardless of whether it will help us.

When you make purchases at the His Branches Mall, you get paid to shop, and His Branches receives donations averaging 2-4% from the advertisers because we told you to shop there! Finally, we're getting rewarded for ‘"word of mouth advertising"!

At the His Branches Mall the benefits don’t stop there. Now, you can take advantage of the ease and convenience of online shopping to buy the products and services you want, while feeling good about helping one of your favorite organizations.

Ready to  try it out? Just click here and follow the instructions!

Fall Newsletter

2012 - A Busy Year

We’ve been very busy here at His Branches over the past year serving the families of Rochester in a variety of ways. From patient care to much needed activity for neighborhood youth and critical counseling in the area of life decisions, the staff and volunteers of HBI have been pouring their God-given passions into the work they do for their community. For a full report click here to read our Fall Newsletter, being sent to our local mailing list in print form.

As our services to the community grow, we’re challenged with the reality of “doing more with less.” In order to maintain our level of quality patient care, we must be proactive in finding ways to increase our revenue in order to continue serving the families of our community. Would you partner with us? We’re humbled by those who have already come alongside us in the past, and would be sincerely thankful for any who would join us in our mission.

Want to make a special one-time donation now? Take advantage of ROC the Day on 12/12/12 (see below) to double your gift through our generous matching partners!

ROC the Day with us!

SAVE THE DATE! 12/12/12

Visit www.ROCtheDay.org/HisBranchesInc online or call (800) 242-0238 anytime on December 12th to donate to the ministries of His Branches.

Maximize your gift! Generous anonymous donors have authorized us to say that the 1st $10,000 will be matched, dollar for dollar!

2012 Banquet Videos

This year's banquet program at Mario's Restaurant on May 24th was educational and inspiring from beginning to end. Thankfully Justin Ortiz, Executive Director and Producer at Generation News, graciously volunteered to document the event. Here are some clips from his video for you to be able enjoy the evening again if you attended or view for the first time to share our experience if you weren't able to be with us this year.

We start with Steve Hogan, Master of Ceremonies, introducing Dee Skelton who presented the ministry of Embracing Options and Doug Smith who presented Rochester Youth Outreach.

Susan Morehouse and Michelle Preston completed the ministry profiles by presenting the work of the Arnett Block Association and His Branches Health Services.

Doug and Cynthia Smith inspired us with special music, less than two weeks after getting married!

Dr. Morehouse presented an overview of how the ministries of His Branches work together with churches and other ministries to build God's Kingdom in Rochester, then introduced the evening's guest speaker, Rev. James. L. Cherry, Sr, Pastor of Aenon Baptist Church in Rochester.

Our evening reached its peak when Dr. Cherry inspired us with a personal testimony about how the ministries of His Branches had influenced his life and then exhorted us all to be wholeheartedly "on assignment" in God's Kingdom.

John Gramlich wrapped our banquet up with an engaging appeal, followed by an impassioned benediction by Pastor Sandra Felder.

Thanks to all who helped make our entire evening such a wonderful experience! We can hardly wait for next year's Banquet to come!

A Great Banquet!

Our second annual His Branches Banquet, hosted last week at the Oak Hill Country Club, was a great success thanks to many behind-the-scenes workers and wonderful community support! Over 200 staff, friends, and new supporters of our ministry gathered for an evening of celebration of past and ongoing accomplishments and exhortations to keep up and expand the good work.

After enjoying a delicious dinner and time of fellowship with friends, both old and new, we were ministered to with music, testimony, and a new video that refreshed and stirred our spirits. Our guest speaker, Dr. Karl Johnson, inspired us with a comparison between what His Branches is doing now and the moving story of Atticus Finch in Harper Lee's classic "To Kill a Mockingbird," and our host for the evening, John Gramlich, urged us to pull together to reach even deeper in meeting the needs and opportunities that surround us.

When it was all over, we were left with not only the encouraging glow of spiritual support but the tangible reality of profoundly encouraged staff, new volunteers, and nearly $40,000 in donations and pledges to undergird our ministries in the months ahead. A hearty "thank you" goes out to all who participated in making our 2011 "Healing Hands" Banquet such a success. We're already starting to talk about next year!

Merry Christmas!

Greetings from the Morehouses! 

We deeply appreciate all your support and look forward to serving together with you in the coming year.

Click here to read our holiday letter.