How We Began

On a cool Sunday morning in January 2007 following church service in Clermont, Florida, Steve and his wife, Linda, met a man named Randy who would transform their lives forever. Linda and Steve were semi-retired from their corporate executive jobs and moved to Clermont from Columbus, Ohio. They wondered what God had planned for them going forward.  This encounter with Randy on this particular Sunday answered their question. After church service, a couple invited Steve and Linda to join them for breakfast.  At the restaurant door sat a man on a bench who asked if they knew of a church he could walk to. He had no car.   Because Smith and their friends’ church wasn’t within walking distance, they offered a ride to take him and pick him up after the church service.  Steve and Linda knew that God had guided them to him.

A startling discovery occurred when Steve picked him up after church. He took Randy to lunch to learn more about his life.  Randy said that he was new in town and seeking a job, as his father died a few years prior, and tried managing the company, but failed.  Randy said that he had moved to Clermont seeking a new beginning.

After lunch, Steve was taking him to his home and was startled when he stopped his car in front of a wooded area.  Randy told Steve that was where he lived…in the woods. Since it was going to be below freezing that evening, Steve told him that he would call his pastor seeking a safe and warm place to stay. Another surprise for Steve…. there was only one small homeless shelter in south Lake County.  The shelter was located in the City of Mascotte, which is several miles from Clermont. This shelter was very crowded with numerous men and women with children. They let him stay there and the next day Steve took him to find work.   Randy secured employment from a friend from Steve’s church and took him back to the homeless shelter following his first day at work.   Steve promised to take Randy to and from work daily until he found a place for him to live nearer to Clermont.  Shortly thereafter, New Beginnings was formed and a house in Clermont located near employers and services was secured.  New Beginnings hired a live-in house manager and housed Randy and other men who struggled to find stable employment and housing.