05/12/2026
Leslie’s House ••• In the late 90's, Pastor Jim Summey of English Road Baptist Church and one of the founders of West End Ministries met Leslie when he saw her walking on the street near the church. Jim was worried about her, invited her to church, expressed his concern to her and tried to assist her. He asked different women in the church to reach out to her and they did often. It was a heartbreaking situation especially since there was no women's shelter in High Point for single women (only women with children). No alternatives should a single woman choose to seek shelter or positive change.
As time passed, sometime later, Jim received a call one Saturday around 4:30 am from a High Point Fire Captain asking if he knew the phone number of Leslie's parents because she had died. He**in and crack co***ne were rampant in the area at the time. From this point on, the burden for a single women's shelter was carried. West End Ministries was being built up and we were serving as life, hardship and trauma were happening around us.
Pastor Jim shared, "We have to meet people where they are in their heart and mind. It's the only way we can minister to them. As you can imagine, people on the streets and those coming from traumatic situations don't understand or always think reasonably. They are often a mess. We, sometimes, have to love people a long time before they can even get to the point of healing and change. Others need mental health or drug treatment referrals, some have simply hit a road bump, have health issues or are starting over having fled bad situations and need resources, training and monetary assistance to get back on their feet. All need care and love which is what led West End Ministries and friends towards the creation of Leslie’s House.” (Part 1) ••• Support Leslie’s House, Adopt-a-Bed: wemhp.org
