Mission Partner—Re:Center Ministries
By Cory Bledsoe
“Please let me die, because I can't keep on like this.”
That was Jason’s prayer during the five years he spent homeless or in jail. Addicted to alcohol and drugs since age 12, Jason had left a trail of broken relationships and failed attempts at recovery behind him. “I was dead inside, broken,” he said.
On February 12, 2018, at the age of 42, Jason had only a glimmer of life left inside when his dad—a Southeast member— brought him to Louisville Rescue Mission, now known as Re:Center Ministries. “Something clicked,” he remembered. “I felt God was calling me. I asked Jesus to be my Savior and I believe in Him without a doubt.” Looking back on those years of brokenness, Jason said, “I would never have imagined my life could be like it is today!”
Jason is more than halfway through our three-phase, 18-month residential LifeChange program. He works full-time for a construction company owned by a Southeast member, he’s active in a local church, and he is reconciling with his family, including his newborn son. “I want to teach him to be a Godly man when he grows up,” Jason said. “God has given me a peace and joy I could never put into words. I know I’m not alone anymore.”
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Don’t we all pray for outcomes like Jason’s when we see someone who’s homeless or hurting? But it’s all too common for us as believers to swing to one of two ends of the pendulum: Turn away out of fear, shame, or guilt and do nothing, or jump in head-first and do what we think will “fix” a person.
At Re:Center, we believe there’s a different way. It’s not simple, nor is it quick and easy. But it’s faithful to the whole counsel of God as revealed in Scripture. And after 137 years of ministry to the homeless and hurting, we know it works.
Take some time this holiday season to prayerfully examine your perspective of homelessness.
What if the person you see sleeping under the overpass has no relationships because childhood abuse and neglect destroyed their capacity to trust? What if the person talking to themselves as they walk around downtown hasn’t been able to stick with their psychiatric care? What if the person standing at a stoplight asking for money can’t hold down a job because of their addiction? What if the person you served a meal to at the homeless shelter wants to work and live interdependently, but doesn’t know how to start?
Hear this invitation: Let your curiosity fuel a desire to know people deeply. Take time to discover how the Lord has formed their story. Every one of us is created in the image of God and it’s this common humanity that leads us, as believers, to compassion. Then, let your compassion drive you to fulfill the call of Christ. God tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 to be ministers of reconciliation. That instruction is the foundation of our mission here at Re:Center—We reconcile homeless and hurting people to God, family, and community by the power of Christ in partnership with the local church.
The Lord burdens every heart differently. Maybe homeless ministry isn’t where you’ve been called—that’s okay. But our encouragement to you today is to take a step back and prayerfully examine how God has spoken through Scripture of the people you’re passionate about serving. Finally, take your curiosity, your compassion, and your specific calling, and channel it into action. Give of your time, give of your talents, or give of your treasure. These are gifts God has entrusted to each of us and there’s no shortage of ways to use them for the Kingdom.
Want to talk more? Visit recenterministries.org. We’d love to get to know you and find the perfect way to partner with you in Louisville or Southern Indiana.
This article is from the November 2018 issue of NEXT magazine.