Love
We value the love of God and the love of neighbor, stranger, and enemy as the greatest commandments given to us by Jesus Christ.
Relationships
We value authentic relationships between people, and strive for inclusion of all people into the life and work of the community.
Reconciliation
We value the Christian message of reconciliation, that through Jesus we may be restored into relationship with God, self, others, and Creation. God’s work of reconciliation is both a gift and a calling to be a community of reconciliation, across lines of class, race, gender, and social divisions.
Redistribution
We value the just distribution of resources that occurs when relationships are built across class lines, and when communities’ resources are reinvested within themselves.
Relocation
We value the incarnational ministry of relocation. By relocating, a person will understand most clearly the real problems facing the poor, and then may begin to look for real solutions. Relocation transforms “you, them, and theirs” to “we, us, and ours.”
Transformation
We value the process of transformation as the renewing, re-creating, healing, and restorative work of God in Christ and through his Church for individuals, families, communities, and ultimately all of Creation.
Freedom
We value freedom from poverty, freedom from affluence, freedom from oppression, freedom from the crippling consequences of individual and social sin, and the freedom of restored relationship with God in Christ.
Diversity
We value the diversity of differing economic, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and the beauty of expression such diversity brings to our community.
Partnerships & Collaboration
We value partnering with others across lines of faith when doing so furthers our ability to serve the community in accordance with our mission.
Justice and Peacemaking
We value justice and seek to participate in God’s plan to right wrongs and bring peace to God’s world.
Some of my friends at Hosea are still sleeping on the streets in November. It got down to 29 degrees last night and is only going to get colder this winter, and they don’t have any options except to hitchhike south. What if one of those teens comes into our community and has a need as basic as a place to sleep that’s above freezing? What does being a community that experiences freedom from poverty mean in that case?
By: Hannah on November 22, 2007
at 11:33 am
It’s one thing to talk about freedom from poverty and another thing to be faced with real needs of real people. I really appreciate you raising this question.
As I think about how to respond, I end up with a lot of questions that might be answered by virtue of relationship with this person. What is his or her story? How long will he/she need a place to stay? What resources does he/she have and lack? We have a comfy sofa, and I’d rather someone sleep on it than out in the cold. But what kind of support can our community offer that can provide a longer-term and more stable solution?
Maybe one of our families takes this person in, offers lots of love, mentoring, encouragement, and family life. Maybe we partner with Hosea and work together with them on shelter for these teens. (I seem to recall that there are some legal issues around having homeless housing for under-age teens? We might have to address that.)
What we can’t do is turn them away into the cold with a shrug.
What would you like to see our community do Hannah?
By: churchplantchat on November 25, 2007
at 11:37 am
I tried to look up the Oregon legal policies specifically on underage runaways, but there isn’t anything that’s very clear on the subject. I know some people at LEAD that would probably know more about it.
As far as I know, there’s a women’s shelter through Hosea, Station 7 which only goes up to age 17 for 30 days, and after 18, the Eugene Mission is the only game in town, with a limit as well, I think. I double checked the Looking Glass site and they said that they have a volunteer family thing for teens who need a month or more of shelter called Twenty-Four 7. I think that’s new, and they don’t have much info up, so I’ll look into it. That could be a possibility for our community to participate in, though it doesn’t do much for the 18+ crew.
What troubles me about the teens/young adults that I know through Hosea is that there’s nowhere that they can stay together for safety and stay off the streets. The Eugene Mission splits up men and women, and they figure it’s safer/better to be outside together than inside and apart. I’ve never been to the Mission, so I don’t know what it is that keeps the single guys from going there. As a volunteer at Hosea, there are restrictions on what I can do outside of my sanctioned volunteer time, so I’ll have to ask what the rules are about directing youth to housing.
What could we do? Could we go as far as making a legal change if it’s limiting the open homes that we can offer? Can we advocate for people trying to get into housing but who have barriers? One of the people that is having to consider leaving town hasn’t been able to get into an apartment and doesn’t believe that he can get into the next one he’s applied for, but I’m not sure what’s standing in the way. Right now there is a handful of youth camping near Hosea together, at least that’s what Mike says.
This is all long and scattered, but it really got to me knowing that my friends were at risk and feeling powerless to do anything, especially around the holidays.
By: Hannah on November 25, 2007
at 2:47 pm
I believe that as a church plant, we have to come to terms with what we can do as a church plant. The church in Chicago, Lawndale? or whatever it is, didn’t become all things to all people overnight. I know that it is hard to help some and seemingly turn our heads away from others but we can also drown in beginner’s ambition. Housing the homeless and some of the other crises intervention type activities, with the red tape, liabilties (needing lawyers and facilities, staff, etc) might be biting off a little too much in the beginning. That’s where I think that an initial vision of grassroots reconciliation might be a little more practical. Just don’t ask me to define what that is
) Once a community is established somewhat and can function as a sustainable resource, then perhaps the vision can expand.
By: Herb Leaming on November 27, 2007
at 6:49 am
We’re at a nearly blank slate of exploration of what we can grow into doing as a community. We’re dreaming about creating a community center and coffee house. We’re dreaming about job/ employability skills training. We’re dreaming about how to do community development in downtown Springfield. We haven’t yet begun to meet regularly as a new community of faith, and we have everything to do to become a church.
But I think it’s great to explore what’s going on with the homeless youth and I really appreciate hearing about their needs and situations. My own contact with the mission makes me wonder about their concerns of safety. I’m really interested to know more about that. My impression of the women’s facility is that safety would not be an issue at all. And of the men’s side, I’m less sure but it surprises me that sleeping in the cold is preferable to staying there. I would like to know what their experiences have been. I do find their mandatory chapel service and some of their ways of handling the guests to be very institutional and not necessarily full of dignity. But I am also reluctant to criticize because they provide such a service to the community that isn’t matched by any other organization. It does make me sad to hear that your (Hannah’s) friends do not feel good about going there.
There might not be a lot we can do right now, but if we start learning about the problem, we may be able to do something in the future. I hope that we will be a community that is at the very least welcoming of these young people who’s stories we haven’t yet heard.
By: churchplantchat on November 28, 2007
at 6:01 am
Having played music at the Mission for years, it has kind of bothered me the way it seems they heard people in and preach at them nightly, although I have found out recently that it’s not required to preach old fashioned sin and salvation to them because Karlene and others are bringing something fresh in and there is a positive response for the most part. I’ve been part of a street ministry music team for a while now and we play the Thursday night Manna gathering at the First Christian Church, Sunday meals for street people at the WOW Hall etc. I’m realizing that there are street people by choice, or at least resigned to the fact, who are skilled at it and you can tell them by their dress and choice of gear. There are homeless and not able to help themselves very well, and newly homeless due to recent misfortune. That’s just my observation. Josh and Karlene mentioned something a while back to me about engaging with newly homeless, or people just a paycheck away from it and lost their job and helping to prevent that, the borderline homeless and poor. That sounds very feasible to me and interesting. How do you connect with them though?
By: Herb on December 2, 2007
at 2:12 am
The herding bothers me a bit too. And I wouldn’t enjoy sitting through chapel every single night, so I would be very reluctant to impose that on others.
Your last question is a good one. We have lots of ideas! We just need to get on our feet a bit.
This morning at school one of classmates mentioned his church’s coffee house ministry (along with several other neat things they do). They are a small church of about 50, but they do lots of wonderful things. He said all the start up things they needed, espresso machine etc. were donated – about $28,000 worth of stuff. They also do a lot with single parents and their kids. It’s inspiring to see small churches who make a big difference.
By: churchplantchat on December 4, 2007
at 2:56 am