Sometimes it's okay to talk to a stranger

This morning, staff member Stephanie Hodge was at a local grocery store picking up some of the "Red Barrel" bags.  You know those barrels:  they are in most grocery stores and the contents are donated to food pantries.

As Stephanie was loading her car with the food bags, a stranger approached.  He asked if she worked for the agency that would be distributing the food to the hungry, and when she said "yes", he handed her $100 as a cash donation.  And then he walked away.

When she shared this story, it made all of us smile:  not because of the $100 donation, but because of the generosity of a stranger, who asked for nothing in return for his gift, not even a tax receipt.

I love anonymous goodness and have the privilege of seeing it often at CCSC.  We clearly see it with donors and volunteers, but also with clients.  One cold winter day, a homeless man came in looking for a coat, and we were out of warm clothing.  Another client overheard the conversation between the man and a volunteer.  He stepped forward to give the man his own coat, saying that he had an apartment and couldn't imagine sleeping on the streets without warmth.  This was someone who had come to us needing food and clothing, yet he freely gave away his only coat.

Because I work in a faith-based organization, I am surrounded by spiritually focused people, seeking to live their faith and values in the world.  Most of the people I know want to do great things with their lives.  Yet I wonder if greatness is in the little moments that comprise our daily lives.  Mother Teresa said it best:  "We can do no great things, only small things with great love." 

With apologies to mathematicians, numbers aren't everything

We are working hard to finalize our 2013 numbers to report the year's results. This involves our financials as well as our program statistics and outcomes.  Essentially, CCSC had a good year, and we'll be reporting the information formally next week.

Numbers matter because we can measure accomplishments and make comparisons to prior years as well as to our goals.  But numbers cannot be the sole mechanism in measuring success.  An organization's mission also needs to be assessed:  Did we live our core values (these are mentioned in a prior post)?  Can someone walk into our programs, office, or resale shop and see a match between our values and our daily interactions?  Do we "walk the talk" with our organizational culture?

I share this not to give an assessment on CCSC's culture (although I think our staff and volunteers do an outstanding job).  I share this to show that when we measure success, we also have to consider how well we relate to others, especially those we serve.

So I'm always grateful to receive feedback on how we can improve in this area.  And of course, I love to hear directly from our clients. 

Earlier this week, I ran into a former JobNet client.  He wanted me to know how much the people at JobNet meant to him:  he said they changed his life, and he rattled off all their names.  He's been employed for three years now.  In the year he was a client, he represented one person out of 50,000+ who our organization helped.  His statistic was not meaningful, if you look at just the numbers.  But his story was meaningful to those who worked with him.  He believed they genuinely cared for him, and this helped propel him forward.

So as we publish and report our numbers, remember that each program statistic represents a human being, with his or her own story.  CCSC aims to meet our targeted programmatic and financial goals while seeing each person coming through as a child of God, worthy of our best effort.



If you would like to become a CCSC volunteer and join our community, please contact our volunteer coordinator, Kate Gallup, at volunteer@ccschouston.org.

Christmas Isn't Over

There is a poem I read this time of year that I find inspiring.  It's called "The Work of Christmas" by Henry Thurman:

When the star in the sky is gone,
When the Kings and Princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flocks,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost
To heal the broken
To feed the hungry
To release the prisoner
To teach the nations
To bring Christ to all
To make music in the heart.
— Howard Thurman

 

 

Like many of you, I revel in the majesty of Christmas.  I enjoy all the activity at CCSC and seeing so many volunteers come through our doors this time of year, eager to serve and help us fulfill our mission.  I also love the quiet time I have with my family, the music and decorations, and the inspiring worship services at my church. 

 

So when it's over, and I find myself in January, it can be a bit of a letdown.  I read this poem as a reminder that while the pageantry and magic of Christmas has its time, the work of Christmas is timeless and ongoing. 

 

This week, as in most weeks throughout the year, CCSC works its mission.  We help job seekers to find a job (or a better job).  We feed families and individuals, and we put eyeglasses on the faces of at-risk students. We train women to become entrepreneurs, help older persons with their medication, and working families to avoid homelessness.  We do this in a culture that says all people are to be treated with dignity and respect.  We do this in a culture that strives to balance accountability and solid business practices with the ethos of our mission:  to be the hands and feet of Christ in a hurting world.

 

Thanks to all who support and believe in our work.

 

Do we ever give up on someone?

We helped someone a few weeks ago who was homeless for 40 years until he decided to come off the streets.  Over the years, many people had tried to convince him to leave the streets, and he always said "no".  Until one day 18 months ago he said "yes" and then embarked on a new phase of his life.

He served in Vietnam and saw things he said were too horrible to describe.  When he came home, he was not welcomed back by his family or his community - he felt the brunt of society's anger for the Vietnam War.  Looking back, he understands that the lack of support, coupled with undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) caused him to detach first from his family and eventually society.  He entered the world of living on the streets and stayed there for 40 years.

When he agreed 18 months ago to get help, he was diagnosed and treated for PTSD and referred to the Veterans Administration (VA) for help in entering mainstream society.  He has received services from the VA, and at the time he came to CCSC, he had an apartment he could afford and was about to start a skills-building program that will help him to find work. 

He came to us needing food.  His benefits are enough to pay for his apartment's rent, but he often runs out of food before the end of the month.  His demeanor was serious and focused.  He has been through hell and is not light in spirit, but he is quietly grateful for the turn in his life. 

I have thought a lot about him these last few weeks.  I wonder why he finally said "yes" to coming off the streets.  I wonder how many people gave up on him: his family, friends and others who encountered him.  If I had been his friend, would I have given up on him? Or would I have persevered in trying to help?

Who knows.  But my encounter with this gentleman highlights an important spiritual truth: no one's life is disposable, and there is hope in even the darkest situations.  I am grateful to him for his living witness of life's redeeming possibilities, and I'll bet he has positively impacted everyone who has worked with him these last 18 months.

My children won't eat cauliflower

One will eat a salad, but not carrots; the other won't eat anything green and is suspicious of most vegetables.  My children don't realize it, but they live privileged lives because they have the luxury of choosing to not eat everything we cook for dinner.  This is a gift most of us overlook each day: choosing what we eat (and when and where we eat).  So many in our community, state, nation and world can only dream of such choices. Hunger means being grateful for food that fills your tummy, even if it's not your favorite.

I share this perspective not to make my own family or yours feel guilty.  I share it to point out that some of the blessings in our lives are things we take for granted.  I also share this to give insight into one aspect of hunger that is lost on many of us:  having limited choices in satisfying basic needs.

So the next time you donate food to us or any pantry, donate something healthy, but make sure it is something you would eat with a smile on your face.  I can assure you that my children never donate canned spinach, and if it were all up to my son, we'd just give out lots of chocolate and Cheerios to everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving, and thanks for all that you do to make the community a better place.

Do we have to agree on everything to work together?

Recently I was in a meeting with some volunteer leaders, reviewing CCSC's Core Values. These values say that while we are a coalition of Christian churches, we don't agree with one another on everything, and that's okay. 

I really love this about CCSC. We provide a venue for people with different Christian perspectives to serve together.  For people outside the institution of the church, this comes as a surprise: often I hear people outside share that they view the church as argumentative and not unified.  That troubles me.

So do we have to agree on everything to work together?  Do you and I have to vote the same way to feed the hungry together?  Do you and I have to agree on what Jesus meant when he said, "I am the bread of life"?  Are Jesus's words meant to be taken only literally or also metaphorically?  Do we have to find consensus on these matters before we can come together as a Christian community to serve?

The answer is "no", we can agree to disagree and still work well together. What unites us is far more important than what divides us, and Jesus was clear that helping the poor, those who suffer, and the outcasts of society is a vital part of our faith walk.   

Below are CCSC's Core Values.  I'd love to hear your thoughts on them, so feel free to email me at mshonbeck@ccschouston.org.

CCSC’s Core Values

The Christian Community Service Center (CCSC) is a coalition of churches working to alleviate poverty in the local community.  The ministry accomplishes this through various resources: volunteerism, in-kind donations, operating a resale shop, and cash donations from the private sector to include church, individual, foundation and corporate support. The ministry’s focus is to apply core business principles to the accomplishment of its mission so the agency is returning value to the community in an efficient and effective manner.

The organization’s core values are:

a.      Everyone is treated with dignity and respect.

b.      Staff and volunteers strive to live the gospel message.

c.       CCSC is an ecumenical group that serves everyone while respecting their religious, ethnic, or cultural differences.

d.      Out of respect for the diverse views that the member churches, volunteers and community members have on issues, CCSC does not engage in public policy work.

Patience & Strength

I recently sat through a client interview that was heart-breaking.  A couple about my age had their life changed two months ago when the husband was diagnosed with cancer.  Because his job is physical in nature, he cannot work post-surgery, and his employer does not offer disability insurance.  Meanwhile, their expenses are escalating. CCSC helped pay their rent and signed them up for our food assistance program.  He is receiving treatment in the medical center, and they are optimistic because the cancer was caught early.

His wife shared how hard this has been for them emotionally and talked about their need for patience.  They had to wait for the diagnosis; they are waiting to hear the results from surgery and subsequent treatment; they wait but want answers now.  She noted that their faith is giving them patience and strength. 

She wondered aloud how people cope without faith, and we agreed it would almost be like living without gravity.

So often when I speak on CCSC's mission I say that the clients inspire me, and this couple did. They have chosen to trust that God will not abandon them but will instead give them what they need: patience and strength.  Their trust is a gentle reminder to each of us that through the ups and downs of our lives, God is present and will give us what we need.