This is a happy picture

This is Russell, a longtime volunteer at the Sunshine Resale Shop. I share this picture to illustrate the generosity of CCSC volunteers throughout the ministry. Russell always has a smile on his face, and welcomes customers into the shop with hospitality.

Each day, the shop and two food pantries open with the volunteers gathering for prayer before beginning the day. They pray for our clients, our churches and our community. They share their own individual concerns. No matter the weather, issues of the day, or concerns of the world, these groups begin their work together with a prayer.

These volunteers are not one-dimensional. I imagine there to be contrasts between each in their theological and political approaches to the world. But these differences are irrelevant when we gather at CCSC. Do you and I have to agree on everything before we can work together to alleviate hunger? I hope not.

This is a small, but important aspect of CCSC. Our small ministry witnesses to the strength of working together across lines (despite lines, maybe), rather than using lines to separate us. The words of Jesus are powerful and call for much work to be done to build up the Kingdom of God. There's room for differences of opinion... and then room for us to pray together and work together.

Please join our team. We need more volunteers. As he's gotten older, Russell is not able to come to the shop as often. If you're willing to serve, I think he would share that chair he's sitting in.

Some November lessons

This past month, I was in three different CCSC churches: a Baptist, an Episcopal, and a Methodist church. I heard three fabulous sermons, visited with lots of good people, and left refreshed. Below are some of the messages I walked away with:

Hold a baby - If you're feeling despondent, confused or helpless, holding a baby will center you and bring you close to God. Babies need love and food. Love and food. Maybe all the stuff we worry about is extraneous to what really matters.

Say thank you - Say thank you to God for the goodness in your life, especially if things aren't going well. When life is chaotic and upside down, the best way to find your center of gravity is to start naming what is going right. Even if it's just one small thing. 

Share yourself - Share your strength, share your faith, share your time, share whatever is good and right in your life with others. This message was not preached. It is what I observe every time I visit this particular church. They are a generous congregation that oozes love and hospitality.

What did you learn in November? Are you interested in deepening your spiritual life? Visit some churches and take them on a test drive, if you don't currently attend a church. If you're a regular church-goer, add in a new spiritual discipline to keep yourself from becoming stale. The new year is almost upon us - make a resolution that could possibly enrich your soul.

It's been a busy week!

Thanksgiving week is not quiet around here.

The parish of St. Vincent De Paul Catholic finished their food drive Monday, bringing several cars loaded with donations. Bethany Christian Church arrived next, bringing another generous delivery from their congregation as well as the Lamar High School Swim Team. The youth from St. Michael Catholic then began organizing and sorting the donations, thereby expediting the distribution of food. And in two days, we've given high-quality food packages to 163 families and currently have a waiting room full of families.

At JobNet, six new people registered with the program, which is rare for a holiday week. In addition, 28 other job seekers came in for coaching, a Quickbooks class, and computer training. More are here today.

The doorbell keeps ringing, with Christmas toys being delivered for the upcoming Jingle Bell Express program. It's a happy sound!

There are two moments this week that stand out to me. The first was when a new volunteer told Volunteer Coordinator Kate Gallup that she can feel the love in this place. Me too.

And then my week started with a hug from Winston, a former client who does our landscaping. He's grateful for what CCSC has meant to him. Me too.

So this Thanksgiving week, I hope you also have experienced generosity, love, a flurry of happy activity, and a hug from a friend. This is what I'm grateful for this week.

Today in staff meeting

Every Wednesday afternoon our staff gathers for a weekly meeting. We share what's going on in our work area, with those on the front lines also sharing statistics and insight into the clients we serve.

Staff meeting begins with a prayer or devotion, and today Program Director Karen Holloman opened the meeting with these words from theologian Henri Nouwen:  

Those who are marginal in the world are central in the Church, and that is how it is supposed to be. Thus we are called as members of the Church to keep going to the margins of our society. The homeless, the starving, parentless children, people with AIDS, our emotionally disturbed brothers and sisters - they require our attention.

We can trust that when we reach out with all our energy to the margins of our society we will discover that petty disagreements, fruitless debates, and paralyzing rivalries will recede and gradually vanish. The Church will always be renewed when our attention shifts from ourselves to those who need our care. The blessing of Jesus always comes to us through the poor. The most remarkable experience of those who work with the poor is that, in the end, the poor give more than they receive.

And here are some highlights shared in today's meeting:

• a record number of students (1,839) had their vision screened this fall; those needing glasses will receive them through CCSC's Louise J. Moran Vision Care program
• last week we fed 266 families through the two food pantries
• on Saturday we held a food fair (a free farmer's market for the hungry) and helped 257 families
• 52 job seekers were helped at JobNet, with seven new people asking for guidance in their job search
• a record number of students are enrolled in Martha's Way, the program which teaches entrepreneurial skills and launches small business owners

Does this sound good to you? If so, please consider supporting our work by volunteering your time, donating food or clothing, and/or financially supporting CCSC's mission.

Compassion has a good return on investment

Several years ago, I spoke at a CCSC church, giving a "moment for mission" during worship services. After the service, a woman came over to let me know she was a client many years ago.

She had been a stay-at-home mom with a toddler, and her husband walked out on her, disappearing with all their financial assets. Her church was her rock, providing emotional support, lots of love, and bringing her to CCSC.

She wanted me to know how much CCSC had helped her. After her husband left, she found a job, although it did not pay much. Her standard of living dropped dramatically, so she and her son came to CCSC on occasion for food, financial assistance, and help through the youth services programs. It was tough, but she worked hard and received promotions with pay raises over time.

When she spoke to me that Sunday, she said her son had graduated from high school and joined the military. He was serving his country and had a plan for his life; she was clearly proud of him. They had made it.

I'm writing about her story not just to share a happy ending, but also to demonstrate what just a little help can do to propel a family forward. Our ministry's culture is saturated in compassion, but we use a business model to operate the mission. We alleviated her immediate burden and made a tangible, long-term impact on her life, keeping this family from being hungry, homeless, and living in poverty.

This is a requested re-run

A couple of you reached out to me after my posting earlier this week, requesting I re-post the blog from December 2013, so it is below.

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.

We helped a veteran today

He's disabled, works part-time, and barely makes it each month. I have a soft spot for veterans. A fair number have come through our doors over the years, and it bothers me to see their struggles.

A few years ago, we helped a female veteran who was escaping an abusive husband. She took her children to a shelter and slowly began to rebuild her life. The shelter provided temporary housing and the emotional support she and her children needed to heal. CCSC provided clothing, school supplies for the children, and help in finding work. The story has a happy ending in that she found a well-paying job and was able to move into her own place.

And then there was the homeless man who I wrote about a few years ago. He was homeless for 40 years after serving in Vietnam and is now off the streets. (His story is worth re-reading, by the way. Just scroll down to December 2013 to find that blog).

The gentleman we helped today simply needed food. It is September 26 - the end of the month - and he had run out of money. He lives on about $800/month, so it's a stretch to make those dollars last all month.

How can you help? Donate food, and you'll be helping veterans as well as working families, the elderly, children, victims of domestic violence and all those in our community who live in delicate, vulnerable situations.