An Update From Love Wins

We're honored to partner with Love Wins- a ministry that works with the poor and homeless in downtown Raleigh.  They are doing some great work in the name of Jesus.  Check our their latest newsletter update below:

Dear Friends,

Just before Christmas, I was at a meeting of Social Justice oriented pastors. During a break, I was talking with a pastor who works for [Really Huge Denomination] at the Regional level. She is 'over' many churches, and was really interested in what we are doing. She mentioned she would like us to talk about me talking to various small groups and pastors in those churches. Then she asks me "Where is your office?". The conversation lasted about 12 seconds after I told her I work from home, but not before she said "Oh, I had no idea you were so small…".

I have to tell you, that was a little disheartening. In fact, it was downright depressing. Partly because, of course I would like to have an entry to so many churches, with the endorsements of their higher-ups. We have goals we want to accomplish that would be much easier with the support and financial backing a Really Huge Church could give us.

But the most depressing thing was that I had somehow failed to communicate that we see small as a blessing. Small, to quote the title of a book well worth reading, is beautiful.

You see, because we are small, we know the names of the people we buy shoes for. Because we are small, I can blow off the whole afternoon of appointments to go sit in a hospital room with a friend who tried to kill herself. Because we are small, I am welcome in the soup kitchens and the shelters, even if I am not so welcome in the board rooms and the churches. Because we are small, there is no need to make up metrics that justify what we are doing out here. We are free to love people and pray for peace and work for justice and have confidence that God, when all is said and done, bends that way.

That being said, all living things must either grow or decay, and Love Wins Ministries is no different. The last six weeks have found us in conversations about how we can help build more relationships between folks with houses and folks that live on the streets without becoming 'institutional' and stagnant. Or how we can capture the freedom of smallness I just described and yet be acceptable (or at least accessible) to people and organizations like that pastor lady, who values size over substance. 

Over the next few weeks and months, lots of changes will be happening. We will be discussing some things on our blog we have not before, like our boots and shoes ministry, and you will be hearing from other voices over there as well.

In the meantime, keep praying for us as we build, grow and seek the will of God while we, in our small way, keep loving folks most people would rather just went away.

 

Love Wins. Always.

 

Hugh Hollowell

http://lovewins.info