As you know values matter. As Christians our values reflect God’s own character and provide us a framework for how we are to live and interact with one another. In short our values are rooted in God’s nature and revealed through His Word.
At the Mission our values are the very foundation upon which we build our programs, empower our people, and navigate challenging circumstances, ensuring unwavering dedication to our mission. They are not just words on paper; they are the guiding principles that shape our actions and define who we are.
Let me share a recent example of how our values practically guided us through a seemingly difficult challenge, the sudden the lack of bread.
The shortage of bread isn’t something that I thought I would ever encounter at the Mission. Looking back to my early days as food service manager in 1997, I have always been struck by the abundance of donated bread. The sheer quantity of bread available for our three daily meals, with leftovers to spare, was remarkable. Also, there was enough bread for all the food pantries in our community to share. This continued when we established the Main Ingredient twelve years ago. We envisioned a welcoming space where our guests would feel valued, and providing a basket of fresh bread upon arrival at dinner became a tangible expression of that care, mirroring the hospitality of a true restaurant.
Being recently cut off from the donated bread supply, going from abundance to scarcity, caused a problem we didn’t expect to face. So we let our values help guide us to a better solution. A solution that we never considered in the past, a solution that is greater than the deficit we faced.
Instead of seeing what was wrong and what needed fixing, we flipped it. We focused on what is right, what are the assets, the strengths, the skills, and talents that we already possess. Assets that could help us face this challenge.
We discovered that we have a program participant who is a gifted bread maker. She never used these skills at the Mission in the past because we had such an overabundance. It was the scarcity of bread that gave her the opportunity to bless others. And now, every night of the week we serve delicious freshly baked dinner rolls in the Main Ingredient instead of secondhand bread.
In short, instead of seeing a problem, we saw potential. When we tap into the assets of the men and women in our program, we help them to become active contributors to their own restoration. Everyone has something to offer, so we have created a space where everyone feels valued and can contribute. They aren’t solely receiving help, they are actively involved in the process of change(development).
Relating this to another one of our values, God’s Story, our asset-based approach prioritizes the inherent value and abundant goodness of God’s creation, as we hear of in Genesis chapter one. The story begins with the goodness of what God has created, rather than starting with the Fall, sin, and suffering found in Genesis chapter three.
This is a far better approach to challenges that come our way, for both our program participants, and our ministry as a whole. While we must always take seriously the brokenness of sin, we must be faithful to tell the story the way that God does. It begins with the incredible goodness of His creation, especially as it is seen in the unique way He values His image-bearers. Who are uniquely designed and placed in a special role to glorify God by using His gifts to provide and bless each other.
May we truly live in awe and gratitude toward amazing God who has created all this goodness!