Collaboration. This is a word that causes some people to become uncomfortable. In order to collaborate with another person, or in this case, another ministry, one has to be willing to listen. Often it may require setting aside our single minded agenda to find the agenda that moves us both forward.
I first engaged with Mean Street Ministry when I was trying to figure out whether God was calling me into a ministry serving people experiencing homelessness. I needed to find a place to connect with people I didn’t know. James was a great support to me personally and allowed me the opportunity to serve with Mean Street for a year while I prayed and listened. In the course of that year I learned a lot about the lives of people experiencing homelessness, the ways that relational ministry has its best impact and even more importantly….how much alike I am with those whom we serve.
This is who Mean Street is. A ministry that is supportive of those they serve and those who desire to learn more about the challenges facing people experiencing homelessness. Mean Street Ministry is a place to learn, to grow and to experience relationships you would never have the opportunity to experience anywhere else. It is a place to find out we all have a hard journey in life and it is made easier when we do it together.
When Severe Weather Shelter Network finally launched in February of 2013 Mean Street Ministry was right in the forefront of helping us determine the best way to register and connect with people needing shelter. They continue to be a very important collaborative partner for us.
We are preparing to enter into our 6th season of shelter beginning in October. The wheels have been set in motion and once again Mean Street Ministry is right there with us. They will continue to help us register our guests, answer phones and be an equal partner as we make this journey together.
Thank you Mean Street Ministry for all you are, all you do and most importantly…Thank you for serving the last, the lost and the least. Me included.
Lynn Ann Huizingh
Executive Director