Following God's Call

The early-bird weekday Bible study group at my church is currently making its way through the book of Exodus.  This morning, we read and talked about the early days of the Israelite’s 40-year journey through the wilderness after God led them out of Egypt.  I’m always amazed how easy it is for us to criticize the people of Israel, wondering how they, who were direct witnesses to God’s power and love, could so quickly and repeatedly worry and complain.  What we eventually had to admit, though, is how often our own lives reflect the same lack of trust in God’s caring presence.

Fortunately, there are people whose life stories encourage us to hear God’s call and pursue it, placing our trust in Him along the way.  I had the privilege of reconnecting recently with a man who has such a story.  Rev. Maxwell Anokwute is the Executive Director of Rebuilding the Breach Ministries in Gary, Indiana.  I first met Maxwell several years ago when Wheat Ridge Ministries was considering a seed grant for a shelter for homeless men being developed by Rebuilding the Breach.

At the time, their plan required remodeling a building they had purchased.  Remodeling is an understatement … it needed A LOT of work.  I recall having significant doubts about whether this new ministry would be a good seed investment for Wheat Ridge.  But good people like Rev. Jim Wetzstein, who, at that time, served as pastor of a nearby church and is now Associate Dean of the Chapel at Valparaiso University, convinced us to take the risk.

Today, the building houses 25 men who are trusting in God’s love and guidance as the foundation for getting back on their feet.  Shelter residents share management duties as they seek employment and permanent housing.  They are deeply engaged in the study of God’s Word along the way.  They also assist with one of Rebuilding the Breach’s outreach programs, the Bakery House, which provides food and clothing to people in the neighborhood.  Of course, the residents have unique and difficult stories to tell.  On this visit I met Hal, a 61-year-old graduate of Purdue University who spent a significant amount of his adult life in prison.  Currently still on parole, he recently found a full-time job in the community where he is applying his education and managerial skills to very positive effect.

Maxwell’s story is quite amazing.  He was a Pentecostal preacher in Nigeria.  One day, he heard the voice of God instructing him to go to the United States to share the Gospel.  He had never been to the U.S. nor did he know where he would go when he got here.  He, very simply, trusted that God was calling him to go and he dedicated himself to finding a way to get to the U.S.  Doors opened for him in some very unusual circumstances (sort of his version of crossing the Red Sea) and, long story short, he eventually made it to the U.S.

According to Maxwell, the miracles continued once he arrived.  A U.S. citizen from Indiana that he had met in Nigeria invited him to stay with him for several weeks until he got oriented to his new surroundings.  Again, long story short, he met the pastor of a Lutheran church near Gary who, not long after, asked him to serve as the director of a new ministry the congregation was supporting called Rebuilding the Breach.  A few years later, Maxwell went through the colloquy process of The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod and today is an ordained LCMS pastor.  Eventually, his wife and children were able to join him in the U.S.  His children are graduates of Luther High School East in Lansing, Illinois.  Two of them are now physicians and one is in medical school.

Maxwell leads Rebuilding the Breach Ministries with the same trust in the Lord’s guidance that led him to the U.S.  He approaches their budget and strategic plan with the simple confidence that the Lord will provide.  And, for the past 10 years, God has provided.  Maxwell says that people literally “just show up” at times when they have need.  This is how the facility got repaired, how many of the men are able to find employment, and how other volunteers get involved.  Recently, just after the board had concluded that their dream of opening a second shelter for homeless women was out of reach, someone donated a nearby building!   Of course, Maxwell doesn’t just sit around waiting for these events to happen.  He works very hard to tell the story of the Bakery House and to build relationships with people in the community while God’s Spirit works in their hearts.

As we travel through the coming Advent season, we will read and hear again the stories of Mary and Joseph who, long after Moses led the children of Israel through the wilderness and long before Maxwell made his journey of faith to the United States, listened to God’s call for their lives and obeyed Him.  What a blessing that God is with each of us as we hear His call to the manger and to the journey of faith and hope that lies ahead!   

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your understanding.

(Proverbs 3:5)

What Happened to My Stuff?!!

Sometimes my travel on behalf of Wheat Ridge Ministries can be more interesting than I’d like it to be.  A couple weeks ago, I was in Texas and had a flat tire on my rental car in the middle of a rain storm.  I learned that these days, many rental cars, at least of the size I rent, don’t come equipped with spare tires.  Imagine my surprise to discover a little “emergency repair kit” in the trunk where I assumed the spare would be!

Just a week later while I was in California, something occurred that was a much bigger deal.  While enjoying a lovely dinner and conversation with a great friend of Wheat Ridge, someone broke a window in my rental car and took my suitcase and my computer bag.  Yes, the computer bag held my laptop, iPad, a variety of cords and accessories, and even my phone charger.  What to do?!  Police were called.  I made a late night run to the rental car agency to change cars.  Fortunately, my friend Mary located a phone charger in her house that worked for my phone, which was about to run out of power. 

As I attempted to do damage control, I was caught up in a variety of reactions – denial, fear, frustration, anger – as I tried to consider all that I needed to do to recover from this situation.  I worried about whether there was anything on my computer or iPad that would compromise my identity, bank accounts, etc.  Had I saved my recent work documents to our server?  (Of course not!)  Where was I going to find clothes, etc., for the remainder of my trip?  If you’ve experienced a theft or robbery, I’m sure you asked similar questions.

Of course, things eventually worked out.  I found a Target store the next morning and after 15 minutes of “power shopping,” I rounded up necessities for the rest of the trip.  Our Wheat Ridge tech guru helped me get all of my passwords changed.  Another shopping spree after returning home got me back up and running with clothes, a new computer, etc.  And, insurance claims are being filed that should pay for most of the stolen items.

In the big picture, this incident was not that big of a deal.  I have been incredibly fortunate that thus far in my life I have not been the victim of a more serious crime than this.  I have never experienced the significant loss of property that so many people do through crime, accident or natural disaster.  There are millions of people around the world for whom the concept of “personal security” has an entirely different context than what I take for granted every day.  Many live in neighborhoods plagued by high levels of crime and violence.  Others have no place to call home and sleep on the street or in whatever shelter they can find.  Still others live with the reality that their basic human rights are not respected, or they are forced to leave their homes and seek refuge due to war or terrorism.

It’s wonderful to know that we have a God who is with us and cares for us, especially when we experience the parts of life that remind us that we live in a broken world.  Among the gifts God provides during these times in our life are other people who care about and for us.  Our seeding ministry at Wheat Ridge regularly brings us into relationship with these special people.  Thank God for our police and fire fighters, for leaders and volunteers of disaster relief efforts, for those who provide emergency and long term shelter, those who help refugees resettle in safe places, those who gather and distribute food, water and clothing, those who provide medical care, and those who tend to the psychological and emotional needs of those who experience crime and personal tragedy.  And, thank God for those whose generosity provides the financial and material support needed for this important work. 

Be well as you experience the love of Christ through the good times and the bad.  Thank you for all that you do share the healing hands of Christ with others in need!

From the Lone Star State

The newest member of our Wheat Ridge staff, Anya Knodt, is from Texas and like most Texans I know, she regularly reminds us of the many wonders of the Lone Star State.  Since I just returned from a brief trip to Texas visiting Wheat Ridge friends, supporters and projects, I thought I’d make Anya happy by sharing a few reflections about one of my favorite cities, the state capital of Texas.

Yes, of all the cities I’ve visited in this great state, Austin is my favorite.  It’s not as massive as Houston or Dallas.  It has a young entrepreneurial feel, likely fed by the major high-tech presence in town including companies such as Dell, Intel and Qualcomm.  If you’re a music lover, you’re aware that Austin has gained a reputation as the live music capital of the U.S. and home of my favorite public television show – Austin City Limits.  

 

Austin is also home to many great congregations and Christian organizations that give witness to the Gospel.  The footprint of the Lutheran church is much larger than can be capsulated in this brief space.  Here are just a few examples …

 

Very significant is the presence of Lutheran Social Services of the South.  This wonderful statewide agency, led by Dr. Kurt Senske, is known for its care and compassion for those with special needs throughout the state.  Wheat Ridge has been a proud partner of LSSS through the years.  One of the innovative programs developed by LSSS several years ago – with help from Wheat Ridge Ministries – utilizes Stephen Ministries as a tool for caring for colleagues and clients.

 

Another significant example of the Lutheran community’s impact in Austin is Concordia University Texas, which touches the lives of thousands of young people each year.  Thanks to the exceptional leadership of President Tom Cedel and a talented faculty and staff, Concordia is growing rapidly on its beautiful new campus.  It is producing students who are serving the Lord by using their God-given gifts and talents in service to the community.

 

Indicative of the creative spirit of service in the congregations of the Austin area is “Water to Thrive,” an impactful new human care initiative based in Austin that is currently being seeded by Wheat Ridge Ministries.  During this trip to Texas, I enjoyed a great visit with Dick Moeller, founder of W2T.  Dick was inspired to begin this new ministry after his Bible study group at Triumphant Love Lutheran Church decided to raise $5,000 to dig a well in Ethiopia in order to provide clean water.  They raised enough money for 12 wells!  W2T has partnered with non-government organizations in several countries in eastern Africa and its impact includes more than 300 water projects that have impacted the lives of over 150,000 people now experiencing the health benefits of clean water.

 

During my brief stay in Austin last week, I also met the new pastor of Triumphant Love Lutheran, Steve Troisi.  I was pleased to learn that Pastor Steve’s previous church in South Carolina was the recipient of a Wheat Ridge seed grant for an Alzheimer’s support and respite program.  Pastor Steve and Triumphant Love were recently invited to join several other Lutheran congregations to develop a counseling and leadership training program for at-risk youth in the Austin community … a great example of creative ministry spirit in Austin!  I was not surprised to learn that a leader of this effort is Pastor Tom Grevlos, a good friend of Wheat Ridge Ministries, who recently arrived in Austin to serve as senior pastor of Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church.

 

I returned from this visit to Texas reminded once again of the power of God’s Spirit to inspire people around the world to acts of justice and mercy in response to the Good News that Jesus came that we may experience the fullness of life (John 10:10).  It’s a privilege for Wheat Ridge Ministries to encourage and support the passion for service that exists in homes, churches and agencies as people share the healing touch of Christ with others!

Summer in the Synods

It has been a full summer for Lutherans all across America.  Three of the major U.S. Lutheran church bodies held conventions or assemblies.  There was also a national youth gathering in the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, as well as a convention of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League.

Our prayers are with Rev. Elizabeth Eaton, Presiding Bishop-elect of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, as she transitions to this new and very important leadership role.  And our thanks to Bishop Mark Hanson as he completes his significant and impactful years of servant leadership to the ELCA.

There is no question that changes continue to take place in church denominations as they attempt to discern their place in a rapidly changing religious landscape.  Wonderful and exciting opportunities exist to share the Good News of Jesus Christ in word and deed.  At the same time, these opportunities require adaptation and change as our world becomes more diverse, as “churched” people tend to be less loyal to specific denominations and as church attendance decreases and congregations are often perceived as less integral to community life than they used to be.  As we respond to these changes, church body officials struggle with questions related to their authority and influence.  Should they exert control and require greater agreement around theology and practice or should they encourage more openness and variety of practice in an effort to serve an increasingly diverse population?

Thankfully, while our denominations continue to wrestle with these issues and questions, and while they pursue different paths, the Lutheran faith community continues to share some distinctive common hallmarks.  One of these is the strong desire to serve people in need.  Regardless of what our various church bodies call this response to the Gospel … social ministry, human care ministry, mercy ministry, peace and justice ministry … we seem to have in our DNA caring about and for the welfare of others, no doubt encouraged by Luther and others who describe so well the blessing of Christian vocation.  Efforts such as Stephen Ministries, parish nursing, Lutheran day schools, and deaconess programs are just a few of the countless expressions of this desire to serve.  And, of course, as Lutherans we can be very proud of the tremendous impact of our Lutheran social service organizations.  As you may know, 1 in 50 Americans are touched annually by the services of member organizations of Lutheran Services in America.

There are encouraging signs for the future of a church dedicated to service as Lutheran young adults and other young people of faith place high priority on personal involvement in service to others.  One of the programs that is causing much excitement among Wheat Ridge staff and board members these days is our Burst Grant program that provides initial encouragement and support for health and human care initiatives led by young adults.  We recently hosted a convening of some of the first recipients of this grant.  It was a high energy gathering as these talented leaders filled the room with their stories, experiences and questions, while at the same time building supportive relationships. 

Wheat Ridge Ministries is blessed to have a “bird’s eye” view of this service activity as we receive and respond to abundant opportunities each year to seed new ministries of health and hope from congregations and church agencies that are inspired by God’s Spirit to develop new ways to serve people in their neighborhood and community.

Wheat Ridge Ministries is privileged to connect and serve leaders young and old who are inspired to make an impact in the lives of others in the name of the healing Christ.  We are blessed to serve as a vehicle to connect these new ministries with generous people who serve and support these new ministries through their investment of resources.

Our staff just completed its annual planning retreat.  During our time together, Mark Schoepp, our Director of Congregation Engagement, led us on a wonderful journey through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.  Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians in Chapter 5 comes clearly to mind as we encourage one another in the important work of sharing the healing touch of Christ with others:

I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever!

Amen!

Bombs Away!

My daughter, Katie, recently visited Portland, Oregon, and sent me the picture below.  If you live in Portland, you’re probably very familiar with these vending machines.  Maybe other cities have them, but it was the first time I had seen them. It reminded me of the “gumball” machines that were so plentiful years ago. Of course, in those days, you could buy a lot of gumballs for 50 cents.

I am really impressed by this creative approach to going green! What fun it must be to take the little bag and throw it on a patch of dirt with the hope that the seeds take root and grass and wildflowers emerge. From a Christian perspective, of course, these seed bombs are a great reminder of the parable of the sower.

Katie’s a big fan of Wheat Ridge Ministries. She keeps an eye out for things that she thinks might help me tell the story of seeding new ministries and she thought this was a winner! Indeed, Wheat Ridge is a seed bomber! We seed new ministries of health and hope, directing the resources God provides through generous people so that inspired leaders are able to develop and begin new ventures that help people experience the healing touch of Christ. As was the case in the parable of the sower, in spite of our best efforts, sometimes the seeds sown land in places and situations that just won’t allow for growth, and ministry projects never get off the ground. Occasionally, projects get off to a strong start, but the initial enthusiasm wears out or circumstances change and the effort stagnates. By God’s grace, though, the vast majority of the seeds we cast result in new ministries that bear fruit for a long, long time and impact the lives of hundreds, and often thousands, of people.

In a few months, Wheat Ridge Ministries will embark on a new way to help sow seeds of hope around the world. Rather than "seed bomb" vending machines, we will harness the power of the internet to seed an abundance of new ministries through a crowdfunding site. We see this as a "21st century" seeding tool and are very excited about the possibilities it offers!

In case you are saying to yourself, “crowd what?!,” here’s a quick explanation:  Crowdfunding utilizes the power of the internet to market innovative new ideas and projects, leveraging online relationships, especially through social networking, in order to share a need and raise funds. Many such sites exist, but none are dedicated to serving as a tool for people who are initiating new Christ-centered human care initiatives and those who would like to support these projects.  It is our hope and prayer that the "Starting Block" (the working title for our site) will help us significantly increase the number of new ministries we can seed. We envision large numbers of faith-based projects posted on this site, offering donors an opportunity to select and support projects that are consistent with their interest. Of course, “Starting Block” will complement the other grants and services that Wheat Ridge Ministries offers.

Thank you for being a seeder through your support for Wheat Ridge Ministries and through your daily encouragement of and involvement in new ministry efforts in your congregation and community. We are Lutherans seeding new ministries of health and hope in the name of the healing Christ.  Seed bombs away!

The Overhead Myth

During the years I’ve served at Wheat Ridge Ministries, I’ve grown increasingly concerned by the expectations that the leaders of non-profit organizations, including those whose new ministry efforts have been seeded by Wheat Ridge, face related to the allocation of organizational costs.  Indeed, Wheat Ridge faces these same pressures.  Unlike the for-profit sector, where investment in growth and development is expected, there has been increasing assumption over the years by the general public that non-profits should be able to be effective and able to grow their impact without that same investment.  In fact, expenses related to sound administration, communicating mission and impact to donors, as well as other services that do not directly impact those served by the organization have been given a very uncomplimentary name – overhead. 

 

As a result, many of the organizations we serve are tempted to arrive at creative definitions of what constitutes “program services” in order to show evidence of low overhead.  Many of these organizations get stuck in a cycle of ineffectiveness stemming from a fear that investing in the kind of capacity needed to be effective in today’s world – technology, development staff, financial planning, fund raising, impact evaluation, staff development – will reflect negatively on them and cause their donors to question their support.  Instead of investing in the talent needed to increase their impact, these organizations are often understaffed.  Their leaders experience burnout and ineffectiveness as too few people try to accomplish more than is possible.  While such investments are celebrated in the for-profit sector, in the eyes of many, non-profit organizations are accused of being wasteful when they invest in growth.

 

Given all of this, I was overjoyed last week to read a joint letter to the “Donors of America” published by the Presidents and CEOs of the three the major and most respected non-profit “watch dog” organizations – Charity Navigator, Guidestar and the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance – under the banner of “The Overhead Myth.”  In it, these CEOs warn donors about the damage that is being done to the effectiveness of many non-profit organizations by placing concerns about overhead ahead of interest in impact.  In this letter, they reference a phrase used by the Stanford Social Innovations Review to describe the results of such misguided thinking: “The non-profit starvation cycle.”  I encourage you to check out www.overheadmyth.com to learn more about this important issue.

 

What I’ve seen during my years at Wheat Ridge are organizations and their leaders doing heroic and miraculous work given the resources they have available as they make a difference in the lives of people.  The press certainly loves to highlight the exceptions, but they are few and far between.  Most organizations are extremely grateful for the support they receive from donors and they do all they can possibly do to use contributions wisely and efficiently.  Ironically, by having to be so concerned about perceptions about what is an appropriate use of charitable contributions, many of these organizations are distracted from important activities such as measuring their impact and communicating their impact to donors.  This can create another vicious cycle since evidence of impact is something in which donors should be keenly interested.

 

If you’d like to dig into this important issue, another great resource is the book Uncharitable: How Restraints on Nonprofits Undermine Their Potential, written by Dan Pallotta.  Dan is also featured in a great TED video of his presentation called “The Way We Think About Charity is Dead Wrong.” 

 

I want to express my appreciation and respect for the understanding of this important issue demonstrated by our Wheat Ridge Ministries Board of Directors.  Our board recently endorsed a significant strategic growth plan that recognizes and provides for investment in capacity that is necessary as we work to increase our impact and effectiveness.  Our staff and board want to build on our impact as a seeder of new health and human care ministries by increasing the resources we are able to share with churches and other Christ-centered organizations.  I’m confident that the growth and development investment we are making in all aspects of our operations will make us more impactful and more sustainable in pursuit of our mission.

 

The church and the entire non-profit human services community face ever-increasing and ever-changing challenges and opportunities as the need for care for the poor and underserved increases and available funding, especially government funding at the federal, state and local levels, is unable to keep pace.  Thank you for making a difference through your generosity, engagement and trust in the charities of your choice and, of course, for your generous support for the seeding of new ministries of health and hope through Wheat Ridge Ministries.  We are greatly blessed to serve with you and on your behalf so that more lives are touched by the healing hands of Christ!

Ingredients

I’m writing this “hot on the heels” of a very important meeting of the Wheat Ridge Board of Directors. During this meeting, our Board enthusiastically committed to a new strategic business model that will, God willing, significantly increase our mission impact over the next four years. More about our plans for the future appears elsewhere in our June eNewsletter.

The in-depth planning process in which we have been engaged for the past 12 months has served as a reminder to me of God’s amazing way of providing the right ingredients at the right time to accomplish His purposes. Here are three of the ingredients for which I am so very grateful:

A Community Dedicated to our Mission – The initial step in our strategic discernment process was to invite 25 “thought leaders” from among our many stakeholders and constituents to join our Board of Directors and senior staff for two days of intensive thinking, sharing and prayer. This “Future Summit” took place in April, 2012. During the Summit, we considered Wheat Ridge’s history of service from our roots as the Wheat Ridge Tuberculosis Sanitarium to our current work as seeders of new health and human care ministries. We explored the challenges and opportunities that face our organization today and into the future. And we identified trends in the church and world that may impact the future pursuit of our mission. It was an honor to be in the room with gifted leaders and to listen and learn as they shared their ideas, expertise and hopes for the mission of Wheat Ridge. A specific product from this gathering was a collection of seven “common ground statements” that represent the participants' best collective thoughts about what the staff and board should consider as we planned for the future. These statements served as an important base for the ideas and plans that we developed. Words of support and encouragement from the participants have continued since the time of the Summit, serving as a great reminder to our staff and board of the thousands of individuals and organizations who care about our mission and who want to be involved in pursuing it.

Leaders – If you have engaged in a planning process at your workplace or in your church, you know how important it is to have skilled consultants and facilitators guide the work. Extraordinary leaders blessed us throughout our planning process. Thanks to Chuck Dull, Les Stroh and Kurt Bickel for guiding us through the rigors of the Future Summit. Another very talented consultant, Gary Hubbell, used his unique talent and experience to help us develop our ideas and plans during the months following the summit. The chair of our Board of Directors, Kevin Boettcher, invested a great deal of his time and generously shared his expertise in strategic planning to help our plan come together. Likewise, our board members provided input and insight along the way, especially those who served on our board planning committee. Last, but not least, I have been inspired, but not surprised, by the tireless efforts of our staff planning team to develop a focused, creative and realistic plan for our future.

Prayer – As we were in the midst of our planning efforts last summer, I was contacted by Rev. John Denninger who, until recently, served as Senior Pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Springfield, Virginia (John now serves as President of the Southeastern District of The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod). For years, the Southeastern District Board of Directors has wrapped their decision-making in a very intentional discipline of focused prayer. This process has had a powerful impact on their work and they were looking for opportunities to share the process with other ministry organizations. John and Phil Morrow, a past chair of the Southeastern District board, generously agreed to come to our board meeting to help use focused prayer in our discernment efforts. John and Phil drew from specific portions of Scripture as the basis for meditation and prayer before, during and after the discernment and decision process. Instead of asking for God’s blessing after we made decisions, we asked God to speak to us during our discernment process. Doing so was a profound experience. It changed our discussions and helped us stay focused on discerning God’s Will for our ministry. Our board decided that this important process needs to be a central component of future meetings. Indeed, focused prayer was used again this past April as our board prayerfully committed to a plan for the future.

Ingredients God provides: people, community and prayer. God’s resources offered and invested for the sake of seeding new ministries of health and hope. Awesome!