By Sarah Dugal
Over February break, I had the privilege of serving with the Congregational Church of New Canaan’s Youth Group “YG” in Waco, Texas. While Waco is most commonly known for being the home of HGTV’s Chip and Joanna Gains, stars of “Fixer Upper,” we spent our time meditating on a very different kind of home, while confronting the daily lived reality of so many who are experiencing homelessness.
Over the course of the week, we partnered with Mission Waco, a visionary non-profit organization that has been serving in Waco for over 40 years through empowering the poor and marginalized, equipping and mobilizing the middle-class to become more compassionately involved among the poor, and engaging the systemic issues of social injustice which oppress their neighbors. Much was to be gleaned from the way Mission Waco was loving, investing in and empowering their community. From their after school programs at “The Rock” – their Youth Community Center – to Jubilee Market, a grocery store established to address the food dessert of Northern Waco, I couldn’t help but remember Jesus’s words in Matthew 25:34-40.
As Jesus tells his followers about his future return – when he will finish the redemptive and renewing work he has already begun – he casts vision for a time when he will praise those who treated others as he did, saying, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” Likewise, he imagines his future audience’s confusion, being applauded for actions they never took – at least, not with Jesus himself as the recipient. It’s in this moment that Jesus confirms, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
As Christians, caring for the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, ill and imprisoned is not a passionate project for the few; it is as essential to our faith journey as breath is to our lungs. It is the very means by which both our heart is molded after God’s and God’s heart is made evident in our world. Matthew 25:34-40 is a powerful reminder that God identifies with those in need – so much so that our care for them is seen as a direct reflection of our care for Him.
Nowhere was this care more evident than in Mission Waco’s plans for Creekside Village, a transformative community that will combine permanent supportive housing for the chronically homeless with life-giving community engagement. Creekside Village, which will provide affordable rental tiny homes for over 300 formerly homeless individuals within the next few years, is leveraging a blueprint first used to build Community First Village outside of Austin, Texas, which you may have seen featured by both the New York Times and the Today Show.
Both initiatives share the core belief that at the center of the issue of homelessness is really the “profound, catastrophic loss of family” – isolation, social disconnection, and a lack of belonging to a supportive community. They’ve realized that healing isn’t found simply in the roof over one’s head, but in the relational neighborhood they reside in.
As New Canaan High Schoolers spent the week building the first three tiny homes for Creekside Village, we had many conversations about “home,” and the people and communities that make us feel at home in their midst. I was struck by the consensus that, even with deep appreciation for the physical spaces where we are privileged to lay our heads, home is not walls in as much as it is the feeling of being known and loved.
So while unconditional community is the life-saving medicine Mission Waco is providing to those most in need in their neighborhood, I wonder if it could also be the multi-vitamin most needed here in New Canaan.
New Canaan is a town of beautiful houses. Most of us are more than willing to invest in our homes – whether that investment is in support of maintenance, repairs or new constructions – with the confidence that they’re important investments for the future.
But what if the homes we long for most aren’t physical, but relational? What would it look like to invest in our sense of community, with the confidence that they’re important investments for the future? For both us adults, and for our students?
This week, I have two simple goals. First, instead of agonizing over which curtains to hang in my living room, I’m going to choose to participate in community – church, coffee with a friend, book club, etc. Secondly, as I enjoy the presence of others, I am going to choose to be attuned to their needs, as well as represent mine authentically. In this way, I might just have the opportunity to feed someone who is hungry – maybe not physically, but hungry for purpose, love, or direction. And in this small way, I might show my care for God, through my care for others.
Sarah Dugal serves as the Area Director for Young Life in New Canaan. Young Life is a global, ecumenical non-profit that exists to reinforce that adolescents matter through relational youth ministry, create approachable spaces for students to explore faith, and model servant leadership in local communities. To learn more, visit YoungLife.Org. To get involved in New Canaan, contact Sarah at newcanaanyl@gmail.com.
