With the approval of the $350,000 federal HUD grant for the Adams St. Family Campus,the case is apparent closed on the complaint filed against the Rescue Mission by the Americans for Separation of Church and State. The complaint suggested that because TRM is a faith based organization that we violate the federal statutes by accepting money for the housing project, in that it amounts to promoting a specific religious creed. Here’s a link to the News Tribune article on the complaint.
We are careful to follow the rules regarding such things, and here is how we look at it, in accordance with the law.
1. Any faith services are open to all and voluntary.
2. There is no faith requirement to enter (or graduate) any program or to receive any service.
3. Any faith services are held in buildings/spaces not associated with government funding. (since its only a portion of our funding and directly related to housing units this is easy to determine and verify)
This all begs the question, “how is your Christian faith seen in action in your services?”
1. it’s the “WHY”. We believe God created everyone with value and that God loves the poor, hungry, hurting and addicted. We want to show them the love of God through our service.
2. It determines “WHO” we serve. Jesus called his followers to serve the poor, to care for those who have been treated unjustly, those who are vulnerable and oppressed. He told us to serve and protract the children. This has been formative in the development of our services over the past hundred years.
3. It determines “HOW” we serve. We want to serve in a way that reflects Gods love, grace and forgiveness.
We have always and will always be a Christian humanitarian organization. We hope to always uphold the reputation of Jesus, even though we are all flawed people. The fact is that many we serve are hurting, broken people who society has given up on. They have many social needs; hunger, housing, mental illness, employment, education and more. We provide these these critical services. But most of all, they suffer from hurt beyond those physical needs. They’ve been raped, abused, used, and thrown away. That hurt is emotional and in their spirit. You cannot heal a spiritual hurt with a physical solution. You must offer some spiritual and emotional support for those types of challenges. Here’s a link to an earlier blog on why we focus on the mind and spirit.
David
