We Are ALL God’s Children!
Turning Empty Spaces Into Homes
At I’m In Ministry, our work begins with a simple belief: We are ALL God’s children.
Those words appear on our vehicles, but they are much more than a slogan. They represent who we are, how we serve, and how we believe God calls us to treat one another.
Recently, Deacon Lou of I’m In Ministry sat down with Liam Hagerty of the City of Cleveland’s A Home for Every Neighbor initiative for an episode of Street Stories. The conversation took place inside a home that, only weeks earlier, had been provided to someone who had experienced homelessness.
Watch the Video HERE.
A Home for Every Neighbor helps move people directly from the streets into housing. But receiving the keys to an apartment is only part of creating a new beginning. Many people arrive at their new homes with very few possessions.
That’s where I’m In Ministry comes in.
Through our donors, volunteers and community partners, we provide beds, couches, tables, chairs, dressers, dishes, household goods and other everyday necessities. Our volunteers don’t simply leave furniture at the curb. We bring it inside and help transform an empty space into a place someone can truly call home.
Four Principles Guide Everything We Do
Our ministry is built around four principles:
Non-Judgment. Respect. Kindness. Hope.
We don’t spend our time asking how someone arrived at a difficult place in life. As Deacon Lou explained during the conversation, life can be a slippery slope. People don’t wake up one morning and decide they want to become homeless or live in poverty. Difficult things happen to people, and everyone has a story we may not completely understand.
Instead, we meet people where they are.
We respect the person in front of us. We treat them with kindness. And, whenever possible, we give them hope that tomorrow can be better than today.
That philosophy comes directly from our Christian identity. Scripture repeatedly reminds us that we are children of God. For I’m In Ministry, recognizing the person standing in front of us as another child of God changes how we see them—and how we serve them.
Serving the Whole Person
Furniture and household goods are tangible things, but our mission goes much deeper.
A bed means someone has a comfortable place to sleep. A restored dresser can give a child something of their own that they can be proud of. A table gives a family a place to sit together. Dishes, towels, lamps and furniture provide some of the basic comforts many of us rarely think about.
It’s about dignity.
Deacon Lou described I’m In Ministry’s approach as caring for the whole person. We don’t focus on someone’s past. We focus on the person standing before us and treat that individual with the respect every human being deserves.
And service changes the person giving, too.
As Deacon Lou put it, “The people we serve make me better. I receive more than what I give.” Serving others becomes a reminder of the life of Jesus Christ—who never gave up on the sinner and calls us to become more open, understanding and compassionate toward one another.
You Can Be Part of the Mission
None of this happens without people who believe in the mission.
You can help by donating gently used furniture and household goods, making a financial contribution, or volunteering your time. Whether you’re carrying a couch, restoring a dresser, writing a check, donating household necessities, or simply sharing our story, you’re helping another person take an important step toward a new beginning.
Together, we can practice Non-Judgment, Respect, Kindness and Hope while doing the Lord’s work here on Earth.
Because we are all God’s children.
And when our community comes together in service to one another, we make the impossible, possible.