I'm not sure it was by my design, but the first thing checked off my list was a visit to a homeless shelter.
Almost immediately upon Facebooking (is that a verb now?) my list for 2011, three friends indicated they wanted come on my trip to the Pacific Garden Mission: One, an intern with Campus Crusade for Christ at Here's Life Inner City Chicago, the second a freshman in high school who is developing a heart for missions and the third, an old friend who has written with me, served in Katrina relief with me and has traveled the world (sadly not with me) learning about other cultures and serving orphans. It didn't take long before more wanted to go and on January 8, 2011, we eight found ourselves in a church van (had to borrow a bigger vehicle) on the way downtown: myself, the intern, the teenager and her cousin, the teenager's mother, the world traveler, a prayer warrier widow, and the mother of someone who has served with me in the inner city of Chicago. All women. Interesting.
I'm not sure if you are aware that most everything in Chicago has either been sold or is for sale, but Mayor Daley sold the rights to the parking meters to someone who immediately jacked up the prices and put meters everywhere, even where things used to be free. Now, even near the homeless shelter, Chicago's parking boxes are everywhere and we had to park a few blocks away to avoid risk of a ticket. What wisdom suggests two-hour limits on parking meters near a shelter is a good idea? Believing that if you can see the door (yes, blocks away), you don't need a coat, I left my coat in the van and incurred the teasing of my compadres. They weren't laughing hours later when I didn't have a coat to carry. But I digress. Entering the Mission, we left cold Chicago streets to enter into what looked like ... warm Chicago streets. By design, the hallways of Pacific Garden Mission have real street lights and street signs and have a downtown feeling. Very cool. Who thought of that?
We were escorted into the auditorium and were introduced to history of the mission. Since 1877, Pacific Garden Mission has been a refuge to millions weary of struggling through life's storms who have come to the "Old Lighthouse” seeking food, shelter, clothing, medical, and dental care. They also came seeking the answer to life’s struggles and are offered the answer: life through faith in Jesus Christ. The efficient new state of the art facility utilizes renewable energy technologies. All Pacific Garden Mission ministry services are now under one roof. If you want to learn more, check out http://www.pgm.org/.
Our tour guide Byran (name changed) is a resident guest (all people staying at the mission are called guests) who had graduated from a Big Ten school with an engineering degree, worked for a Fortune 100 company and was raising a family when he was first introduced to crack cocaine by a friend. Crack is instantly addictive and soon Byran was unemployed, homeless and alone. Still, as he told us, it took years and several stays at PGM before he was ready to reach out for true life-changing help to be found only in Jesus Christ. As he led us through the hallways of PGM, I listened enraptured to his story as he described his deep love for Jesus and what God was doing in his life. He still has nothing of any value when American Dream is considered but Bryan was obviously content knowing he would be graduating from the program soon and, through several miracles, his wife and young son are waiting for him. He realizes the uphill battle still facing him; still, Bryan has more joy than many people I know with many more blessings and privileges. The peace of God truly does pass all understanding.
The facility itself is impressive. Our tour included a complete medical and dental facility, barbershop and beauty salon, computer lab, shower facilities, day rooms, barrack-type rooms filled with bunk beds, chapel, a large cafeteria, kitchen, storage rooms and greenhouses which grow much of their fresh produce and included a worm farm. I didn't know that when worms eat compost they poop dirt. Neat. Gross but neat. All in all, the facility is a 150,000 square feet state of the art "green" facility. The Mission is not at capacity, but should the need ever arise, they built the facility to allow growth "upwards."
After the tour, we joined several groups of other visitors who had come to see the taping of "Unshackled." Since 1950, PGM has produced this program making it the longest running radio drama in history. Professional Guild actors are used and the program was just fascinating to watch especially when the voices of the actors did not match my expectations. Every element of the program is live at the time it is produced including sound effects and I particularly enjoyed watching the sound effect artist at work. Cool how a couple of glass bottles and a few pieces of silverware can sound like an entire restaurant. Unshackled is broadcast more than 10,000 each week on over 2,200 radio outlets and is in a number of languages. If you are interested in hearing a program online, check out http://www.unshackled.org/. Some stories are more dramatic than others but all give praise, hnor and glory to God for changed lives through the saving work of Jesus Christ.
Dinner in the cafeteria was next on the agenda. Most of the male guests had already eaten when we came into the room capable of feeding 1,000 people but we were joined by other vistors, the women and children guests and the men in the Bible program. The efficiency in which we were served was amazing. More amazing was the humility and joy on the faces of those who were working in the cafeteria: the men in the Bible program all takes turns serving in various capacities. I once heard it said, you will know if you have a servant's heart when someone treats you like one. These men were servants and yet had such dignity about them. I learned a bit about my own heart that day in the cafeteria.
Our last part of our day at Pacific Garden Mission was the Saturday Praise and Testimony Service. All visitors were seated in the front rows including the visitors who had been at the Mission all day and those that come each week just to attend the service. Behind us were the men and women in the Bible program. Behind them were the guests in varying emotional states of acceptance at being at a worship service. It made me wonder what church would be like if we put the visitors in front, behind them the men and women who were fully on board for Christ and then put those that didn't want to be at church at all. What would the ushers ask: "Spiritual status please?"
I wasn't sure how I would feel about an old-fashioned praise service accompanied by organ music but after only a few bars into listening to the room erupt in hymns had me singing at the top of my lungs. I was amazed by the man at the organ and his wife at the piano: Ralph and Mary Lou Colburn have been playing at PGM since 1950 and 1953 respectively. Even if Ralph started playing organ at PGM when he was 20 years old, that makes him at least 81 years old. Wow. Faithfulness like that is not found often in our world. Special music and testimonies preceded the message that challenged and uplifted me.
So, for the first thing to check off my list ... how have I been changed? Well, I've not stopped thinking of PGM and the men I met there. I will probably find myself one of the returning visitors several times a year for the praise and testimony service. I'm glad to know someplace like PGM exists and would not hesitate to recommend this place for people needing help ... or, for that matter, considering going there myself should the need arise and I had no where else to go. In a weird way, I'd almost want to live there for a few weeks to experience the place from another angle.
Jesus had a special place in his heart for the poor and oppressed. He announced his ministry by stating,
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Luke 4:18-19) He did not feed everyone. He did not heal everyone. But he did keep bringing the poor and disenfranchised up when he spoke. The two greatest commandments were to first love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength; and secondly, to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Who is your neighbor? I will be paying special attention to mine.
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