I was walking back to the Mission after a meeting with one of our community partners when I heard someone call from the sidewalk.
“Hey, Lee.”
I stopped, walked over, and we began talking.
“You know I own the Rescue Mission,” she told me matter-of-factly. “Y’all have 30 days to leave.”
I called her by name, and we kept talking. She was calm and absolutely convinced that the Rescue Mission belonged to her.
I knew there was no value in arguing with her. What mattered in that moment was that she knew her name was known, that someone was listening, and that she was safe.
This woman is facing significant challenges, and our team walks alongside her in many different ways. Our Care Team provides case management. Medical professionals in Fralin Free Clinic help address her healthcare needs. Our Emergency Shelter team welcomes and supports her. And we work alongside community partners, including medical and mental health providers and Adult Protective Services.
No one person or program has the answer.
Instead, together we build on strengths, establish trust, create safety, and look for the next healthy step forward.
Sometimes that step may seem very small.
But small steps matter.
When someone has experienced homelessness, trauma, mental illness, addiction, or other significant challenges, the journey toward stability can feel overwhelming. Before someone can think about housing or long-term goals, they may first need to know: Am I safe? Does someone know my name? Is there someone here I can trust?
At the Rescue Mission, we have the privilege of answering those questions day after day.
Yes, you are safe here. Yes, we know your name. Yes, we will keep walking with you.
And then, we get to watch those small steps grow into something extraordinary.
You’ll meet Sam in this month’s newsletter.
There was a time when Sam was unsheltered and felt trapped in a cycle of homelessness that seemed beyond his control. The road from there to having a home of his own didn’t happen all at once.
There was a photo ID to obtain. A housing voucher to secure. Apartments to visit. Forms to complete. Setbacks and moments when the process felt overwhelming.
Sam was one of more than 1,500 visits to our Care Team over the past few months. Through it all, our team continued to encourage him: Take the next step. Then the next one.
Today, Sam has a home of his own. And perhaps one of the most beautiful parts of his story is what he wants to do next: come back to the Rescue Mission and volunteer so he can help others who are still experiencing crisis.
Jesus once described the Kingdom of Heaven as a mustard seed—the smallest of seeds that, when planted, grows into something large enough to provide shelter in its branches.
I think we see mustard seeds every day at the Rescue Mission.
A meal.
A safe bed.
A conversation.
A doctor’s appointment.
A photo ID.
A housing application.
A person who remembers your name.
A donor who gives.
A volunteer who shows up.
These are small seeds, planted faithfully.
We don’t always know which one will take root or how long it will take to grow. But we keep planting. We keep showing up, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And because friends like you continue to plant seeds of compassion, care, prayer, and generosity alongside us, people in crisis have a place where hope can begin to grow.
Sam’s story reminds us what can happen when it does.
Today he has a home.
Tomorrow, he hopes to help someone else find theirs.
“Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree…” — Matthew 13:32
Will you join us in planting the next seed of hope?
Whatever you can do—however you can help—it matters. A gift, a prayer, an hour of service, a word
of encouragement. Especially running or walking in the 21st Annual Drumstick DASH. We may not always know which seed will take root, but together, we can keep planting.
Thank you for planting seeds of hope with us.
By C. Lee Clark, Rescue Mission CEO