Inner City Mission Visit
On Wednesday June 14th, Kevin and I took a drive down to Inner City Mission in Springfield, IL.. We were immediately welcomed by Isaac Payne, and he generously spent time with us explaining the mission and giving us a tour of the facility. We also met his dad, Scott. Scott has a vibrant energy and excitement to work with the homeless community. He challenged us as we began this new mission by asking several questions about what we are doing as a nonprofit and how we plan to grow in a sustainable way. We did a lot of laughing as we shared stories of God working in our families’ lives. We proceeded to share our passion and desire to serve as a body of Christ and build lasting relationships. Scott and Isaac explained to us that since the pandemic, they have been working to form partnerships and desire to have groups come in to build relationships with their residents. As always, God has perfect timing. It was a true blessing to spend a few hours with Isaac and Scott.
SELAH Outreach’s President, Wendy Frump with Inner City Mission’s Direct of Partnerships, Isaac Payne and Executive Director, Scott Payne on a recent visit.
Homelessness often is misunderstood. Homelessness is NOT just houselessness. It is often the lack of any kind of healthy support from loved ones. It could be a situation of domestic violence where there is no choice but to leave the home. It could be a result of childhood trauma that has become a generational cycle of brokeness. As a result of these things, simply providing a house or material items isn’t the answer. What people need is relationship, support, Jesus… people need people. We need community. The goal is to visit Inner City missions 3-4 times a year. We would help by providing meals while we are there, giving the staff some deserved time off, doing an outing or just playing games with the residents. If there are any projects they need done we can also help where needed. We are excited to partner with Inner City and can’t wait to see what God has in store for this new relationship.
Springfield, IL is the Land of Lincoln