Paul Bains-Project WeHope
“We do what we can and let God do what we can’t”
I went to visit the Project WeHope facilities last week and was blown away by what Pastor Paul Bains and his staff are doing. It's no surprise to me that this organization won Nonprofit of the year award from the state of California last year.
Paul and his wife, Cheryl, have always had a heart for the homeless and vulnerable in their community. Paul says his parents passed on the desire to give back and help others to all of their children. Growing up, there always seemed to be a different person in need on his parents’ couch when he’d wake up.
"I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me." Matthew 25:43
One day, while walking around his office in East Palo Alto, he noticed a pillow and a sleeping bag right outside his doorstep. At this point, he started to recognize the need for a homeless shelter in his neighborhood. Throughout the last decade, Paul and his team have transformed a warehouse into an emergency 55 bed shelter that offers showers, washing machines, computers, and 2 hot meals each day. In addition to those services, the shelter aims to help homeless individuals and families in rebuilding their lives through a systemic approach that includes housing and health services, on-site financial education, job training, life skills classes, and recovery programs. Project WeHope offers three main programs to homeless and at risk individuals:
1. Transitional/Supportive Housing Program-a 120-day program that is intended to deal with the systemic issues related to homelessness.
2. Dignity on Wheels Mobile Hygiene Outreach Program-a mobile hygiene outreach program that provides free showers and laundry service for the homeless living in encampments, rotating shelters, in their vehicles or other temporary spaces where they do not have access to such amenities. DOW has provided 10,000 showers in a 16 month period.
3. H.O.P.E. Jobs- a program that offers free certification courses to become a Security Guard or Custodial Technician. Each individual who successfully receives a certificate of completion for either class is able to apply for hundreds of qualified jobs throughout California.
Paul challenges us to think of ways to make a difference in the lives of the most vulnerable around us. It's a reminder of the challenge that Jesus set before us. To get involved in their efforts, click here.
‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
Project WeHope maintains an inventory of sheets, comforters, small appliances, clothing, and household items to gift to individuals when they first move into a new place after living homeless.
Eddie & Sarah Williams
Eddie and Sarah enjoy a cup of joe in the Dogpatch
Growing up in many different cities around the Bay Area, Eddie Williams faced unusual daily struggles. Without a dad around, his home was robbed regularly. At one point, he and his sister would have to take all of their belongings with them wherever they went if they wanted to keep them. At the same time, Eddie’s mom and role model was battling cancer.
At the end of her life, Eddie’s mom made it a point to tell Eddie that he would be an NFL Football player one day. She wanted so much for him even though she wouldn’t be able to see it.
We do the impossible when we tell ourselves we can.
Eddie did end up playing in the NFL and attributes his mom’s encouraging words to his fearless pursuit of the sport. Throughout his NFL career, he made it a point to make his team his mission field and to treat his teammates with love and grace. It was at this time that Eddie heard the Lord call him into church planting.
“All the believers were one in heart and mind.” – Acts 4:32
Eddie and Sarah moved back to the Bay Area in March and have a vision to plant a different kind of church. A multi-ethnic, multi-cultural church in one the southeast neighborhoods of SF. A church where a struggling single mom is in real community with an Apple executive. A church in which the barriers and walls that many of us put up are taken down to make room for authentic relationship.
Why South East SF?
Eddie jokes about Sarah’s family crest that is displayed proudly at her family’s home. The coat of arms is a symbol of legacy and belonging that Eddie never had. Throughout his childhood, he moved often and never really understood why his family had chosen the Bay Area. There were never any stories of planting and rooting but of picking up and moving.
Eddie realized that his church could be the start of a legacy for many kids growing up in the same neighborhoods that he grew up in. He’s returned to a city that has been a place of hardship and heartbreak and recently had a thought that really brought his story full circle:
“What if the reason I was born here was so that God would be glorified though the planting of a church that would share the story of Jesus to this city?”
The South East cities of San Francisco (Bayview, Hunters Point, Dogpatch) are historically black neighborhoods that are rapidly changing to a diverse mix of low income and upper middle class tech employees. Eddie and Sarah hope to bridge the gap that has formed with the only thing that can: The Gospel. Follow their story here!
Paddy Brady
Paddy Brady has a plan to end homelessness in Santa Cruz County.
As a former NASA engineer, he is passionate about using his skills to develop self-sustaining models for community transformation. He’s the founder of Bright Vision Solar, a Santa Cruz based company that hires homeless U.S Military veterans to build groundbreaking solar-powered LED light systems.
For years, Paddy has been traveling to Malawi, Africa to equip the people there with the tools and skills needed for self-sustainability.
He believes strongly in not doing for people what they can do for themselves and strives to empower Malawian locals.
This past October he was challenged to replicate his efforts in his own neighborhood. Throughout the past 8 months, Paddy, alongside his good friend, Tom McClellan, has created a job creation program that trains and employs homeless veterans to manufacture, install, and repair solar lighting.
Paddy’s story encourages us to use our skills to change the lives of others. He challenges us to empower those in need with self-sufficiency and to give a hand up rather than a hand out.
Mark McGovern
Have you ever felt just so led by God but unsure of the steps needed to get to where He’s calling you?
As I listened to Mark’s story this week, I imagine that’s what it felt like when he and his wife, Amanda, were making the decision to move to the Bay Area from the Quad Cities area near Chicago to plant a church.
In his teens, Mark felt that he heard God tell him that he was going to be planting a church in “northern California”. As a kid in the MidWest, that didn’t seem exceptionally clear but as he grew older, Mark felt the need to visit the Bay Area to see what came about from a trip.
As you’re probably thinking, a visit to the Bay Area seems so vague and non-specific. Mark and Amanda felt the same; like they were on a quest with no tangible destination. However, Mark couldn’t get the phrase, “X Marks the Spot” out of his mind. So, naturally, he pulled out a map and looked for an “X”. Ironically, he found one in Vallejo, at the intersection of I-80 and Highway 37. (Even more ironic is the fact that Mark grew up near the I-80 in Chicago and met Amanda at Indiana University on Highway 37). So they packed their bags and off they went for a short trip to the Bay.
I think it’s important to note that Mark and Amanda were happy at their church in Indiana. They were near family and friends and the comforts of home. This trip to California was out of obedience to the Lord and a step towards what they felt He was leading them into but the details were unclear.
I think this is where many of us get stuck; in the knowledge that God is calling us into more but fearful because the steps to get there are not clear.
Mark walking the streets of the Potrero Hill district, home to many people at Experience Church
Mark and Amanda didn’t let this fear get in their way, they took steps and asked for confirmation along the way. Along their journey, there were some serious roadblocks but they trusted that they were in California for a reason.
Mark connected with Pastor Mark Smallcombe at Experience Church in San Francisco and he and Amanda decided to make the Bay Area their home. God spoke clearly to them about planting a church in Green Valley and, today, he and Amanda co-lead Experience Church's multiple locations.
This August, Mark and Amanda will be named Lead Pastors of Experience Church. They are excited to continue to do ministry alongside founding pastors Mark and Gail Smallcombe. Looking back at the last 9 years, Mark can see all the small details that have led to today. His story encourages us to take a leap of faith into what we believe might be next, regardless of fear and doubt.