Dear Inner Circle,
Our underlying ethos holds that no one is a problem to be solved, they are a person to be met. This leads us to boldly declare: we are not here to fix people. The labels we use to prescribe, diagnose and divide are all too easily internalised. People become their diagnosis, which only underlines the importance of our approach.
As I was walking down the street I had a chance encounter with a young man, a sports coach and mentor, who a few years ago you might have called an addict and a failed businessman. The spark in his eyes was now for his next appointment, “Sorry, I gotta run, another chance to pay it forward!” He rushed off but my smile lingered, a reminder that amongst the many tasks our people have here is to be on the search for that very sparkle, the spark of life, that signals a shift is about to happen. It is often the subtle but sure vital sign that our presence is paying off. As if to cement this moment, a beautiful woman tapped me on the shoulder, “Remember me?” I honestly couldn’t, and she laughed, “I am now in film school, and have been sober for about 6 years since we last met.”
After two weeks away, I was full of life at these encounters and was hungry for more.
I then found myself walking behind one of our volunteers, a powerhouse of a woman well into her 80s. She was greeted by one of our regulars, “I’ve missed you Nan, where have you been?” I hung back, not too far behind, and timed my walk past to give her enough time to reset and give me my own welcome back. I smiled and greeted her good morning, and this regular, who has known me for years, looked me up and down pensively, “Jon, you’ve gotten fat, you should eat less!”
Spark by spark, memory by memory, loving insult by loving insult – no one here is being fixed, we’re all just being met and invited in.
Thank you for being part of the Inner Circle,
Jon
Rev. Jon Owen
CEO & Pastor
Wayside Chapel