We have been serving this community and our homeless neighbors for 65 years. Some of you may remember us by our original name, Faith City Mission. We changed our name to avoid confusion in 1982 because our founding organization out of Amarillo had the same name. For all those years, our mission has been the same, “To provide Christ-centered programs and services that lead the homeless and addicted toward self-sufficiency.”
That mission has always included 3 meals a day, shelter, chapel services, clothing and assistance from the streets, addiction, and other destructive behaviors. That is what most people know us for. However, at the heart of our mission is Jesus Christ and the gospel. We believe that God changes lives and circumstances and everything we do is a result of that belief.
What many don’t know is that we go the distance with men and women to help them get out of their undesirable situation with case management, addiction recovery programs, job readiness programs and transitional housing.
This month alone, we honored 12 graduates from our New Beginnings program. These men and women have chosen to spend 13 months seeking sobriety, restoration, and abundant life. Each one will follow a different path when they leave the shelter. Some will go back to their families and old jobs. Others will get new jobs and continue to work on broken relationships. All of them will be encouraged to find a church home and a support group that will encourage them and hold them accountable.
We also serve men, women and children who just need a respite from their current situation long enough to get a better paying job or find housing. Our case managers work tirelessly to help them with resources and to navigate the complex system. Everything is done online these days, so we provide computers so they can fill our applications or bus passes so they can get around in the city.
All this is made possible because of the prayer, financial and in-kind support of this community.
If your perception of Wichita Falls Faith Mission is that we are a warehouse for the homeless, I hope you will come see us. Take a tour and see what God is doing. Most people who do go away saying, “I had no idea they did all that.”
I’m not bragging on us. I’m bragging on God and this community for making it all possible.
