The purpose is to remind people, Avery explains, “of their worth and value when they come into this space, and that's because we hear stories all the time about the lines they have to stand in, the hoops they have to jump through, and the suspicious looks they get when they go to different places.”
In my conversation with Avery she points out that, “Nationwide - lack of documents is cited as the number one reason for prolonged homelessness.” Without these documents, it’s like “you're a ghost”, she says. Avery is convinced, “If we really want people to rejoin society then we ought to be willing to say - Look how difficult it is to be able to do that and take steps to make it easier.” Community on the Rise was started to do just that. The pastors and leaders at Church of the Reconciler recognized the need for a dedicated ID service and gave Avery the space to start Community on the Rise in 2020.
Every Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. in the library of The Church of the Reconciler, a circle of chairs becomes something more than furniture. It becomes a place of belonging. A place where men and women who have weathered some of life’s hardest storms gather to reflect and remind themselves that they are more than their circumstances.
Another Monday I asked the group, after reading Paul’s prayer in Colossians 1:9-14, about God’s rescue. One person said, “God rescued me from foster care.” “God rescued me from an abusive relationship”, said another. “I was rescued from drugs and alcohol and God kept my brain from being fried” one person responded with a smile. All these answers were summed up when someone remarked, “God rescued us all from extraordinary circumstances.”
The folks I minister to at Church of the Reconciler have gifts and graces and a call from God upon their life. They do not lack, but are “God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works” (Ephesians 2:10). This means ministry is both giving and receiving. The line between those doing ministry and those being ministered to starts to blur. I’m thankful for the folks at COTR that show up each week ready to blur that line.
