For over 20 years, we have seen how some types of giving are constructive and join long-term strategies of empowerment while other types of giving can truly be “band-aids” that further disempower people and rob them of dignity, providing little more than momentary relief that is not partnered with strategies for long-term change. Unfortunately, sometimes a primary motivation of this kind of giving is the satisfaction received from doing it. 

It is better to give than receive, and to truly empower while we give.

At Urban Harvest Ministries, we strive to meet the felt-needs of people in a way that truly empowers them, honors their dignity, and takes another step to propel them toward their divinely-designed destinies.

Our recent Christmas Outreach in Detroit is an example. We searched for families that met specific criteria so that we could honor their positive life choices. We sought to be a blessing not just to the recipient families but to each pastor and local church. Through this outreach, the pastors were empowered to meet the needs of families in their church community and needs were met in an atmosphere of accountability and dignity.

The results were wonderful: 45 families were provided with the groceries for full Christmas meals. Families were also provided with space heaters, gift cards, gift bags for the moms, educational books and school supplies for the children. Some pastors were blessed as well. Here are some of the families who were blessed:

•  A family who has been experiencing hardship since their second son was shot in gunfire in the neighborhood.
• A single-mom living in a small apartment who faithfully brings her children to church but did not have the resources for Christmas.
• Grandparents whose son tragically died and have taken their five grandchildren and daughter-in-law into their home.
• Ten families in a church where four young men were shot in three months, three of them fatally.
• A pastor who was down to his last $25 with no groceries at home when we provided his family with Christmas blessings and a personal monetary gift. (We did not know the depth of the need, but we felt strongly in our hearts a need to help.)

This was not a blind hand-out but giving done with dignity and accountability in the context of long-term empowerment through a healthy church in the inner city. People were blessed, pastors and churches encouraged, and the givers inspired by the experience.

I was reminded of a Leadership Empowerment Seminar we were leading in Detroit some years ago. Over 60 pastors and leaders were present. While discussing strategies of urban outreach, a pastor from outside the city remarked, “We have sandwiches and supplies ready to give out under the bridge tonight!” Three inner city pastors stood up and pleaded with the people saying, “Please don’t do this. You’re not helping us.” They went on to explain how the constant hand outs prevent them from dealing with the real issues and developing a long-term plan of restoration and healing.

It would serve us well to listen to those who are in the trenches. They have done the work for years, even decades. They have relationships in the communities. They need partnership, friendship, prayer, serving, and strategies birthed through the joint sharing of vision and ideas. They need to be given the voice that they have earned and so much deserve. They need partnership in the harvest fields of their communities.

This is a focal point of what we are doing with Urban Harvest Ministries. We look forward to all that God has in store in 2014.

To read more about Urban Harvest Ministries, visit www.uhm.cc