Articles & Media
What They’re Saying About True Charity
The True Charity Initiative is today’s most promising effort to show compassion without creating long term dependence.
True Charity is transforming how churches, community organizations, and volunteers truly help those in need.
One of the most productive road trips my wife and I have taken occurred a couple of years ago when we drove from Wichita to Joplin to attend the first Leadership Forum for the True Charity Initiative. It was an eye-opener and a myth dispeller. I had just assumed the interim leadership of the largest homeless shelter in Kansas. My understanding of ministry to the poor was still in development. What we learned in Joplin had a pronounced impact upon our approach to serving those Christ love’s most – the hurting, homeless, addicted and abused. By revamping programs, expecting more from clients and encouraging self-improvement, our Mission today is more an incubator for change than simply a first-aid station for the homeless. Charity, as we now provide it, is about helping people get ahead, not just get by. It was triggered by that trip to Joplin.
The (True Charity) philosophy and system…to transform the way charity is provided in this country is nothing short of revolutionary.
Precisely because of what we learned today, I want to empower these youth on the streets.
[True Charity] is a movement not based on theory only but from practiced experience over many years … grown out of efforts started at Watered Gardens Mission in Joplin, Missouri where the principles covered in the training have a proven track record. It’s truly an approach based on the wiser path to teach a person how to fish rather than just continuing to give them a fish and consequently creating dependency.
We’ve always worked to be a church that gets outside the four walls of the building, and as a result, we’ve gotten a lot of calls from folks needing assistance. Unfortunately, our approach was one that enabled people. We were just giving handouts time after time! Thanks in large part to the education and advisement we’ve received from the True Charity Initiative, our… model of ministry now emphasizes empowerment.