Purpose part 1

     Every successful organization, whether for profit or nonprofit, as a reason that it exists.  Ideally, that purpose is articulated in a clear statement that allows everyone in the organization and everyone interested in the organization to know just what kind of group this is.  It does not need to go into the operational details, but it should allow the decision makers to use it as a lens...a focus from which they can make decisions about direction, partnerships and staffing.  The Board of Directors has hammered out an updated purpose statement for WRM:

WRM's purpose is to experience God's radical, extravagant love 
           And then express it in meaningful ways
                        By creating a community
                                      Where marginalized youth
                                                  Can experience the love and healing presence of God.


  This is actually a modification of some of the earliest ideas about why Joel's Place exists from the archives.  As the Board and I looked over our history, we were struck by these words and wanted to position them at the center of our endeavors.  I'm going to break this down over the next several weeks and get into more depth about who we are and why.  The first part is about experiencing God's radical and extravagant love.   As a faith-based organization, our paradigm revolves around God's goodness and His work in the world.  We also realize that we can only give away what we have received.  If we have not been infused with joy and hope and generosity then how will we share those with the youth who come through our doors?

Pat Riley, the famous NBA player/coach/executive, would ask his players, "What do you get when you squeeze an orange?"  They would try to figure out what kind of off the wall answer he was looking for until he responded, "Orange Juice."  When you are put under pressure, whatever is buried inside you will come gushing out for the world to see...whether that be good or bad, ugly or beautiful, it will be shown to everyone around you.

This can be a stressful job when the kids are breaking things and fighting each other, when money is not coming in and staff are not being paid, when rifts and rivalries form.  When the stress comes, whether in a day or in a year, it is vital that what is squeezed out of us reflects God's powerful and transformational work within us.  That doesn't mean that we have to be happy and put on a false face all the time.  It does mean that we as a people need to embrace mercy and grace and hope in the face of despair.  That can only happen if we are already experiencing God's radical, extravagant love in our daily lives.  If we are not then nothing else that we strive to accomplish will amount to anything.  Youth know pretenders.  They can smell fake.  If we say we believe something and live a different way, we destroy any trust that we have with them and lose our ability to speak into their lives.

For our integrity, for our mission, for a joyful life...that's why this is the first part of our revised Purpose Statement.