Ministry Spotlight: Redwood Gospel Mission

Jeff Gillman, executive director of Redwood Gospel Mission, stepped into the InTheFight Ministry Spotlight to talk about his ministry, and how it's having an impact.

We want you to tell us a little about what your ministry is.

Our ministry really is to mobilize the body of Christ in the community...so lives are transformed.

We do that through providing homeless and alcoholics ministries.

But really our ministry is to mobilize...the Christian community.

Isn't this what the church is supposed to be all about? Why do we need organizations?

The churches working together can do much more than one individual church.

We exist, so that we can help churches work together.

It's more cost effective. It's more efficient.

Tell me about your specific call to your involvement with the poor and homeless.

Well, it was many years ago while I was in college, I came to the Lord.

I had had some challenges in my life that kind of brought me to my knees.

After my third year of college, I took some time off to go to bible college.

When I was in Chicago...I saw many, many homeless people and it broke my heart.

How important is it that the church do this without government funds?

I don't want to criticize those ministries that do receive government funds, but we don't find it something that helps us...share the gospel of Christ.

In doing so, it's been freeing. And in doing so, it's helped us focus on what our true mission is.

What's the most challenging program that you do?

We recognize that a lot of the need in our society is caused by broken relationships, family breakdown.

Those things cause homelessness et cetera. We try to deal with the cause of homelessness at that root level.

That's probably the most difficult. Seeing people whose lives have been torn apart as a result of alcohol, and helping them find freedom in Christ.

We seek to provide that help. For those who want help, there's hope, but it's a huge challenge.

It involved a lot of folks in the community. A lot of volunteers in the community working in the lives of men and women whom we serve.

Tell me about the most life-changing program you do.

Our must successful has also been the most difficult, our drug and alcohol program.

We've had hundreds who've found new life through that program.

What is the greatest need of the poor?

Relationships.

Relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

And relationships with people who will love and support them.

When we see the broken and needy in our community, we see people in isolation.

God said it in the Bible. The first not-good thing is man being alone.

Who is someone really good at this kind of thing?

(laughs)

Someone who loves Jesus.

If we took out passages about caring for the poor from the Bible, we'd have a pretty thing book.

Anybody that loves Jesus is a good volunteer opportunity person.

I think a lot of people agree, "I love Jesus," but they're not reaching out to the poor.

I think the disconnect is that too often we have made our relationship about Christ about a personal relationship.

I think that that's what we need to do as a society: remember the poor.