‘Regardless of anyone’s beliefs or identity, people come from all walks of life and are welcome to contribute and access services’
These columns are written by staff from The Lighthouse to help the community better understand people experiencing homelessness and those who support them. This column appears every other Monday.
Rooted in the Christian faith and a commitment to social justice, The Lighthouse began more than 30 years ago with a bold goal: to meet people where they are at, provide hope and serve with love.
While faith-related services are not the sole function of The Lighthouse, caring for others and engaging in social justice work is a primary way in which faith is demonstrated. Starting as a youth centre, a group of churches sought to address the needs of the community through The Lighthouse as they created opportunities for community members to connect with one another.
Over the years, as the needs in the community changed, The Lighthouse continued to adjust its operations.
One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is that the organization’s values continue to be informed by this faith. The inherent worth and dignity of every individual is recognized as we provide services for all people who are experiencing homelessness, and we are always grateful for respectful conversations that allow us to learn from one another.
In conversations with others in the community, we have found there are a number of assumptions people hold about faith-based organizations. Always wanting to ensure transparency, we’ll address some of these thoughts.
As a Christian organization, The Lighthouse welcomes everyone. Whether someone is a staff member, participant or volunteer, they are invited to be themselves.
Regardless of anyone’s beliefs or identity, people come from all walks of life and are welcome to contribute and access services. Diverse worldviews benefit operations as they allow us to incorporate a number of perspectives in decision making and services. We have much to learn from each other.
While some other non-profits have let go of their faith foundations over the years, The Lighthouse has maintained these values.
Compassion, trust, safety, leadership and faith are integral to the way we engage with colleagues and participants as we strive to accomplish our vision of a thriving community where everyone has hope, home and a future. This is the culture we want to create as an organization.
This is rooted in Jeremiah 29:11, and we believe this invitation is available to anyone. The continuity in these faith-based values has allowed The Lighthouse to establish a strong presence in the community that continues to have a positive influence.
While The Lighthouse is not a church, a number of churches in the community continue to be involved in supporting the operations. We are so grateful for their tangible donations, financial support, volunteering, prayer support, and the way they establish connections with participants.
Faith influences the way we provide services. We do not require anyone to engage with faith-related services if they do not wish to.
However, since we take a holistic approach and want to see the whole person thrive, we offer a number of ways for people to access spiritual support if this is something they are looking for, including facilitated group conversations about the Bible and opportunities to connect with others and pray together.
Many people come to The Lighthouse looking for hope when they are in what feels like a hopeless situation. We strive to provide them with a pathway to hope. If a person is looking for spiritual support from different faiths, we will also offer referrals and help find the appropriate services.
The Lighthouse employs a ministry co-ordinator, specifically funded by a group of local churches, whose role is to build partnerships with the churches in Orillia as they become involved in the work we are doing.
This role also provides spiritual support for staff, volunteers and participants. Through conversations, the ministry co-ordinator builds relationships, connects people to additional faith-related resources, runs faith-based programming, and supports people who are facing incredibly difficult situations. At The Lighthouse, we believe this is an integral part of instilling hope in our community.
Our current ministry co-ordinator will be leaving this summer to pursue another ministry opportunity. We are excited for their next journey.
formerTherefore, we are looking for someone to join our team. If you have a passion for supporting people experiencing homelessness, check out our job posting here: orillialighthouse.ca/careers.
If you have questions about The Lighthouse’s faith-based foundation, we encourage you to reach out. Our executive director and managing director are more than happy to answer any inquiries you may have.
Linda Goodall is the former executive director at The Lighthouse. For further information contact Dale Rowe, Executive Director at dale@orillialighthouse.ca
Rosemary Petersen is the managing director at The Lighthouse and can be reached at rosemary@orillialighthouse.ca.