Serving the Helen Wright Center for the past two years has truly been a transformative experience for my family. I co-lead a multi-generational Missional Community group at Edenton Street United Methodist Church.
A core focus of ours is to create an avenue for people to grow in discipleship together and to become a family on mission. Our initial partnership with the Helen Wright Center included serving monthly lunches. We hosted the lunches in our newly renovated Bulla Youth Building to allow for more space, as well as to offer a way to incorporate more than just a meal.
The monthly meals slowly evolved into playing games, singing songs, and perhaps most importantly, breaking bread together and deepening our conversations in an effort to truly be in fellowship with the women.
By sharing together, our Methodist Church family learned about the Helen Wright Center ladies’ histories and life journeys. Despite these ladies’ challenging circumstances, it has been inspiring to hear of their desire to work hard to land on their feet and live self-sufficiently again, with the help of the program that the Helen Wright Center provides.
In our second year of partnership with the Helen Wright Center, the need for meals changed, and we decided to offer a morning skills based program in hopes of filling a new and desired interest. We liked the idea of continuing to bring the women to our Bulla facility for the continued space, consistency, and flexibility.
Since September 2016, we have provided a couponing class, budgeting & money management sessions, an interview & resume Q&A, exercise classes, and a group painting class.
Each month, we seek feedback from the women on what is most valuable and inspiring for them, but always trying to keep it fun. It is amazing to see how engaged the women are in these sessions and how much they contribute to the topics. I’ll go as far to say that I’m learning just as much as they are!
We are hopeful and excited when we hear of friends graduating from the program with a fresh start, but we also mourn the opportunity to say goodbye.
Each month offers opportunity to welcome new faces and form new connections. These relationships and experiences with the beautiful Helen Wright Center ladies have not only fed my soul, but go so far in demonstrating to all involved, including our children, how are we are all brothers & sisters in Christ and because of that, we will not allow our economic circumstances to define us.
