Ministry Update Summer 2014

My dearest family and friends,

When I first moved to Denver I thought that when the Fellowship ended we'd be in the first moving truck back to Indianapolis. I was anxious to get back to the city that my heart loves and to reunite with our family and friends. For a while we also considered moving to NYC for a year and then settling in Indianapolis. James has never been in a rush to leave, really liking Denver. I was resistant to putting down emotional and physical roots here in Colorado.

Last fall we made a joint decision that it was best for our families to move back to Indianapolis shortly after the Fellowship. Excited about our decision we announced over Christmas to our family and friends that we'd be moving back to Indy at Christmas 2014. We went and toured apartments, trying to identify our new home.

As we looked at apartments I started to doubt our decision. It is our desire to live in the city in an ethnically and economically diverse neighborhood however, apartments in those neighborhoods are few and far between, and a safe apartment is even less probable. The apartments we looked at on the outskirts on the city near the suburbs were beautiful and safe, but to live there would be a huge compromise of my conviction to live in the same neighborhood of those I serve, the poor. I've always felt like God will eventually use me to bridge the gap between the urban and suburban church by putting me in a position in a suburban church; however, I did not feel like the time was now.

Apartment location triggered a lot of other thoughts and conversations. Where would we work? Where would we attend church? Is there a church that lives by the same convictions that we do in Indianapolis: a moderate Baptistic church comprised of people of various ethnicities, and rich and poor that are committed to doing life in a concentrated geographical area?

Near the end of our Christmas visit I drove down my favorite part of Washington Street on the eastside of Indianapolis, a street that I drove every day for four years. Tears filled my eyes as I saw a gentrified street that barely resembled the once eclectic Washington Street I knew. I felt like a foreigner in a strange land and for the first time ever I missed Denver and couldn't wait to get back.

Soon after our return to Denver I accepted the job as the Program Director at Upstream Impact that is ¾'s time until August and then full-time in August. We started to consider Denver as an option for our future. The consideration itself was very difficult for me, especially in terms of hurting my family. They had rejoiced when I announced we were moving back and I was afraid of letting them down. Thankfully when we talked to our parents they were gracious and supportive.

As time has unfolded God has blessed our life here. James and I are excited to announce that we will be staying in Denver for the foreseeable future as long as the Lord wills. He has provided a church and community for us to flourish in. We live among the rich and the poor 14 blocks from downtown. He has provided us both with jobs that we love and that will financially provide for our needs. I finally feel like Denver is home.

Someday, if the Lord wills, we will probably return to Indianapolis as it is still dear to our hearts; however, we feel settled here for now and my heart is finally resting from the question "When will we leave?"

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Thank you for the part you have played in our journey. I count myself blessed for faithful givers, intercessors and loved ones that have supported me. I could not have thrived without each of you behind me. I pray that God will bless you richly for richly loving me.

July will be the last month for you to send financial support. I pray that God will use your generosity to encourage others.

Grace and Peace,  

Alysa McManus  

 

Earlier this spring each cohort of fellows was charged with picking a name for their cohort to help specify who is in which cohort. After throwing around various ideas, my cohort had a brilliant idea. We decided to call ourselves Alpha Team because we were the pioneers, the first fellows to ever land in Denver. The other cohort came up with some silly name. We started calling them "Beta" the next letter in the Greek alphabet and eventually it stuck. Being an Alpha fellow has become a part of my identity. It is a great indicator of the role our cohort played. We were the first group of fellows to drop our nets and move to Denver. We are the forerunners, the pioneers that in many ways h  ave paved the way for many fellows to come. When you are the guinea pigs you experience the good, bad and the ugly. After the ugly passes you have the opportunity to speak and advocate for change; for a better program, a better experience for others. We also got to help Beta team find their place here and we are passing on the baton to them as they welcome Gamma in September. It is my honor to be an Alpha fellow. Despite the challenges that we faced due to the Fellowship being a brand new program, I am proud of the influence Alpha has had on the present and future of the program. I pray that this is only the beginning of the Fellowship and that God will continue to bless the program, the Fellows and the neighbors of Denver. I am excited to be an alum and can't wait to come back in 2037 to celebrate the graduation of Omega team! The PCULD staff will be hosting a graduation ceremony for the Alpha fellows on Saturday July 26. We will celebrate with family, friends, neighbors and the people we have served in ministry. I am blessed that my mom, Grandma Shirley and Aunt Lori will be traveling to Denver for the occasion.

Upstream Update   It is my honor to be the Program Director for Upstream Impact. I have the privilege of directing our current programs and shaping the future of our programs. I also have the joy of being in transformational relationships with our participants and volunteers. We are thrilled at the results we are seeing. In 2012 we started with 26 families and our currently still working with 19. By October 13 of the 19 will graduate from the initial phase from the program. By God's grace people are getting out of poverty! Here are some exciting stats: The cohort's Employment Income has increased by $18,230 more per month after 18 months. Over 24 months this projects to an overall increase of $437,528. The cohort is receiving $4,608 less per month after 18 months. Over 24 months this projects to an overall decrease of $110,592. 12 of the current 19 Team Leaders started the program below the poverty line. Today 7 of the current Team Leaders are below the poverty line which is an improvement % of -42%. Here are three main things the Upstream staff has learned over the past two years:  1. Relational Trust is the Secret Sauce of Personal Transformation. The most mentioned and praised aspect of Upstream Impact is the family component. Without the family feel there would be less buy-in to the program. Both the rich and the poor are often isolated. Upstream breaks the barrier of isolation, and offers a loving and accepting family for all of us. This atmosphere of trust creates the environment for hard conversations and for overcoming obstacles. We have adopted the phrase "There is no significant change without a significant relationship."                                                                     2. It's A Jobs Game. Full-time employment is the key to getting out of financial poverty.  3. Enact Parkinson's Law. Parkinson's Law is defined as: "The amount of time that one has to perform a task is the amount of time it will take to complete the task." Due to the climate in the poverty alleviation world we were too cautious to move at a fast pace.  We have learned that just because someone is in poverty does not mean that they are incapable of rapid change. The program can deliver results faster. We can get unemployed and severely underemployed team leaders to financial stability in one year instead of two years. We can get the working poor to financial self-sufficiency in one year. This cuts our program time in half. In January 2015 we will begin the process with 20 people under the poverty line and 20 people in the working poor. We are excited to implement what we have learned and see even greater transformation occur!

Thank you to those of you that donated to Night in a Box! God abundantly provided! We raised $31k, a thousand more than our goal! I encourage you to watch the videos at the links below created by my friend Caleb! Video Testimony: Alysa PCULD testimonial

Please stay in touch! I will notify you when I update my blog. My contact information will be as follows starting in August: amcmanus@upstreamimpact.org~3007 California St, Denver CO 80205

With A Little Help From My Friends

“I have divided you into groups...”

Throughout my academic experience I cringed when teachers said this. I did not like group projects. I questioned why I needed to complete a task with others when I felt more than capable of successfully completing the task on my own. Group projects always went the same. In the early years I would volunteer right away to take the lead because I did not trust the leadership of my peers. As I got older I tried to practice “giving others a chance”. The group would sit in awkward silence, waiting for someone to volunteer. Then I would pretend to selflessly volunteer, inwardly rejoicing I did not have to leave it up to someone else.

I was the leader a lot. Adults recognized my leadership as a positive quality. I possessed the quality of leadership, but my leadership was far from positive. I led like a dictator, rarely asking for the input of my “subordinates” and ignoring them when they spoke up. Rarely delegating, I put all the weight of our success on my shoulders because I expected others to be incompetent and irresponsible people who would fail. I saw outspoken and skilled peers as a threat to my role as the leader. Any group project I was a part of got a good grade, but looking back I know that if I was graded on teamwork or interpersonal interactions the grades would have been significantly different.

I had the privilege of being on a three person team during my first year in Denver. I was not the main leader. I was the newbie and the youngster and yet I was treated with the utmost respect and dignity. Jason and Juan modeled for me team leadership. They sought my opinion and gave me the freedom to speak boldly. They led out of their strengths and encouraged me to do the same. In areas where I was weak they were strong, and in areas where they were weak they would delegate to me. For the first time I enjoyed being on a team. I knew my place and I was confident in the intention and work of my teammates. The transformation started.

We worked together for a year to launch the fellowship and the launch date was approaching. As I heard Jason and Juan talk excitedly about the skills of certain incoming fellows, my old tendencies and fears started to creep up. I was comfortable with our team of three and I didn’t want to lose it. I deeply feared being replaced.

My cohort arrived and for the first couple of months it was not that bad. Our team of nine was excited to be starting the fellowship and we enjoyed each others company. Like a newlywed couple we went through a honeymoon period but like all honeymoons it eventually came to an end. Our next stage was marked with unmet expectations, fear, doubt, judgment, criticism, hurt feelings and bitterness. Ten months in we were operating mainly as nine individuals instead of a team. We were a mess and we all knew it. The ‘gun’ was to our head and we had to choose between continued dysfunction and the hope of a unified team. In the grace of God, we chose hope. Over the next few months we spent over ten hours behind closed doors fighting for the hope that we could be transformed into a unified team.

A part of me knew that the workplace would be more enjoyable and that the mission would flourish more if we operated as a healthy team; however, it took hours to convince me that our unity was a necessity in my life. In one of the first meetings I boldly confessed “I don’t need this team and I don’t know that I want it.” My ‘dukes were up’ and my heart was hardened. I felt like I was doing great as an individual because I was responsible and doing what was expected me. I did not need a team to do that.

One of the core issues that surfaced in these conversations was a lack of trust. The “feelers” or “people-oriented” team members did not trust that the “doers” and “task focused” people desired relationship with them, and if we did we did not do a good job of showing it. On the other hand, we “doers” and “task-focused” people did not trust that the “feelers” were dependable to get the job done. The bottom line was we did not trust each other. We were suspicious of one another's priorities, especially as it related to time. Revealing the core issue of trust was pivotal for me as well as my teammates.

Slowly but surely transformation began to take place as we spoke our feelings and let all the ugly hang out. We did not rush to tie a pretty bow on the situation. We examined the ugly and came to the collective decision that things needed to change.

I do not remember all the details of how God transformed us but He did it! By the end of the summer we genuinely enjoyed one another’s company. We appreciated the ways we each were contributing to the mission. On the fall retreat we gave ourselves the name “Alpha team,” taking pride in our position as the first cohort of fellows. We joined together in friendly competition and beat the Beta team (2nd cohort) in the Fellowship Olympics.

Beyond the fun and games of that weekend, God gave me an overwhelming love for my team. Part of the agenda was for Alpha team to wash the feet of our leaders and Beta team. As I was washing their feet, an image of Christ washing the feet of His team, the disciples, popped in my head. Immediately I started to weep because I was literally doing something that Christ had done thousands of years before. I washed one foot after another and I couldn’t stop. After I finished with leaders and Beta, I wept at the feet of my teammates begging to wash their feet too. Washing their feet and praying for them through my tears was humbling and it caused a rush of love into my heart for them that had been missing.

That retreat was six months ago. Time has come and gone. Struggles and victories have occurred. We have lost teammates. Through it all God is continually transforming Alpha. I am no longer a lone wolf. I have bought into the team and confessed more than once how much I need them. I am confident in the role I play in the mission and I now trust the heart intention of my teammates, knowing that God is using them to play their role.

If someone came into the fellowship now and said “I have divided you into groups,” my heart would not need to fret. If I am going to be on a team I want to be on a team with these people.

Susie's Legacy

This is the story of one woman on two different occasions; a less than glamorous beginning with a hopeful ending.

I met Susie at the free clothing store attached to a homeless shelter. She was an abnormally tall and slender woman with pulled back dark hair and stone-like teeth. I was walking throughout the store, when she approached me in search of a pair of sandals for the beach. She had rummaged through the used shoe section and had not found sandals large enough to fit her long and skinny feet- size 10. I comforted her concern by promising to do my best to find a pair in the back storage room. Baskets of badly sorted shoes awaited me. I was determined to not return empty handed.

Ten minutes later I did my best to confidently present my mediocre findings to Susie. Although the pairs I offered her had been worn before and were not a perfect fit, she gratefully accepted the findings and tried on each pair. She modeled them for another shopper who told her how great they looked on her. Although I was uncertain, Susie was sure that each pair was right, choosing to keep all three or four pairs, despite the pleadings of her fellow shopper to share with her.

An hour later I saw Susie joyfully searching through the clothing racks. A large trash bag stuffed to the brim with her new treasures laid at her feet. As she shopped, Susan shared pieces of her life with me.

For a little over a decade Susie had been living in the U.S. - starting in NYC and now in Chicago. She came to the U.S. from Czechoslovakia, leaving her family and friends behind. She had not seen her family since she left. She seemed surprised but grateful that they still know her voice when she calls. What a comfort to still be known after all this time.

Susie inquired about job opportunities in Chicago and Indianapolis. She expressed the difficulty of finding available jobs, filling out applications and interviewing. It was difficult for her to compete against others for jobs and frustrating to never be hired. Susan kept mentioning the medical field. I could not figure out if she was interested in the medical field or if she had previously worked in the field. I tried to keep my heart from turning hopeless as I doubted that a woman her age with broken English, who called a homeless shelter home, would ever land a job in the competitive and prestigious medical world. I wanted to believe it was possible, but knowing her lack of chances was a barrier to my belief.

It was one of those times when my heart broke for the poor immigrants, who came to America the beautiful in the search of a better life but only found poverty; poverty of resources, family, support, joy and love. Why Susie? Why not me? And if it were me would my response be even a slice as joyful and content as hers?

Susie expressed her appreciation for the free store, where other people's rags became her riches. Like we women do, Susie oooed and ahhhed over the pieces of clothing before her. She was genuinely, not grudgingly, picking out her new wardrobe in a giant warehouse of second-hand clothes. What seemed old and ugly to my spoiled eyes was deemed as cute, beautiful and pretty in Susie’s grateful eyes. To her it was a fabulous opportunity!

Through encounters like this, God continues to humble me and show me how often my treasure lies in everything but Him.

2 months later...

On my last night serving in Chicago, I saw a familiar face at the dining hall: the beautiful smiling face of Susie. Susie was beaming. She sported a cute outfit, probably from the free store, and an adorable haircut that framed her face.

As she walked to the counter, a man tickled her and she giggled. I followed her to the table and sat down across from her. The man from the line soon joined us.

Over dinner, I listened to a romantic tale. Susie and this man were engaged! They met at the shelter. He had finished culinary school and was hoping to get a job in a restaurant. A local pastor planned to bless this beautiful couple with a free wedding in September and a three day honeymoon anywhere in the USA. Susie bashfully smiled, as her fiancé looked at her with a deep look of adoration. How simple and beautiful is the love they share. Praise God for giving them one another!

A very special part of the story for me is that he has grown children and grandchildren. They had recently returned from a trip to visit his family in Indiana. He told me how much they all loved Susan. His granddaughter asked if Susie was going to be her grandma. As he said this, my heart swelled. Susan was going to be GRANDMA SUSIE! How precious! I told them the significance that held for me since I too had a Grandma Susie that I loved very much, who had passed away.

You do not meet a Grandma Susie everyday...thank You Jesus for putting another one in this world. Thank You for a glimpse of Your goodness and faithfulness in the lives of the broken. There is hope in You. Greater things are yet to come!

Dear Susie, I will carry on your legacy. Thank you for opening up your world to me. I pray that God's love and favor will consume you. I will remember you.

*Name has been changed to protect confidentiality

Walk Humbly With Your God

Accelerated heart rate- Flushed cheeks-Shortness of breath-Adrenaline Rush-Burst of Tears    

             

At least three times this past year my emotions, stress and pride physically worked me up to the brink of explosion in which I found the nearest exit of the office and power-walked with fury until I calmed down. These walks of de-escalation begin with great angst and vanity, then transition to an inner battle between truth and lies, and when truth has conquered, end with surrender to the good sovereignty of God. 

In Micah 6, the people of God wondered what they had to do to please God. The prophet Micah began with God’s commands to do justice and to love mercy. He concluded with: “Walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). 

WALK

The verb walk is used frequently in Scripture in both of the Testaments. Although it is used in the literal sense, it is most often used figuratively in reference to the people of God’s observance of His law and their spiritual life.[1]

Scripture states that both Enoch and Noah walked faithfully with God (Genesis 5:24; 6:9). In Genesis 17:1 God tells Abram to “walk before Him faithfully.” In Hebrew, the word appears in the same form in three passages that say “to walk in all His ways.” The command to “walk in obedience” appears 19 times in the Old Testament and 1 time in the New Testament. The New Testament contrasts walking in the darkness with walking in the light, and walking in the flesh with walking in the Spirit.

Just as Jesus called His disciples to “come and follow Him” we are to actively follow God or walk with Him as we journey through this life to eternity. This walk manifests itself in multiple ways in our lives: loving God, confessing sin, repenting, trusting God with our lives, loving our neighbor, doing justice, loving mercy, etc. 

HUMBLY

Humility is one of those characteristics that I think I understand but I have a hard time explaining in words. In Scripture humility is a characteristic of those who are in right relationship with God. The Holman Bible Dictionary defines humility as “a personal quality in which an individual shows dependence on God and respect for other persons.” [2] In both Micah 6 and Psalm 51 it says that God does not desire outward sacrifices but a humble spirit. A humble spirit manifests itself in several ways:

1. An acknowledgment of our sinful depravity before a holy God (Isaiah 6:5)

2. Obedience to God (Deut. 8:2)

3. Submission to God (2 Kings 22:19)

4. Treating others with dignity and love instead of judgment (Matthew 7:1) 

Scripture promises blessings for the humble and humiliation for the proud.

Jesus was a perfect model of humility. Out of obedience to the Father He left His heavenly throne to come down to earth, be killed for our sins and be resurrected so that we could have eternal life with Him. Based on this my basic understanding of walking with God humbly is that as I live my life: I daily confess that I cannot live a life pleasing to Him on my own; I surrender my thoughts and actions by repenting and imitating Christ; I do not live in shame because I know His grace makes me new; I do not live in fear because I know that He is working all things for my good and His glory; and I sacrificially love others because God sacrificially loved me. 

WITH YOUR GOD

‘With’ implies together.’ Your God’ implies a personal relationship. God does not require us to walk or follow Him on our own because our sin makes it impossible for us to do it successfully. The Father sacrificed His Son so that the relationship between us and Him could be restored. Then He sent us the Holy Spirit to dwell within us from the moment of salvation and to help us in our walk (John 14:15-17). What wonderful news that the command is not “walk humbly” but “walk humbly with your God.”  Through our communion with the Holy Spirit and His working in our hearts, we are sanctified and made more like Christ (Romans 8).

It is by walking humbly with God that we are able to truly do justice and love mercy. As we do justice and love mercy, we do it in the strength of Christ instead of our own, and we do it for Him not for our own pleasure or praise.

I long to walk each moment of this journey toward eternity as I do in the ending moments of my de-escalation walks; those moments that my heart is calm before the Lord and I walk in trust that God is working for my good and His glory. May we walk humbly in all things and all circumstances. I close with these challenging words from Charles Spurgeon: 

Dare to keep with God, dare to have Him as your daily friend, be bold enough to come to Him who is within the veil, talk with Him, walk with Him, as a man walks with his familiar friend; but walk humbly with Him. 

Walk humbly... when the Lord gives you success in His service... when you have a great deal of work to do... when you are weak... when you are seeking after anything...in studying His Word and believing His truth...when under great trials...when dealing with sinners and when looking forward.[3]

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[1] Miller, Russell Benjamin. "Walk." International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. http://www.blueletterbible.org/search/Dictionary/viewTopic.cfm?topic=IT0009118 (accessed January 22, 2014).

[2] Butler, Trent C. Editor. Entry for 'Humility'. Holman Bible Dictionary. http://www.studylight.org/dic/hbd/view.cgi?n=2902. 1991.

[3] Spurgeon, C.H.  "Walk Humbly with Thy God." Newington, August 22, 1889.