What does it mean to be a Promise Pointe Missional?
A missional is a person who has not necessarily experienced chronic homelessness, but nonetheless has a heart for the homeless and is willing to live at Promise Pointe as their primary home. They are a part of a team whose purpose is to become a member of the resident community helping to build a neighborhood of mutual respect and encouragement. The missional team is to act as the liaison between the Promise Pointe board of directors and those living at Promise Pointe.
A missional resides in the same type of housing and must pay rent and follow the community rules and guidelines as anyone in the community. There are no discounts or exceptions. Missional residents sign and agree to the same rental agreement for all residents.
Core values of the missional are:
- That God is calling you to this lifestyle.
- You are feeling called.
- The Promise Pointe community affirms the call.
The process to on-board someone into the missional community needs to be a slow discernment process. As new folks come along, it’s important to hear from the members of the Missional Community but also the current and future neighbors of the Promise Pointe neighborhood as we collectively discern the calling of those interested in living here.
The important thing in the months before a person becomes a member of the Promise Pointe Missional community is that those who are considering this call get involved. We call it “rolling up your sleeves”! There is a world of activity to get involved in with our neighbors and formerly homeless community but we’ve found it just as important to dive into those activities where the Mission Community is already active. It is an easy commitment that will naturally blossom into many different avenues for participation down the road and are vital for our sense of community.
Summary Statement
Moved by the call of God, candidacy to the Mission Community at Promise Pointe represents a whole-life response to the catastrophic breakdown of the family and community that has resulted in the epidemic growth of homelessness in our city and country. We who are called to aspire and to embody a new type of homemaking at Promise Pointe and to incarnate its specific mission of “Ending homelessness through community” and the transformation of the heart of the Victoria crossroads region. It’s a commission to being *missional, *visible, *committed and *accountable to the common good of the men and women of the Promise Pointe neighborhood. Generally, missionals will be no more than 10% of the Promise Pointe residential community.
The Mission Community is:
MISSIONAL: The Mission Community claims personal gifts and attributes that they offer to its greater good. They set personal purposes and goals that are achievable at Promise Pointe; goals that establish the neighborhood as a home both personally and for the community. It is their shared commitment to a life of mission in solidarity with the lives of the men and women of Promise Pointe that binds them to each other and to the collective flourishing of all.
VISIBLE: The Mission Community chooses to participate in volunteer opportunities and seeks ways to manifest their gifts at Promise Pointe. They recognize that their presence at Promise Pointe events and in the homes of their neighbors is an important manifestation of their call. They readily join in relationships that are honest, transparent and life-giving.
COMMITTED: The Mission Community agrees to enter deliberately into the messiness of people’s lives. They devote themselves to personal growth and the common growth of the men and women of the neighborhood. They strive to act in ways that are motivated by a full-bodied love for God manifested in heart, soul, and mind that spills over into a love of their neighbors equal to that God has placed in them.
ACCOUNTABLE: The Mission Community believes that accountability is an integral part of a healthy community. They commit themselves to a spirit of support for the leadership of Promise Pointe. They supportively walk alongside their fellow mission community members so they can better live in a way that will promote the common good. They specifically commit to prioritizing a weekly gathering where they work out what it means to devote themselves to serving each other and the community at large. Each missional neighbor is accountable to Promise Pointe and the entire missional community. Missional residents are accountable to follow through with their promises of relationship and care of Promise Pointe neighborhood and residents.
[February 12th 2020: Note – this document is adapted from the Mobile Loaves & Fishes Community First! Village Missional Living White Paper]
*Persons who are interested in pursuing this calling should contact Sister Rebecca Yanacek, Promise Pointe Executive Director at 361-571-2589 or via email at [email protected].