Director of Empowerment - James oversees the Empowerment value of Mission: St. Louis, by guiding the leadership of all the Empowerment programs. James works with the other members of the leadership to build the organization and develop the relationships between Mission St. Louis and the community of Forest Park Southeast. James also has a passion for personal evangelism & church ministry, and develops the relationships between MStL and local churches. James also handles much of the maintenance of this website, and our efforts to “tell the stories” that are occurring through the efforts of MStL.

Why I'm involved with Mission: St. Louis

Basically, I love people.  I want to see renewed and flourishing individuals, families and communities. My life has taken me through some pretty low & high patches, over the years. I can relate to just about anybody, no matter where they're at. Sometimes, we all get stuck in bad situations, or just need some help. Everybody needs authentic relationships: a context where you're free to be yourself & share your struggles & passions. God cares about relationships: he wants us all to have sincere, committed relationships with him and each other. People are made to care about one another, and empower each other toward productive, fulfilling lives. A world that looks more like this is worth working toward.

 

Participation in Mission: St. Louis provides me with unique, powerful, and productive avenues to pursue helping others. Our organization is committed to fostering long-term life-change at the many levels of human life: through education, empowerment, and development. I originally started and lead the Cross the Street team, which we used to call Night Rangers. I’m still a part of that team, and it’s so much fun to get to witness the amazing string of changed lives that are happening through the relationships we establish in the community. We get to see people grow holistically as human beings, and we work to partner with the community to foster such growth. It's such a rich experience.  It can be quite a challenge, too. But that's OK. I like a challenge. Plus, we learn from and receive so much from those we seek to help. This is the very essence of community. And I never get tired of watching new people come into a personal relationship with the God who loves them – Jesus Christ.

 

I'm grateful for the opportunities we're finding to help our friends in Forest Park Southeast with their practical, emotional and spiritual needs - everyday, every-week, all year long. I have a pretty good time trying to turn the world upside down.