What Makes Us Who We Are?

As an organization, it is important to maintain identity. Many times people ask what makes Paxton Ministries unique. So who are we? And what are our distinctives?

Faith
The foundation of our ministry is our dependence on God for wisdom, strength and guidance. From the beginning of Paxton Street Home in 1981, we have acknowledged that this is God's ministry, and we are partners in His work.

All full-time staff are committed Christians. Each morning we meet during the first hour of the day to worship, pray for residents and other ministry needs, encourage one another and prepare for a day of ministry.

Not all residents profess faith in Christ, but Bible studies, Sunday morning services and Christian fellowship are a regular part of our community. The love and message of Christ are shared with everyone.

Care
We serve adults of various physical, social, mental, emotional and spiritual needs. Our residents are persons for whom living in a Christian community with support and accountability is necessary. And as Jesus modeled, we minister to the whole person...spiritually, physically and mentally.

Community
What makes us a home, not just an institution? Serving at Paxton Ministries is a life-style commitment, not just a job. Many of our staff members live in the buildings along side the persons we serve. By sharing our lives so fully, a new level of trust and care can occur, and meaningful relationships are developed.

We strive to be a community where love and compassion are a way of life, and where dignity and self-worth are recognized in every individual.

Serving the Poor
Paxton Ministries is a non-profit community of homes. We are registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) charity. God has given us a vision to serve poor and low-income persons. Therefore we charge our residents rent on a sliding scale. We turn no residents away based on their financial ability. This creates quite a revenue gap in our budget.

We rely on God to provide for our financial needs, and He does so through various individuals, churches and businesses in the surrounding community. The donations received from these people and organizations make it possible for us to provide a loving home to all of our residents, regardless of their ability to pay. | make donation

Working Together
We as a community work together. Each staff member has a primary job responsibility, but on any day you may find Chris Book, our Executive Director, washing dishes after lunch in the Dining Room. Or you may see Buddy, a resident, wiping down tables after a meal. Dan, who works in maintenance, may be taking a resident out for lunch on their birthday; or Joy from our Community Relations office spending time talking with someone going through a difficult time.

By working together, and sharing our lives together, we grow and learn as a community. At Paxton Ministries, everyone "gets their hands dirty" and contributes to the daily life of the community.

Celebration
Celebration is a vital part of our community life. We've learned that if we celebrate, God will make our joy complete.

Monthly banquets are planned that may include everything from silly skits to spoofs of TV game shows to serious entertainment provided by members of our community. And of course, we always have a special meal on these occasions.

Other parties, tournaments, and events are planned to encourage people to enjoy life and build relationships.

We try to not take ourselves too seriously. We have a relaxed and fun environment in most everything we do.

Housing, Help and Healing in the Name of Christ
Our slogan is "Housing, Help and Healing in the Name of Christ." It is easy to explain that we provide Housing to persons in need and Help by assisting those persons with daily living tasks.

But what does the word Healing mean to us?

At Paxton Ministries we acknowledge that we are all on a road to healing. Every resident, staff member, volunteer, and Board member has needs in their life. We all need our hearts to be renewed by Jesus. We all need the love and support of friends in the daily trials that we face. We all are growing, and we acknowledge that no one has "arrived." Each day we depend on God and we minister to one another by bearing one another's burdens and ministering in the name of Jesus.

This may sound lofty, and I admit we are not perfect. But it is our goal to be a community where we love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and where we love our neighbor as we love ourselves. (ref. Mark 12:30-31)

The Future
As we look to the future, God is enlarging our vision and leading us into some new and exciting ministry opportunities. Check out the Where We're Going portion of our website to learn more.
 

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Last updated on Wednesday, February 6, 2008

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