What Difference a Mentor Makes

In the fall of 2009 I was driving a group of teenagers around as they went door to door to sell candy bars to raise money for our new boxing program. One of the homes had a 16 yr old in it who was excited to hear about the program. He was soon at the gym where I began a mentoring relationship with him. His story is like far too many young men in the Saginaw area—black, white, Hispanic it doesn’t matter if they have no dad in their life. When he was an infant his father went to prison (where he still is today). His mom did her best, working two jobs while finishing nursing school and providing for her three children—yet as he was becoming a young man she was not able to control him, and … the home life became a battle ground.

Things got to the breaking point at home and, since I had developed a mentoring relationship with this (now 17 yr old) young man, he got dropped off here. I was sitting in my office when he came in one evening this past winter and asked if he could stay with me. In the natural there was just no way. Financially I was already stressed to the point of not knowing how I would even feed myself, let alone a teenager, and then there are the added expenses of time and money, taking him to school, going to the barber, to and from friends for social times, all that and the unlimited etcetera of parental/mentoring involvement with any young person. It was way out of the realm of “possible”—in the harsh reality of the natural. So what did I say?

I, ignoring the natural's nagging opposition and following the spiritual's assurance, said, “Of course, son—you are welcome in my home.” I am very proud of this young man as he is finishing school this year and has enlisted in the US Army. It is a struggle financially. I literally live day to day, trusting God for the provision needed, yet my investment into his life has made a difference.

I also mentor two younger teens who are brothers—14 & 13 years old. The older brother is in the boxing program. These two young men, both promising fellows coming from a less-than-promising home and family situation, have seen their lives turned upside down in the past year. Their dad went to prison for at least 25 years this past summer. Home life, after that, became even more unstable. Their grandparents have taken them in—even though they don’t have an actual room for them to stay in. I feed them, got them both into the Y, cheer the older one on in boxing and listen to the younger brother play his saxophone as I build my mentoring relationship with them.

All three young men I mentor have become good friends. I take them all to the Y several nights each week after boxing practice. Last week, as I was being (willingly) tortured on the elliptical, I saw my three boys all in the Jacuzzi enjoying themselves after a long day. What I did not know, until the oldest one told me later, was the gist of the conversation they were having. The eldest youth was talking like a big brother to the other two, encouraging them to stay focused on what matters: do well in school, stay in church, and stay off the streets. On the way home one of the brothers called their grandparents to see if they could get some pizza. After working out at boxing and then running 5 miles at the Y he was hungry! He was easily overheard saying, Oh wow, really, all we have is ramen noodles? Well I have two dollars, I could help if—“  

The oldest youth, the one who lives with me, quickly chimed in, “I got five dollars. You can have that, help you get some pizza.”

Folks, that was all the money he had. Five bucks. He often doesn’t often any money but his grandfather had handed him a five spot at the Y that night. As I dropped off the two younger brothers I said, “Well good night, guys,” and I added, “I love you.”

“Love you too, Pastor,” was their unison response with welcomed grins on their faces. Then the youngest brother reached into the car, tapped his friend on the shoulder and said, “I love you too, man.”

To which his older brother immediately responded, “Yeah, man—I love you too.”

Now picture this. One African-American teenager, two Hispanic teenagers, all three boys with fathers in prison, who—given their differing ethnic backgrounds and ghetto upbringings—would typically be in opposing camps, hateful toward each other, even gang-warring enemies of each other, are able to say, out loud, the words ‘I love you.’ Not just to me, who is a father figure to them, but to each other. Look up the statistics on how many young men who grow up without fathers fare (70 % of long-term inmates grew up fatherless) and you will see just how powerful that simple moment was.

I am just one man, giving time and effort into three young lives. Imagine what would happen in my ministry if I were able to train up more men to do what I am doing? Last year a mother brought her 13 yr old son to the boxing gym. When I met her she told me, with tears in her eyes, that she was a single mom and really needed to get her son into something positive to help him from getting into trouble as he had no father. That young man came a few times but his mom, with limited resources, was not able to continue to bring him. I had no mentor available to become part of his life. I now see his Facebook status updates—they talk about gangs, drugs, sex, and violence. Here is a recent un-edited update:

“damn on ld almost got locked up earlier all i gotta say is fuck tha police dey kicked but all n my guts”

You may not think you can do much about the seemingly overwhelming need here in the Saginaw area. Let me tell you, especially you men, that becoming a mentor can and does make a difference. This young man just messaged me recently again about the boxing program. I still have no mentor for him and the many others who come into my facility. What are you willing to do about it? If you don’t live in my area then you can help by becoming a financial supporter, helping provide the finances for me to be able to train up mentors and stem the tide of hopelessness so many young fatherless teens face here in Saginaw. All I ask is a pledge of $20 per month, just $.66 per day, to help me grow this ministry.

Back to you men—yes, you, men. Ladies are, of course, welcome to be mentors and help the ministry—I find that I don’t often have to ask the women for help, they step it up by their nature, it seems. It is you men who I am having a difficult time getting motivated. Just one more man stepping up would make a difference in a now 14 year old’s life. If something doesn’t change for him soon he will become another sad statistic of failure—our failure as a community of faith and love to help raise him. 

Will you answer the call?

wilsondana1962@sbcglobal.net – email me and let’s talk. 

Keep the Faith ...

Pastor Dana Wilson

*****
A note from the Old Silly: To make a pledge to ongoing support for SLM's mentoring efforts (and other valuable outreach programs) and/or a one time donation, please click here. Also, PD wanted to close this post with this very insightful and apt anecdote. Enjoy, ponder, and do what the Spirit moves you to do, hm?

One morning an elderly man was walking on a nearly deserted beach. He came upon a boy surrounded by thousands and thousands of starfish. As eagerly as he could, the youngster was picking them up and throwing them back into the ocean.

Puzzled, the older man looked at the youngster and said, "Little boy, what are you doing?"

The youth responded without looking up, "I'm trying to save these starfish, sir."

The old man chuckled aloud, and queried, "Son, there are thousands of starfish and only one of you. What difference can you make?"

Holding a starfish in his hand, the boy turned to the man and, gently tossing the starfish into the water, said, "It will make a difference to that one!"

Put your faith into action …

Pastor Dana

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IMPORTANT REMINDER! If you have not yet, please show your support for SLM by signing up to "Follow" this blog - you will find the "Follow" button in the upper right hand corner of this front page. Receive email updates on new posts, visit often and leave comments! - all of this helps us in our efforts to grow our readership and social network visibility. Also, if you are able and wish to contribute to our ministry with all of its valuable community outreach programs, please CLICK HERE and make a pledge and/or one time donation. We need your help! These programs cost money! Sow your seeds into the garden of the Love of Jesus that we at SLM are devoted to cultivating!

Pastor Dana Wilson - A Look Inside the Heart of the Man and the Ministry

Hello Alll, and Welcome Back!

I had the opportunity and pleasure of getting Pastor Dana to take a few minutes out of his busy, busy, busy 24/7 daily schedule to answer a few questions I'd put together for this interview post. I thought it would be of interest to pose some questions that address not only what the 'heart' of the SLM ministry is, but also what's in the core heart of the man who founded and leads it, and ... how do the two 'hearts' entwine with each other? The resulting interchange is what took place.

Let's get started ...

Marvin: Your message of “Seeing all people through the eyes of Jesus”—what was the original inspiration for coming up with that particular teaching? It seems to be a trademark of, and a hallmark admonition to, the entire Shiloh congregation.

Pastor Dana: I had never really adopted a theme message until around Easter of 2009 when someone who had come back to the church asked me, “What is our message, who do I tell people we are?”

I thought about it and came up with the “Seeing all people through the eyes of Jesus” statement to sum up the core message of this ministry. When we see people through His eyes, we are free to love and accept them for who they are created to be. I don’t look at people and judge them based on their current circumstances. All of the “hot button” topics that religious folks use to judge people—don’t fly at Shiloh’s Lighthouse. My job is to love people through God’s love, to help them learn how to have an intimate, living relationship with Him. If they have issues they are dealing with, things going on in their life that God does not want, the natural growth in their spiritual walk and relationship with Him will help them make whatever changes He wants—they don’t need me trying to judge them and manipulate them.

Most people know John 3:16, but far less can quote verse 17 ... “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” The eyes of Jesus are filled with love; we need to be the same way!

Marvin: Why did you choose—of all places—a dirty, depressed, rag-tag of a crime-infested little town like Saginaw, Michigan, to start and build a church?

Pastor Dana: God chose Saginaw for me. I grew up in Cadillac, Michigan ... a small, safe town of ten thousand people where there was no appreciable crime to deal with and no racism ... the city was overwhelmingly Caucasian, so there was little opportunity to interact with people from different ethnic backgrounds. There was not a single murder in my hometown during my years growing up there. We didn’t lock our doors and people even left their keys in their cars. I came to Saginaw in 1983 and was confronted with social dynamics unlike anything I had ever experienced, yet the multiculturalism I experienced here just “fit” me. I was warned to not ‘cross the bridge’—Saginaw is divided into two main and distinct regions, west and east, and a river is the dividing line. The east side, I was forewarned, was the ‘bad side’ of town.

Well, that was all I needed to hear! As soon as I was able to find one of the bridges, I crossed it. I wanted to see for myself what the big deal was. What I have learned in the 28 years since I first came to Saginaw is a love for the people of the area. Geographically I don’t like Saginaw at all. It’s flat, dirty and, for its size, has been ranked for many years running now as the most violent city per capita by the FBI. And the people, in general, are not friendly. Yet this is where God called me to build a ministry. The view isn’t very ascetically pleasing, but my “retirement home” in heaven has a great view, so it’s worth the wait.

Marvin: Shiloh’s Lighthouse Ministry (SLM) has a boxing ring—a full-blown, well equipped gym—set up in what used to be a fellowship meeting hall inside the church, and sponsors a competitive boxing club. What’s the story behind this—the Shiloh Boxing Club?

Pastor Dana: The heart of my ministry has always had a soft spot for at-risk youth. Any church that wants to grow needs children and youth involved or it is a dying church. While I grew up in a classic ‘Leave it to Beaver’ kind of home, with both parents present and involved in the child-rearing, and a solid feeling of love between all the family members, there are a significant amount of young people in the Saginaw area who are not experiencing such fortuitous upbringings. Sporting programs are positive ways to minister to youth when taking the “whole-person” approach to ministry (Mental, Emotional, Social, Economical, Physical and Spiritual). One of the strongest families in our church was, back in the 70s and 80s, very involved with Golden Gloves boxing programs. Bob Colpean, head of that household, (he co-owns and operates Colpean Brothers Painting and Restoration) and I, had talked for a few years about starting a boxing club. We believed it would draw in young people and their families as well. In September of 2009 the vision came together as we transformed an underused fellowship hall into a fully equipped boxing gym—totally through donations. We now have the only boxing gym in Saginaw!

The boxing program is beneficial in multiple ways. One, it provides a disciplined sport for young people to learn and grow in; two, it creates mentoring opportunities—we have some great adults working with these kids on all levels and aspects of their lives and, three—it builds strong bodies and minds, showing the young people the heart of God as they are unconditionally loved on when they come to the gym. The motto for Shiloh Boxing is “We’ll beat the hell out of you.” One way or another—we’re going to kick the devil’s influence out of these awesome young people’s lives!

Marvin: As a pastor, and right now the only acting pastor, of the church, you are called upon 24/7 to respond and see to the needs of so many people. You wear the myriad hats of marital counsellor, youth pastor, abuse counsellor, spiritual mentor, visitor of the sick, young adult mentor, all that and much, much more ... what does Dana Wilson, the man, do to keep himself revitalized—mentally, emotionally and spiritually filled and healthy—while at the same time having to constantly ‘give out’ to others?

Pastor Dana: A significant step I took to take care of myself began in April of 2010. The stresses of ministry that are literally 24/7, combined with a lifestyle of emotional eating, had resulted in my physical body coming close to breaking down. I was pushing 300 lbs (for my height and bone structure I should be in the 160s). My heart was in bad shape and I was in constant pain and discomfort.

This is me at the time, the 'before' shot-

Thanks to dear friends in the church who sponsored me to start Weight Watchers, I began a path toward physical health. In the ten months since I have lost 72 lbs, dropped 11 points off of my BMI (from 44 to 33) and am on track to hit my weight loss goal this year. I had to take care of my physical self which has helped me in every other area of my life. I work out at the YMCA four to five days per week and, in warmer weather, take advantage of the local Rail Trail for bike rides.

And the result of my efforts, praise the Lord? This is me, present day-

To take care of one’s body, I have learned, is paramount for emotional and even spiritual health as well. Spiritually I have the blessing of living in the Parsonage some 50’ away from the church. My office is my sanctuary during the week where I study the Word, listen to worship music, read good books and pray. Most days my Pastoral duties come into full force in the afternoons and continue well into the evenings, so I take advantage of early mornings for “me & God time.”

Marvin: If you could not—for whatever unthinkable as of right now reason—be a pastor, what other life calling and/or career would you pursue?

Pastor Dana: I would probably be running a smoothie stand on a tropical beach in the Caribbean someplace. Most likely, though, knowing me, I would encounter people in need, start to minister to them, and ... wind up building a church there as well!

Marvin: What is the most satisfying aspect of being pastor and leading SLM?

Pastor Dana: Changed lives. There is nothing more satisfying than the privilege of seeing a life transformed for eternity—it’s priceless.

Marvin: What is the worst aspect of the position?

Pastor Dana: The lack of “down time” or a social life is a challenge. There are times that Smoothie Stand looks really enticing...

Marvin: For those reading this interview and who may be considering a first visit to SLM—what can you tell them to expect if they come to worship with us?

Pastor Dana: You will find a warm welcoming atmosphere. The people are relaxed, not dressed up much (I’m the only one wearing a tie) and usually found hugging and sharing stories from the week. Praise and Worship music service is intimate non-traditional. We have a live band composed of professional quality musicians that plays everything from modern arragements of traditional hymns, to songs you hear on your favourite contemporary Christian station, to original music ... covering a wide variety of musical genres. You will see all kinds of expressions of worship—from hands lifted high, to people kneeling at the altar, some people dance and express themselves with physical motion, while others will stand or sit or do both during the course of worship. There is—we feel at SLM—no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to worship. It’s all about people just being themselves as they celebrate their love relationship with God.

Following the Praise and Worship service comes the Word for the day, given by yours truly. People open their Bibles or cellular devices (to get to their Bible Apps) and read the selected passage(s) along with me, then settle in for a message that relates to their current circumstances. I am not a great theologian; I am a down-to-earth practical preacher who tells it like it is ... which sometimes leads to moments when I feel led to say things with such real-world candor and undiluted veracity, that ... I'm glad we aren't on live TV!


Marvin: What is your vision for SLM? Where do you see this ministry in, say, five years from now?

Pastor Dana: I don’t believe our current facility is large enough to house all of the ministry vision God has given, so I believe in five years we will be in a new facility that is able to facilitate even more outreach programs. I don’t want to move farther away from the city proper, I actually want to move further in. My desire (and calling) is to find a ‘difficult’ area and establish a beach-head of hope and love to continue growing the ministry where it is needed most ... right in the midst of trouble and challenge.

Marvin: You are (affectionately) referred to by all the SLM members as “PD”—a short acronym for Pastor Dana. In a society that typically lauds their pastors as “Bishop”(full name) and “Apostle” (full name), it seems to be a rather unusually casual and pedestrian moniker for a pastor to be hailed as—would you care to comment on this topic, “PD”?

PD: While I believe the office of Pastor deserves honour and recognition, I do not believe that it—the honorific—has to be some indication that I am “above” anyone else. The One I want to see lifted up is Jesus. One of my first spiritual mentors was my Campus Life Leader. When I was eighteen we were sitting in an arcade, talking over a Coke about life in general, when I asked him how ‘knew’ if he had a good ministry.
He immediately responded, “If I can leave and the church is able to continue on, then the ministry is all about Jesus ... and not about me.”

If it’s all about Jesus, and not about me, 

then the ministry is a ‘good’ one. 

I got that, learned from it, and live by it. 

So I like to be approachable and among the people I minister to. If I were constantly surrounded with personal attendants, bodyguards, chauffeured around in a black limo and put on some kind of royal pedestal, well ... that would be a difficult thing to do. For me “PD” is a term of recognition and affection leaving me honoured and approachable at the same time.

Marvin: PD, thanks for taking the time to share with our readers today. Any parting words you would care to leave us with?

PD: We need people to get involved in their communities and to love each other into whole-person balance. I pray the readers of this interview are doing such work. If you live in the Saginaw area, and would like to be part of a relationship-based ministry rather than a religion-bogged-down program, I invite you to come fellowship with us!

~~~~~

IMPORTANT REMINDER! If you have not yet, please show your support for SLM by signing up to "Follow" this blog - you will find the "Follow" button in the upper right hand corner of this front page. Receive email updates on new posts, visit often and leave comments! - all of this helps us in our efforts to grow our readership and social network visibility.

Also, if you are able and wish to contribute to our ministry with all of its valuable community outreach programs, please CLICK HERE and make a pledge and/or one time donation. We need your help ... these programs cost money! Sow your seeds into the garden of the Love of Jesus that we at SLM are devoted to cultivating!

 ~~~~~

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The Best Twenty Dollars You'll Ever Spend!

Welcome back! 

We had a great weekend here at SLM and hope you all did as well. Starting with a Friday evening, open-to-the-public, Taco Dinner (SLM is becoming famous county-wide for these monthly $6-a-heaping-full-plate of delectable culinary delights meals) at which our facility was jammed to capacity for several hours, raising some much needed funds, to a spirit-filled Saturday evening intercessory prayer session, to a Sunday morning service with a Praise and Worship music session that was deep and joyous,

followed by a strong and inspiring sermon delivered by Pastor Dana, and all that followed with ...

... more great food!

Yes, we do so love to enjoy each other's company over a sumptuous meal, and every 2nd Sunday of each month we have a Fellowship Pot-Luck Dinner after the service. And no, we're not all fat, but we are full of love and compassion for our brothers and sisters and filled with the spiritual joy of "Seeing all people through the eyes of Jesus."

And we reach out to the community, sponsoring programs like the Shiloh's Boxing Club

--a haven for young--often 'at-risk'--people to come together and train under the tutelage of volunteering, skilled and experienced, real men who care. These youngsters are afforded the opportunity to learn, through discipline and structure, not only how to grow strong mentally and physically, but also what it means to be a well-rounded, complete, spiritually and emotionally grounded adult--the likes of which we desperately need much more of in this day and age, hmm?

Our youth group, called "Freed Youth"--a program we are in the process of building--will take in teenagers looking for meaning in life and, oftentimes in need of adult mentoring and positive-life-building direction. These kids--many of whom would be considered 'undesirables' by a great deal of contemporary churches--will not be 'beaten over the head' with Bible-thumping messages of condemnation and threats of hell-fire and damnation over their shameful and sinful ways. No. They will be, of course, taught from The Word and shown the Way of Salvation through the Love of Christ, but mainly ... they will get loved on. They'll get hugged, appreciated, and shown what it means to have and be accepted and loved by, a real family--something that so many youngsters these days do not have in the blood-relative, traditional familial sense.

We have a women's group, called "Seekers of His Heart." Every week, women come together to fellowship, share and support each other with their life challenges, and rejoice in each other's achievements. They worship, pray, and provide the comfort of 'extended family' love and comeraderie.

The "X-Men" (The 'X' stand for 'Christ') - another new start up program, is where some of our grounded, senior adult, mentoring men get together with younger men and counsel them--not just in words, but also in leading by example--on what it means to be a whole, well-rounded, productive, and responsible man ... taking your place in society as a leader of, and provider for, your family, and an example for others on what it means to 'Walk Your Talk' in the Way of Christ.

Shiloh's Lighthouse is small, by comparison to many churches, in terms of members. Yet we do all this, and give to the best of our abilities to the community. But we want to do much, much more. Soup kitchen for the hungry - clothes pantry for the needy - emergency money fund for those facing sudden fiscally threatening challenges - student tutoring after-school programs to assist young people in getting good grades and diplomas - job-finding assistance - home care for the disabled elderly who can't afford the help they need ... these are just some of the ideas that we wish to bring to fruition in order to save and revitalize our neighborhoods, the community, and eventually our country and the entire planet.

So I am closing this post with the presentation of an opportunity for any and all who are reading this. A chance to receive the blessing that comes from giving. If you are in a position to afford a (minimum) $20-per-month pledge, I would exhort you to CLICK HERE - and go to our main website where you will have the opportunity support this growing group and its programs.

Twenty dollars

Can you think of a better way to spend a twenty-spot? And think also of how easy it is to blow--without even consciously trying--twenty dollars ...

A couple fast-food meals. A six-pack of beer and a pack of smokes. One ticket to a movie with a small soda (can't even squeeze in a small popcorn on that little of a budget these days). The amount of gas wasted driving repeatedly during the month to the convenience store (or wherever) down the street when you could easily (and also feel good about yourself because it's healthy) walk. Those chocolate Twinkies you eat and know you shouldn't (wink). Playing the lottery - and always losing!

I could go on and on, but you get the point. Take the same twenty dollars you could easily blow, wasted on unnecessary 'stuff' - and instead ... give - sow into the work of God, and plant seeds in the spiritual garden we at SLM are cultivating ... with the help of good and caring people like you ...


... people who care, who wish to give out to others, who love all of our brothers and sisters--whether lost, confused, black, red, yellow, white, wealthy, poor, whatever, it matters not--and who are committed to "Seeing all people through the eyes of Jesus."

To make your pledge and/or donation, please CLICK HERE, and God Bless You!

Thanks for being here today, and blog back in again soon. You will always find messages of good news and spiritually uplifitng content here at the SLM Blog.

~~~~~

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