Bridge of Hope

Lancaster & Chester Counties

Ending and preventing homelessness – one church and one family at a time with the help of trained mentoring groups within congregations.

The Biblical Basis for Mentoring

Church Members as Mentors

At the end of the parable of The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), Jesus asks the teacher of the law, “Who was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robber?” The teacher of the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Who are our neighbors today? Who are the ones in our communities who have “fallen into the hands of robbers?” How are we to respond to them with mercy?

Jesus calls us to an active, participatory love for our neighbors. Our neighbors include the poor, hurting and homes in our communities. The neighbors Jesus calls us to respond to include children and single mothers who are homeless and on the fringe of our society.

In his earthly life, Jesus exemplified love for the poor and hurting. This kind of love is costly because it calls us to sacrificial living and unselfishly loving without expecting anything in return.

The church, as a community of faith, is a place where love and nurture are natural responses to those who are hurting. There is no better place to care for homeless families than in an atmosphere of support and love; mentoring comes naturally for the church that is committed to caring for its members and its “neighbors.” There is no better place than the church for a homeless family to be loved, cared for and restored to wholeness.

The body of Christ, the church, can and must be the source of healing and wholeness for the homeless, our neighbors.

Bridge of Hope Values Statement

We hold the following values firmly as we strive to advance the mission of Bridge of Hope.

We believe that the church is the vital link for ending homelessness for homeless women and children; we believe that mentoring groups provide a long-term supportive network for homeless and at-risk families.
We respect each woman and child participating in the program, regardless of race, ethnicity, faith and past experience.
We draw staff, Board members and mentoring groups from Christian congregations which confess Jesus Christ as divine Lord and Savior.
We believe Jesus Christ is our example in bringing love and hope to the poor, the broken hearted, the oppressed, the homeless and the suffering.
We support and encourage positive life changes related to physical, emotional, social and spiritual wholeness which may occur in all participants, staff, board members and volunteers through their involvement in Bridge of Hope .
We value the staff who provide professional, compassionate and quality services to participating families and mentoring groups.
We value honesty and integrity as the operating principles for all who are involved with Bridge of Hope.
We recognize our triune God as the life source for this ministry and depend on prayer to empower us to fulfill God’s purposes through Bridge of Hope.