HiA – Hope into Action Reading

We LOVE

We want to be known for the depth of our love.

Love and positive relationships are central to how we define ourselves and assess our success.
Our love strives not to judge, not to condemn but to show ‘mercy to the righteous and the wicked’; to be patient, kind, rejoice in truth, persevere and give what is best.
Our love fuels passion for the homeless, anger against injustices and urge to challenge indifference.
Love for others drives our integrity, honesty and authenticity.

We HOPE

We are hopeful people with hope for all people.

We believe in the innate and undiminishable value of everyone we meet.
We believe in a God who brings healing. We believe Jesus can still do miracles (including physical, instant miracles) but that holistic, sustainable, inner healing comes through strong personal relationships and time.
We want everyone connected to us to flourish and be growing in the likeness of Christ.

We strive for
MUTUALITY

We find God’s reflection in every human.

We believe our humanity flourishes when we are in deep connection with others. We are neither superior nor inferior in our attitudes to others.
God made us all equal. We approach our tenants as equals, we encourage churches to do the same.
We approach all relationships searching for the reflection of God, seeking to learn and expecting to be blessed.
We believe in collaboration and partnerships: statutory, voluntary, private sector, Christian, other faiths.

We LISTEN

With Open ears, we listen to Jesus in the poor.

Jesus was asked 80 questions but himself asked 300.
Listening allows people to be heard, to feel safe, valued and understood. It brings healing.
Listening empowers; it is central to how we relate to each other as a network, with church partners, with tenants and how we approach conflict.
After listening, the Bible repeatedly tells us that Jesus moved into action: The phrase: ‘And when he saw…’ or ‘And when he heard…’ occurs over 9 times in the gospels. Real listening drives action.

We therefore
take ACTION

When we are active then our faith comes alive. (James 2)

We are fundamentally about taking action, embracing risk and change.
We are people who say ‘yes’ and respond to Jesus’s call to ‘go’ and to ‘cast off into deeper waters.’

We focus on
STRENGTHS
and EMPOWER

Everyone has strength and strengths to use.

We see people’s strengths: We want to use staff, partners, churches and tenants strengths rather than be distracted by their ‘needs’, ‘risks’ or ‘faults’.
Jesus said: ‘I confer on you a kingdom.’ At our heart we trust. We therefore want to embody empowerment:
We believe in shifting power (and therefore decision making) to the disempowered. This includes financial power by inspiring (not condemning) Christians and others to share their wealth with the poor.