Bringing the Gospel Alive

Pastor Jim Perez

Senior Manager of Community Life, programs for men at The Bowery Mission

Challenges Faced: In the beginning of COVID, no clients came down with the virus, thank God for that. But staff-wise, we had about four people out with the virus for two or three weeks. On top of that, we had new protocols to put in place. So filling in the gaps became a major challenge. Technically, I got it too. But fortunately I didn’t have any symptoms.

A Time of Grief: On our team, COVID came during a season of incredible loss in other ways. I lost my son in June of 2018. It was a major hit for my wife and I and still technically fresh. Two other staff members recently lost family members. Everybody was affected, one way or another.

How You Keep Going: All I can say is, it's the Lord. The memories are still there. I'm constantly reminded of the freshness of the wounds. But through it all, God has given me an extra portion of grace to deal with a lot of different things at the same time. And we’ve had a lot of support from family and friends.

Sharing Stories: We try our best to bring the gospel alive. I think it’s important to share your own hurts, your success, your failures, your pain, your happiness. I told this new group of men about my son, and they said, “And you're able to share this?" I’m not Superman. I don’t live in some kind of bubble. I’m just like everyone else, with the same hopes and dreams. It's the grace of God that keeps us, nothing else. Hold on to God and His promises, and He will hold onto you.

Walking Alongside Men: We have so much compassion for the men. If you were to hear some of their stories, it would be hard not to react and say, “Oh my goodness, at three years old that happened? At four years old, that happened?” You know why their whole mindset about life has been altered, their expectations about what they can and cannot do is all coming from a certain place. So you get excited when they get a job, when they achieve their goals. And when they hurt, we hurt with them.

On Resilience & Ingenuity: With any group of men, you have your Tiggers and your Eeyores. Personally, I have not witnessed men being down and out because of COVID. Some of the men have said it’s harder to get a job, because so many jobs have changed. But it’s all a mindset. If they’re serious about what they want, they’re looking at it from, “OK, so what can I do?” You’ve just gotta get out there. Many have become very innovative in terms of how they can work with what’s happening.

Coping Through Humor: Laughter is something I enjoy. I like to make funny statements out of nowhere to make people crack up. Of course, you have to be careful because some things are very serious. But when I can, I try to bring some levity. It’s not about taking the situation lightly, but bringing light into the situation.

Parting Words: I told God when I was 17 years old, "Lord, send me wherever you want to and I'll go." So, here we are. There's going to be a day that I retire. I don't know when that day will come, but when it does, I just want to hear the Lord say, "Well done, good and faithful servant." That's it. I'm not looking for treasures. I'm not looking for a mansion. It’s just about being faithful.