Finding Purpose at the Mission

Mark Dixon

Senior Manager of Community Life, The Bowery Mission

My Role: I’m the "site lead" or "campus lead” in Bowery talk. I oversee different departments onsite, as well as coordinate between teams. The goal is to make sure our day-to-day operations run smoothly and that we’re serving our community to the best of our ability — period. If something isn't working, we figure out why and how and fix it as a team. It’s about bringing the right people into the room so we can solve problems together.

Challenges Faced: At first, it was just coming to terms with the fact that we are essential workers. We weren’t going home anytime soon. It was the realization that this is “go time” for us, because without our programs and our teams behind them, our community doesn’t eat. I would say, after that, it was about overcoming any physical and mental stress that would creep in. For me, that was God’s way of reminding me to cast my burdens on Him, and that He was going to give me strength — and He did!

Why You Showed Up: If you've ever had the privilege of walking through the Red Doors, you will quickly realize that our people do not show up every day for “themselves.” We all have the mentality that, “this is when we, as followers of Christ, need to pick up our cross." These New Yorkers, the ones in such a vulnerable state, the ones who seem to have lost their own dignity, dignity we’re hoping to help restore, are pretty much our family. In my book, you don't leave your family — even when times are hard.

What Kept You Going: Feeling God's presence and the support of my family. I also had the privilege of meeting Tabatha, my now wife, while serving during the pandemic. Of course, that in itself was a huge blessing in such an uncertain time. The fact that God not only provided someone to walk this journey with me, but during a time when it was so challenging to find the “good” in anything at all. She pushed me to be a better Christian, a better man, all while finding her family in our community too. Check out our story here!

Finding Purpose: COVID reminded me of my purpose here at The Bowery Mission. For me personally, giving up everything I had known, everything I had owned just to move here from Virginia was very difficult. I had always wondered why God brought me here in the timing He did. But then, when COVID hit, I found that reason. He brought me here almost a year earlier to the day (March 11, 2019) to help this incredible team in overcoming something we never, in our wildest dream, thought we would experience — a global pandemic. Not to mention, he gave me a really cool wife.

Early COVID Memories: I remember the incredible supporters and donors who stepped up and sent us what we needed so that we could continue to serve our community. Whether that was monetary, physical donations, or their time — they showed up. You should have seen it: the chapel turned into what looked like a warehouse. When you walked in, you had boxes as far as you could see — boxes of PPE, hand sanitizer, care kits, containers to package the food… it was so beautiful it’s hard to explain.

Moment of Hope: I will never forget the first time we successfully ran our shower program. There were some who hadn't showered for weeks. No shower, no clean underwear or socks. Our team not only recognized that need, but they wanted to find a way to instill dignity back into this community we hold so close. So, for us to safely relaunch that program and realize we could keep it going (to this day) was pure joy. It was that excitement of knowing you are doing good, something important. That moment of “it worked” was earth shaking.

Lessons Learned: I have learned how much our leadership actually cares. When the pandemic hit, they weren't scared to get their hands dirty. They showed up when and where we needed them. That was huge for our teams. It was very encouraging and is honestly one of the largest catalysts that helped develop trust. It’s one thing to hear it, but to see your leadership show up and say, "You have three people out? OK — We'll come, we’ll help. We'll be boots on the ground where you need us. We’ve got this." That’s huge.

Ensuring Safety: Because we are frontline workers serving a very vulnerable community, it was a matter of time before we, ourselves, contracted this virus. It was our job to make sure everyone was safe and adhered to the ever-changing guidelines, 24/7. The tedious aspects of making sure everyone including staff, community, clients and volunteers were maintaining social distance, wearing their PPE and doing health and safety screenings were just about some of the hardest tasks for us to do. We not only did it around the clock, but even as some contracted the virus leaving us incredibly short handed.

A Difficult Moment: Things got especially tough during the social unrest of summer 2020. Imagine this: It’s 7 a.m., you are in the middle of Manhattan, and you don’t see a soul. The streets are lined with broken glass and boarded up windows, portajohns flipped over in the middle of the street, litter and trash are everywhere. Then 8 o'clock hits and you see 300 to 400 men, women and children lined down the street and around the corner, whom you are about to serve what could be their only meal for the day. That’s the moment when you realize how bad it had really gotten. You saw so much devastation and hurt in so many people, so many families. Most of which was completely out of their control.

Making Connections: I came here to serve, but with social distancing, all kinds of connections you once built with people just through presence disappeared. I was asking,“How can you be a reflection of God’s light if you can’t draw near?” It created some discouragement for me. Yet, you could still find ways to put a smile on someone’s face. You’d see those cheekbones rise behind their mask, just because you found a way to serve them when other places closed their doors. In hindsight, it was pretty special.

Solving Problems: In terms of onsite operations, it was really just a shock. It was almost like we got punched in the gut. We kept trying to figure it out. “What does our new normal look like now?” Thanks be to God that we had so many passionate people in one room trying to figure out with us. It was like, “Okay, THIS is what we want to try.” And then we’d try it and say, “OK, let’s tweak that again.” And so on and so on.

Parting Thoughts: We can't and could not have done it on our own. You have to lean on God's strength during times of devastation or you are not going to be able to keep going. Even in times when you just don’t understand why, He is still the Great and Mighty One. He is going to provide and the darkness will not overcome Him. I saw a reflection of God’s light from everyone here. I saw how He was using us as vessels to provide for people who had no idea what they were going to do. Those are the moments that give you hope.