Steve Smith
2006 CAME TO CHRIST Chaplain & Day Center Manager
M
eet Steve who has been with the Mission since 2008. God has used the Mission as a vehicle to bring Steve full circle. When he was a child, he went to children’s church and spoke fondly of the youth leaders and how well they ministered to him. Steve recounts how they would tell all the stories about the ‘mighty men of old’ and he was hooked.
By the age of 13 he was no longer attending church. An introvert, Steve chose to drop out of school because he was so petrified of speaking in front of a class. His life spiralled out of control and he became an addict. In 2006 that all stopped when he had an encounter with Jesus. Two weeks later he was listening to a sermon and God spoke to him, “One day you will be a pastor.” “Apparently,” says Steve, “God hadn’t heard that I was an introvert and afraid of speaking to an audience.” For three years, Steve took a path much like Paul’s in the desert, learning all he could in the scriptures. “I didn’t know how it would work. I am not a traditional pastor. I didn’t go to seminary.” At that time a friend brought him to the Mission. He stood in to help with a Bible study and the Mission’s church that was just starting. Steve was devouring the scriptures, while finding himself stepping into more of the pastoral role full-time at the Mission. Today, you will see Steve preach a sermon on Sunday, hold Bible study during the week, and manage the Day Center. He has grown a lot since those early days of coming to the Mission. BIBLE STUDIES “We are starting in the book of Genesis and working our way through the Bible in the weekly study,” says Steve. “I am teaching the men in the Life Transformation Program how to break down the Scriptures in the Bible and what it’s saying. When there is a verse that stands out, I want them to stop and think about it instead of reading on.”
AUGUST 2021 | VOL. 25 NO. 4 Bible studies are taught by different individuals during the weekdays in the Day Center. MISSION CHURCH The church teaching is a little different from the weekly Bible study. Steve is patient, waiting to hear God’s direction for what the needs of the people are at the Mission’s church. “I take a topic and run with it for one to three weeks. I’m dealing with a different population, so I break the Scripture down. They ask questions during church and as long as it is relevant to the topic, I try to answer them. Last week a guy said, ‘I believe in all religions.’ I could sense that everyone was waiting for me to answer him, so I shared that Jesus taught that He was the only way to the Father. Different religions say they are the right one, so you have to choose.” The church is held on Sundays, 10am in the Day Room and all are welcome DAY center - Life Recovery Center (LRC) The Day Room is where the staff has the opportunity to help clients with needs or just listen to them and develop a relationship. The staff meet weekly to encourage one another while troubleshooting issues. They go over ways the staff can change their behavior in response to a situation - somewhat like “walking in the Spirit rather than the flesh.” “Working together, we find the best way to handle certain individuals - dealing with the situations rather than reacting. We are starting to see the fruit of our investment in relationships,” says Steve. The Day Room is open for guests to come in to enjoy Bible study, take a shower or do laundry, and be served breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In the evening, the room is converted into a shelter for up to 60 guests.
“I love fishing,” says Steve, “It goes back to the story in the Gospels when Jesus reached out to Peter, Andrew, James, and John. They were fishermen, and I was thinking about how I could reach out to more people. I mentioned fishing to a few people at the Mission and it just snowballed from there.” The interest amongst both men and women was overwhelming, but it presented a new problem: where would Steve get enough fishing poles and gear to take everyone out? The word spread, and the help came - one donor alone donated 9 poles! There is still room for the community to help with purchasing fishing licenses, or making small packets for bass or trout gear. “We can always use more poles and reels.” And Steve is getting pretty good at fixing up old gear - he says “YouTube is a great resource!”
OLYMPIA UNION GOSPEL MISSION | PO BOX 7668 OLYMPIA WA 98507 | 360.709.9725 | OUGM.ORG | FACEBOOK