It’s almost invisible unless you know it’s there, a small brown building surrounded by shiny new industrial complexes. You can see the spots where the graffiti has been painted over. A six foot chain link fence surrounds the property, with the empty shackles that once held Constantine wire across the top. You can tell that in the past it was probably a fruit packing shed or warehouse. Concrete ramps crisscross the entries. The windows are covered with falling window blinds from the inside, security bars on the outside. Most of the screens are torn or missing. At first glance you would think that there was something valuable inside that needed to be protected.


Could this actually be the “Circle of Hope”? This building contains those whose lives have not been protected in earlier days. Whether the injury was self inflicted, inflicted by someone else or by circumstance, the injured dwell there. It is filled with individuals who have sought self protection through drug and alcohol abuse, only to be incarcerated in addiction. Mothers who have been abandoned by a spouse or family and are seeking refuge for their children, they come jobless, penniless and hopeless. The staff works diligently to provide hope and dignity, a warm meal, a smile and a place to sleep, but time has taken a toll.

How do you break the cycle of spiritual and physical poverty, of course it would be with the Gospel, but James says that we should do more.

“Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” James 2:15-17

The first step is to understand that not one of us has all the answers or the ability, but each of us can do something. Right now we are working to restore the building to one of dignity. In the process we are looking to make sure that no family sleeps on a one inch mat on the concrete floor. No one resides in a facility that is just a step up from being on the street. The Corona Norco Rescue Mission will make a difference in lives of all of us.

It sends chills up my spine when I think of a line in the movie “Chronicles of Narnia”. The residents of Narnia have been trapped under the curse of the White Witch, where it is always winter, but never Christmas. Then the whispers start “Aslan is on the move, Aslan is on the move” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJ9t3Xs8Sgc .

In Corona “Aslan is on the move”. Join us in freeing those who are held captive by addiction, poverty and sin.

Jim Palmer of Orange County Rescue Mission and Chuck Booher of Crossroads Christian Church will present the vision for the future of homelessness in Corona. Saturday June 12th, 7pm. The main auditorium of Crossroads Community Church, 2331 Kellogg Ave, Corona.