This is the question we must answer if we are to faithfully love and serve those who are in need. It’s at the heart of a conversation that Stand in the Gap has been having for years now… How do we care for the orphan, widow, and prisoner in a way that touches the heart and imagination of the church, that’s safe, restorative, long-lasting, and beautiful?

The answer we have found is the story of the Gospel.

It is the story of a woman finding freedom from incarceration and addiction to be reunited with her estranged children. It’s the story of recovering what was lost.

It is the story of the widow moving from the back pew to a new community within her church. It’s the story of finding new life in the midst of mourning.

It’s the story of the young adult from hard places who has grown up in immense pain, uncertainty, and abuse finding (for the first time) adults who don’t want anything from him. It’s the story of experiencing love.

This is the story of Stand in the Gap, but even more it is the story of the Gospel. It is THE story of compassion, humility, patience, and prayer. It’s your story (if you are a Christian). It’s my story. It’s the story that holds together the cosmos. It is the story of how God in Christ has treated you and me. When you come to share in this ministry, our hope is that you will more fully know your own story as you seek to enter into the story of someone in need.

Stand in the Gap exists to proclaim this story to the world by equipping the church to participate in it for the sake of those in need. Over the last year, we’ve been working behind the scenes to put this perspective into practical language so we can communicate it with volunteers and stakeholders. That’s where our four pillars were born.

We believe that God sees his people in compassion, connects with us through humility, walks alongside us in patience, and equips us by the Holy Spirit to pray. All this, so that we may participate in the works that He has set in advance for us. This is the foundation upon which we seek to build all the ministry that happens at Stand in the Gap.

Over the next months and years, you’ll hear more from us about how we build on these pillars and equip our volunteers to build relationships on this strong foundation. In the meantime, know that they are there, informing and guiding us and leading us ever closer to the story of the Gospel.