Serving the Suffering in Your City (an interview with Cassie Hammett )

09/04/23 • 43 min

When we look around our communities, we so often see the suffering of those living in poverty and homelessness. The fear of not knowing what to do frequently keeps us from doing anything. Cassie Hammett, Executive Director of The Hub Urban Ministries, shares how Jesus radically changed her heart for those in distress in her city. She explains how we can engage in our own communities, building friendships, meeting needs and allowing God to steer our ministries.

SHOW NOTES

Radical ministry can start when you allow Jesus to radically transform your heart.
The fuel of community ministry is friendship. Once you know someone, you will better know what their needs are and how to meet them.
Remove fear from encounters with those in need by taking practical steps to be prepared.

QUOTES

“I think what keeps people from engaging with individuals in different socioeconomic levels is that there’s an assumption of, ‘We are so different. There’s this chasm between me and her.’ We also make a lot of assumptions, ‘Well he’s in this situation because he did X, Y, Z or has a mental illness.’ We have all of these predetermined ideas that create a lot of fear but the truth is that there isn’t that big of a chasm. Most of the time the difference is just material.”

-Cassie Hammett

“Our job is to pick up people’s mats and do our very best to get them to Jesus. But the reality is, it’s His job to heal. It’s his job to heal people and it’s the people in need of healing’s responsibility to take ownership of that and to receive it. We can’t do either of those. So I have to remind myself consistently, ‘I’m a mat carrier.’ If that person is not receiving help, that’s not my job. I did the very best I could do. I physically got involved and did everything in my power to clear the path between them and restoration. The rest is up to Jesus and them to receive it.”

-Cassie Hammett