09/03/2026
"Your obedience is their opportunity."
When I heard a sermon on legacy several years ago, that one line from our pastor stayed with me in a way that was both life-giving and challenging. The idea is that it is our obedience to the call of Jesus in John 16:33 to “Take Courage” when the world tries to distract and disarm our efforts and our hope in Jesus Christ as the One who overcame the world. It’s that obedience that creates opportunity for our children, our neighbors, our community – that they will have the opportunity to experience freedom in Christ, to live a flourishing life, and to rest in the peace that He has overcome the world.
At Watered Gardens Ministries, the opportunity is rich. As over 400 volunteers and staff are engaged in Kingdom Work, serving the unsheltered and impoverished in obedience, God is opening doors of opportunity. As we considered the community’s needs, had more and more conversations with guests about hope, and heard the call in John 16 ring louder, a vision came to life, and the Take Courage campaign began.
The project began with an awareness of a growing need: a housing solution for those who were living in true disability, unable to work at a capacity to maintain rent in our community, cycling shelters and hopeless. Through the obedience of those walking alongside our guests, identifying needs and recognizing patterns, and knowing that the solution is Jesus, opportunity was created.
“The solution is Jesus. Being manifested through the vision that he’s given us to take the next steps in ministry growth to provide real, tangible ways to save lives, to help people off the streets and to bring transformation about. The idea of “Take Courage” is not just for the people we serve; it’s for our community as a whole…. We want all of our partners, our city leaders, business leaders in our community, as well as people who are struggling with poverty, homelessness, addiction, and histories of abuse and neglect: We want our city to take courage.” – James Whitford
This month, we are hosting a groundbreaking for a community of tiny homes, designed for those who are disabled, as permanent supportive housing. And with its completion, the beginning of a new, trauma-informed transitional shelter with the capacity for more than double our current abilities. So my encouragement to you, as you walk in obedience to the call of the Lord on your life: Take Courage, for He has overcome the world.
To learn more about the efforts of Watered Gardens Ministries and the Take Courage campaign, visit takecourage.wateredgardens.org
-Bri Newby • Watered Gardens Ministries | Impact Partner
