guests weekly engage in the sport with volunteers from a local church. In our facilities, we encour- age our volunteers to not simply show up for service, but work to develop meaningful relation- ships with our guests.” Push Out W hile reducing loneliness at the mis- sion is vital, it’s equally important to build a connection network for when guests are ready to step out on their own. Churches are a key component to making this happen. “We have found that individuals who become highly involved in a church family, recovery community, mentors, and other supportive relationships find the most long-term success. We counsel and case manage our guests toward finding healthy relationship and committing to involvement with groups and communities that can help provide stability in their lives,” Ryan says. To facilitate this, “We have developed men- tor programs in over a hundred churches in the upstate of South Carolina, so that when our guests choose to attend or join a church they will not simply warm a pew, but will become part of the active church community.” At Gospel Center Rescue Mission in Stockton, California, CEO Wayne Richardson says the mis- sion aims to “keep them busy from the time they wake to lights out.” This is done through mean- ingful ministry assignments to make guests feel like part of the team; passes to go off campus for a few hours; and healthy activities outside of the campus, such as church and church events, Celebrate Recovery, Christian events, and sporting events. Rachel Duvall, director of Bethel Village at Panama City Rescue Mission in Florida, says that they use members of her church to walk residents through the process of building relationships. “We provide mentors for each one of our ladies in the recovery program. These are women who are held at high esteem in the church and who have been faithful to serving the Lord already for at least a few years. These women will take their mentee out of the house for a walk or to get a cup of coffee, and just spend time with them for one hour a week. This also helps them to meet new ‘healthy’ friends.” Rachel adds, “Our goal is that by the time our clients reach the end of the 12-month program, they will have made new friends in the church, have a community of believers surrounding them, and a lot of the estranged relationships with family will be restored.” Ī WWW.AGRM.ORG MAY/JUNE 2018 23 Loneliness doesn’t just affect our homeless friends; CEOs and other staff members are vulnerable too. Some tips to combat loneliness: 1Realize that loneliness is not a fact; it’s a feeling. Pay attention to what triggers feelings of loneliness for you, then accept the feeling instead of over-reacting to it. 2Form a plan to fight mental and emotional habits of loneli- ness. Schedule in ways to spend quality time with friends and family on your calendar. 3Find like-minded people. Technology makes it easy to find people who share your hobbies and interests. Join a group with others who enjoy hikes, fishing trips, museum exhibits, or whatever interests you. 4Make a point to show up at gatherings. Sticking to your commitment provides the opportunity to meet new peo- ple, and you may just find your next best friend! Alleviating Loneliness Ideas to help you feel more connected to other people