Story Spotlight
Say hello to our very first Missional, Jan Griffiths!
Missionals are volunteers who aren’t personally facing chronic homelessness but have felt a calling to live alongside and serve neighbors who are. They will reside on-site in one of the Missional-designated homes within the Village, working alongside neighbors transitioning into their own cottages from chronic homelessness to build a vibrant, healing community.
Read our conversation with Jan about her choice to become a Missional below:
1. Why are you interested in becoming a Missional?
I’m drawn to becoming a Missional because I believe transformation happens most powerfully through presence—steady, faithful, everyday presence. The opportunity to walk alongside neighbors who have been homeless, carried deep burdens, survived profound hardship, and are now stepping into a new chapter of stability and hope feels like sacred work.
I didn’t step into this opportunity on impulse. I knew I needed to slow down, seek God, and make sure this was truly where He was leading me—not just a place I wanted to be. Through prayer, Scripture, and honest reflection, God helped me examine the motives of my heart and discern whether this calling was aligned with His purpose for me. That time of discernment was essential.
My desire to become a Missional grew out of my experience serving with the Tacoma Rescue Mission’s Search & Rescue team. Week after week, as we offered food, blankets, conversation, and prayer to our homeless neighbors, I felt God stirring something deeper in me. Those nights weren’t just outreach—they were holy ground. In the faces of our neighbors, in their stories, in the moments of shared prayer, I sensed God inviting me into a more rooted, relational, and consistent presence.
Through Search & Rescue, God opened my eyes to the beauty and the brokenness of our community in a way I couldn’t ignore. He showed me that relationship—not just service—is where healing begins. And in that space, I felt Him calling me to step further into this ministry, to live out His love in a daily, neighborly way.
Becoming a Missional feels like the natural next step in obedience. It’s not about my own desire to be involved; it’s about responding to God’s invitation to walk alongside His people with humility, compassion, and faith.
2. How do you see the role of being a Missional in the community?
I see the role of a Missional as a bridge‑builder—someone who helps create the connection that turns housing into home and neighbors into family. But at its core, being a Missional is beautifully ordinary. It’s choosing to live life side‑by‑side with formerly homeless neighbors, not as a specialist or an expert, but simply as a friend and a consistent presence.
For me, this calling is a choice to spend my time being present with others: showing up regularly, celebrating progress, sharing in the places where we’re all still growing, noticing needs with compassion, and offering support in ways that honor dignity. It’s the slow, faithful work of relationship—listening, encouraging, praying, and walking together through both joy and struggle.
Every person in this community is made in the image of God, deeply valued, and profoundly loved. That truth shapes everything. It reminds me that I’m not stepping into this role to “help” people from a distance, but to live among them as equals—neighbors created by the same God, carrying the same inherent worth. My presence is simply an expression of His love, extended through ordinary, everyday life.
This is what makes the Missional role sacred: ordinary people choosing to be present, to be consistent, and to reflect God’s heart in the way we show up for one another.
3. What does being a “good neighbor” mean to you?
To me, being a good neighbor begins with choosing proximity—drawing near with kindness, humility, and a willingness to share life with others. It means showing up consistently, respecting boundaries, and offering friendship without conditions or expectations. It’s the quiet, faithful work of presence.
A good neighbor notices others with gentle awareness—attentive but not intrusive. They encourage in ways that create freedom rather than pressure, and they support with humility, listening before assuming. They celebrate small victories with genuine joy and hold space for hard days with patience, allowing healing to unfold naturally. Above all, they honor the God‑given dignity in every person, recognizing each one as made in His image and deeply loved.
At the Good Neighbor Village, this kind of neighboring becomes a shared way of life. Missionals are ordinary people who choose to live alongside formerly homeless neighbors, embracing the rhythms that shape our community: sharing meals, gathering together, having porch conversations, and offering a steady, informal presence. We help steward our shared spaces, welcome new neighbors as they arrive, and participate in monthly training and spiritual formation so our presence remains rooted in Christ.
The Good Neighbor Village is anchored in Jesus. His humility, compassion, and nearness to the most vulnerable guide how we show up. We choose kindness over criticism, steadiness over intensity, and authenticity over perfection. We come not as experts, but as neighbors—equal in worth, equal in need of grace, equal in God’s love.
Ultimately, being a good neighbor is about cultivating belonging. It’s helping others feel seen, valued, and never alone. It’s creating a community where people can grow, heal, and thrive because they know they matter—to us, and to God. It is about being present and creating relationships.
Learn more about Missionals at GNV HERE.
