A WORD FROM OUR C.E.O.
I need to share with you some difficult news. Just before Christmas we lost one of our very best friends and supporters of Union Rescue Mission, and likely my best friend, Scott Minerd. Scott was doing what he loved. Lifting heavy weights at the gym, just before he suffered a heart attack and perished.I was in shock. When contacted, I asked for proof. I am not sure if it was the fact that we were like brothers or he was so much bigger than life. This was so unexpected. It threw me for a bigger loop than I ever have been thrown. Talking to and crying with friends has helped. Leading in prayer at his funeral service brought some healing while telling stories of Scott’s over-the-top generosity to Bloomberg News and The Wall Street Journal. Helping with his obituary in The New York Times and even crying with the sweet writer, Maureen Farrell has helped solidify the reality of all of this. I have to admit we are still reeling from this devastating loss. Our most generous friend, a man who not only loved us and what we do but loved the people devastated by homelessness we love, who the world has often abandoned, perished. His last words to me were, “We need to build another place for families to come in from the streets.” Certainly, the grief will continue.
As of this writing, I’ve lost 13 lbs since hearing this news. I’ve lost my appetite. I can’t pinpoint if it was a significant loss or the onset of Covid immediately after.How does one recover from a loss this big?I shared these verses in my prayer at Scott’s funeral;“Is anyone crying for help? God is listening, ready to rescue you. If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there; if you’re kicked in the gut, he’ll help you catch your breath.” MSG 18-17:34 Psalm“My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality. It’s also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves.” MSG 20-18:3 1 JohnMy hope is we can recover by living with the same love Scott had for others, especially the least of these.Perhaps together we can champion the cause so dear to Scott’s heart and ours, and I know yours, in a way, never matched before. Even as I write this, I will always refer to Scott as “The King of our URM match opportunities.”We named our most recent interim housing complex in South LA, Angeles House, in honor of Scott. He never wanted anything named after him. He was our silent Angel. Our guardian Angel of sorts and a guardian Angel to our 1200 plus guests under our collective roofs.In honor of Scott, his love for God’s people, and his love for Union Rescue Mission, could you consider a very special life-saving, life-changing gift today?
God Bless you,
