our role as missions is to actively come alongside the church and help churches do what they have been called to do? What’s striking about this idea is that churches are already strategically located throughout our communities. Churches are already wrestling with the sense that they should be reaching out to those who are hungry, thirsty, strangers, sick, and in prison. (Yes, I left out “naked.” It just seemed awkward to suggest that the church was wrestling with the naked.) When the church asks, “Lord, when did we see you?” Jesus answers, “Whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” The principle seems clear. If the church desires to see Christ, then they should be engaging with those in need, because that is where they will find Him. At our mission, we have found that many churches are feeling a call to go deeper and to engage with those in need in a more substantial and meaningful way. At first we were tempted to simply point them toward our own programs and opportunities. Then we realized we actually needed them to launch their own programs and efforts in their own neighborhoods. Though at first they felt overwhelmed, we worked beside them and provided training, encouragement, and sometimes light staffing. What about businesses and corporations? What about other nonprofit partners? What about our civic partners? Our police departments? Our fire departments? Our mayors and city councils? What if we could help them see? They are wondering, too, how to address this growing need throughout our communities. As missions step forward to assist them in their own efforts, these organizations are not only receptive but also openly grateful for the help. It does not change just those in need; it changes all who see these needs firsthand. Uncover the Hidden F rederick Buechner talks about this phe- nomenon of seeing: “If we are to love our neighbors, before doing anything else we must see our neighbors. With our imagination as well as our eyes, that is to say like artists, we must see not just their faces but the life behind and within their faces. Here it is love that is the frame we see them in.” What if one of the best things we as rescue missions can do is to get our neighbors out there to see their own neighbors? As just one example, because we at our mission believe that engaging the larger community is key to addressing needs, we began investing in our Search and Rescue van program. We invited more people to join us as we reached out to those on the street, under the 10 WWW.AGRM.ORG MAY/JUNE 2017