‘Well done, good and faithful servant’

When Terry and Pat Powell started StreetWise over 35 years ago, they dreamed of making the world a better place by giving people a hand up during tough times in their lives.

Driven by a deep trust in listening to and following God’s will, StreetWise has done this in various ways over the years, adapting and shifting to meet emerging needs in the community. 

But when Terry died unexpectedly in February 2020 and with Covid bringing the world to a halt a month later, the ministry of StreetWise was in danger of closing.

But God.

In November 2019, four months before his death, Terry assembled a new board of directors, asked each of them to look to the future of the organization and answer the questions of what the governance and operations of StreetWise would look like.

Of those he asked, some had been with them since their street ministry in downtown Atlanta. Some had been long-time volunteers at StreetWise and knew the history behind its different iterations.

Although some had said no to previous board invites, each person felt led to say yes to the call this time around, and as StreetWise’s executive director and CEO Tracy Joseph said, the timing was a divine provision.

“We went from an advisory board to an operating board in a day,” Tracy said about learning Terry had passed away. “God had assembled this group of people to serve at a time none of us saw coming that required our individual skills and experiences to solve major issues and literally save, with God’s help, the ministry.”

Although each board member knew Terry and Pat, they didn’t know each other well, but Tracy said they each rose to the occasion, quickly growing to trust and work together effectively. That bond, he said, kept a truly necessary organization open during Covid, even without its visionary.

“What I appreciated about all of them is everyone came together with great humility to learn, to lead, to share, to grow together so that this could continue as we felt God had called us to do,” Tracy said.

Alex Owen stepped into the chairman of the board role during that time. Alex first met Terry in 1989 and, over the years, would advise his friend whenever asked. He accepted the board invite to help look at the steps it would take to form an enduring ministry from what Terry and Pat started, not realizing how sudden that transition would occur.

“It was a journey and not a trip,” Alex said. “I thought that when I joined the board that we were going to be working through a transition, but it ended up being a transformation.”

Brad Anderson, the board’s treasurer, also met Terry and Pat in 1989 and volunteered with them with their street ministry in Atlanta during that time. 

He has been a member of StreetWise’s board since the late ‘90s and has witnessed how the organization adjusted directions to meet peoples’ needs while pointing them to Jesus. The unexpected, immediate changes in early 2020, though, tested the board’s resolve to pursue God’s will for StreetWise.

“We prayed that day after Terry died, and we asked God, ‘If you want this ministry to continue, we will stand in and do this,’” Brad said. “And many times when we were sitting there looking at an empty bank account, and wondering if we were going to go on next month, God showed up. God showed up. God showed up.”

Through God’s faithfulness, StreetWise remained open through Covid — focused on its mission and committed to the community.

“We can’t downplay what we do as far as the resources for the food and other things,” Alex said. “That was what kept us going — the fact these people kept coming and we kept seeing lives incrementally being changed. That’s what it’s about.”

Providing those services day in and day out, even during the most uncertain times, are StreetWise’s volunteers — people the entire board are quick to highlight and credit.

“It’s one of those places where if you go and you just spend some time there, you walk away with a feeling of simply, ‘Wow,’” board member Simon Shim said. “And a lot of that is definitely related to the people, especially the volunteers.”

“I love the fact that we have salvations at StreetWise,” Brad said. “That’s because it’s the heart of the ministry. People, when they’re driving through or coming in, they’re loved on, and they know it and they feel it; they don’t just hear us talk about it. Because of that, we’ve been able to meet them at that critical moment in their life when they would either open up to the receiving of the gospel in Jesus or just need a shoulder to cry on.”

While this Gospel-focused ministry to the community will continue, StreetWise, as it has many times over the years, is entering a new chapter. 

Alex, Brad and Simon are all finishing their time on the board as they transition to new seasons of their lives. Tracy said their work, through their faithful obedience to God, was instrumental in positioning StreetWise to be on a strong footing going forward.

“What has always struck me is the amazing amount of humility that came from an assembly of very successful individuals that humbly chose to serve together, listen to one another, listen to what God showed and then serve accordingly,” he said.

Although these three individuals who made up part of the five-member board in 2019 will no longer be in their positions, they’ll still have the chance to contribute to StreetWise’s legacy. An advisory council was recently established as a way to retain the historical knowledge of the organization, tap into wise counsel and serve as a way to develop potential future board members.

“It’s a place where they get to continue to be involved with something where they were deeply passionate and committed to,” Tracy said. “And the benefit that I as a director and StreetWise as an organization get is that we get to remain connected to decades and decades of history and stories and answered prayers and challenges that God was faithful to lead us through.”

As Alex, Brad and Simon transition off the board, StreetWise’s ministry remains imprinted on their hearts.

“Many years ago, in considering life goals I was told we should find and invest in something that will outlive us and that benefits others and points people to Jesus,” Alex said. “That’s what StreetWise does.”

“We just need to keep realizing that this is God’s ministry, not ours,” Brad said. “And as long as you give God the glory and the respect, this ministry will continue to grow and will continue to serve others.”

“I would just love for more people to be able to experience StreetWise,” Simon said. “More volunteers and more people in the community and surrounding communities. I think that StreetWise can continue to make more impact and continue to make an even larger impact in a very positive way.”

Tracy said he, the rest of the board and all of the volunteers involved with StreetWise are thankful for the contributions, conversations and obedience of these three enduring a difficult, yet ultimately rewarding, season of ministry. Because of that work, StreetWise is positioned for healthy growth to serve more people, fulfilling the vision of its founders. 

“My greatest prayer and the way that I would best be able to thank them is to continue to pray that God tells them, ‘Well done faithful servant,’” Tracy said.