Meeting Where They Are

Welcome to our Circle of Influence article series!

As we recognize LifePoint’s 35th anniversary, we are celebrating the ripple effect of more than three decades of influence in and through the people of LifePoint. We’ve chosen several unique stories to share.

Part 3: Peter

Author’s Note: Peter agreed to be a part of this series solely for the purposes to glorify and praise God alone.  We hope that you will read the following in that spirit.

Back in 2005, Peter and his wife had recently moved to Carroll County when he saw a homeless man on a bicycle with a small dog in the basket riding down Main Street. 

Peter had served with a Baltimore soup kitchen in previous years, but the man on the bicycle placed a weight on his heart that surprised him.  He went home and told his wife Cindy that he was determined to reach out to the man if he saw him again.

“I was just overcome with thinking about what in that man’s life had led him to those circumstances,” Peter shares, clearly still emotional over the encounter, “I wanted him to know that he was loved.”

Peter never did see the man on the bicycle again, but seventeen years later, the impact of that event is still being realized through his work with men at The Westminster Rescue Mission (WRM), a faith-based residential recovery center.

In addition to bringing men from WRM to LifePoint each Sunday, where they act as greeters, Peter leads a small group on Tuesday evenings as well as a Saturday morning fellowship group where many of the WRM graduates attend.  The Tuesday group is designed for men halfway through WRM’s nine-month program and the primary focus is studying the Bible with commentary and uses several of Andy Stanley’s sermon series focusing on a life application element.  Studying God’s word this is useful to many of the men starting a new life in Christ, but the men are also studying Peter.  One former WRM resident describes it this way: “The Tuesday group teaches what we need to know, but Peter serves as the living example of those lessons in action.  It’s through him that the men see how what they are learning about God can serve them in real life.”  

As part of sharing that road, Peter seeks to form a personal connection with each resident.  Any new attendees to the Tuesday group are asked to stay after the meeting and Peter uses this time to ask these men about their lives.  He takes diligent notes as the men speak so that he can remember the people and events that are important to their story.  Peter credits Linda Frazier, whom he served with at the Cold Weather Shelter, with showing him how to have the courage to “have a bold faith.”  He says of Linda: “With love in her heart she taught me how to ask questions to learn where they are in their relationship with God.  Very often this would lead to an opportunity to share the love of Christ.” 

Linda sees it a bit differently.  “To say that I have invested in Peter makes me chuckle. It is Peter who invested in me.  His attitude is one of humility and let’s learn this together. He meets people where they are, helps them to know they’re seen and valued, and points them to Jesus to help them find their strength and hope.  He is salt and light in this world.”

Rich Westcott, a graduate of the WRM, was baptized by Peter at LifePoint in October of 2021.  He first knew Peter as a character around the mission – everyone there knew of Peter.  But over the years, Peter has become, according to Rich, “one of the most influential people in my life.  He’s like a father to me.”

Together, Peter and Rich lead the Saturday morning fellowship group. Over coffee and donut holes, the men study the bible, read from the Jesus Calling devotional and discuss what is happening in their lives.  Rich says that this group “could easily be just a venting opportunity.  When you bring people together to discuss life, they often want to air things that are bothering them. But Peter has a gift of asking the right questions.  He guides you through the thought process of reflection to really consider where God is and what He is doing in that situation.  It has completely changed the way that I see the world.”

For Peter, serving others has allowed his personal relationship with Jesus has to grow.  He is now able to see with and feel with the heart of Jesus.  He is immensely grateful for Joe Duke’s teaching and the leadership team at LifePoint for guiding him and encouraging him in his own spiritual journey.

“I’ve been able to learn so much about how God calls us to love in Colossians,” says Peter. “I used to be very selfish and controlling but now, I try my best to love the way that He describes.” He uses Colossians 3:12-15 as his guiding scripture, and to remind him that wherever in life we have come from, now we are together as members of one body:

“Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with: tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive one other. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. Let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace and always be thankful.”