Our Community, Our Mission
Our Community, Our Mission
Ep #289 – Stories That Connect: A Conversation with Sarah Rieger
This week on Our Community, Our Mission, we sit down with Sarah Rieger, Communication Specialist for Citygate Network, for a heartfelt and eye-opening conversation about the power of storytelling and connection. Sarah shares how Citygate’s small but mighty team supports more than 325 gospel-centered ministries across North America—equipping leaders, offering practical tools, and reminding them they’re not alone in the fight against homelessness, addiction, and poverty. With warmth and candor, she opens up about her journey into ministry, the moments that moved her to tears, and how God continues to use stories to reveal His faithfulness and build community across the country.
Together, we unpack what authentic leadership looks like, the importance of collaboration through Citygate’s member network, and how initiatives like Conversations on a Bench are changing the dialogue around homelessness. Whether you serve on the frontlines or simply want to understand how faith fuels real change, this conversation will leave you inspired to see how the gospel, and the stories we tell, can transform hearts, leaders, and entire communities.
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Gracious Heavenly Father, we thank you, Lord, for this time. And Lord, just for your blessings. God, we thank you for the combined work that you are doing through not just the rescue mission here in Topeka, but Lord, all across the country and all across the globe with faithful servants, Lord, dedicated to your work. Lord, we thank you for our special guest today. And Lord, we just thank you for this time. Lord, we uh pray it would be a blessing to our listeners, Father. We love you and we praise your name. Amen.
SPEAKER_00:Hello, everybody. Thank you for joining us for our community, our mission, the podcast of the Topeka Rescue Mission. I'm your host today, Barry Feeker, on Tuesday, October 21st, 2025. And this is episode number 289. Good morning, Lamanda Cunningham.
SPEAKER_01:Good morning. That was a lot of teams in there.
SPEAKER_00:There's a lot of stuff in there. But you know, we just figure there's going to be people listening to this maybe a hundred years from now. That's right. That's right. Yep. And now they know. Because these things just go out into cyberspace and you know always there. And some aliens listen to it, whatever the case might be. Maybe they'll come to Christ and you know it'd be a good effort. Yeah. So anyway.
SPEAKER_01:Sharing the gospel.
SPEAKER_00:Lamanda Cunningham, CEO of Topeka Rescue Mission here. Lamanda, we are going to, as we're trying to do once a month now, we're going to talk to some folks involved with the City Gate Network. And uh we have Sarah Rieger here from the City Gate Network itself. Uh not one of the member rescue missions, but uh welcome to uh our community our mission, Sarah.
SPEAKER_02:Thank you so much. I'm happy to be here.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, so you're in Colorado Springs, right?
SPEAKER_02:Yes, I am.
SPEAKER_00:So what's that like out there right now in this October weather um there at the foothill of the Rockies?
SPEAKER_02:Well, it is very chilly and sunny. So nice fall combo.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah. So well, thank you. We want to we want to get into Citigate for those that's the first time that they've maybe heard about it or they maybe heard a little bit about Citigate and the value of it. Talk a little bit about your position there. And um obviously Man Lamanda's been very involved with Citigate. I've been involved with Citigate, and this is the third name uh since I was around that uh had name changes. So yeah, I think they change about every hundred years or something like that. So they're third time. So uh middle round. Um Sarah, so we we have some things we want to unpack here this morning that are really, really important to most of our listeners. That uh, you know, the rest of this is okay, but they really want to know what's important about today. So October 21st, it's National Share the Warmth Day. Kind of appropriate for what you just talked about out there in Colorado.
SPEAKER_03:Uh-huh.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. So share the warmth. Uh uh those of you who can't see that, uh Sarah just lifts up her cup of coffee. Um looked like it had a sunflower on it, Sarah. So it sure does. Yeah, so that's the Kansas Day flower. Okay, thank you very much out there in Colorado for recognizing us. So anyway, Lamanda, it's a little chilly here today, isn't it?
SPEAKER_01:It is a little chilly. Um I was actually greeting at my kids' school this morning, and um I noticed a lot of the kids were coming in bundled up. Um so I was like, yep, the parents are switching over the jackets and getting the coats out. Um so it is such a great day. You know, some of these, no offense, Josh and Alec, but sometimes these uh little things we share are kind of wild. Um and I lose brain cells.
SPEAKER_04:The warmer the better.
SPEAKER_01:That's right. Um but this one is a really good one. And so I would encourage people to check out our Facebook page, the Topeka Rescue Mission Facebook page, we've already shared about um the Share the Warmth Day, where um many organizations, businesses, social services, we really are trying to communicate the need to share the warmth. And so um we are all asking for donations of um coats and jackets and items that help keep um individuals warm. And then also asking if you don't have a coat that you can donate or don't have time to go purchase one, um, you can make donations to the Topeka Rescue Mission page and designate it for um winter weather clothing. And so uh we are thankful for um this national movement and them recognizing that day, and it's already on our Facebook page if you want to check it out.
SPEAKER_00:A lot of people don't know that this was started by a national nonprofit called the one warm coat. Uh bringing attention to uh this need that we have in the United States and around the world that when we get into fall and we get into winter, not everybody has a coat. Right. And um that's not cool. Well, actually it is cool, but it's not good. That's right. So it's too cool. So uh you can participate by donating your clothing, your your coats. Um there's different efforts like this going on around the whole country right now, and So Topika Rescue Mission is one of those that uh can really benefit from helping people.
SPEAKER_01:And you know, um, Barry, I know it kind of feels silly to be talking about winter and it's October, but one of the things that just happened yesterday was our first external partner meeting on warming centers. And uh so we had, I think, a little over two dozen in the room. Um there has been a lot of internal planning going on, well, since the last warming center. I don't think we ever stopped planning warming centers. Um, but this one particularly, um, we have uh potentially a partner that we've been established with, um, Street Dog Coalition. And they are set for right now, unless something changes, and they I do have permission to share this, they are actually going to be able to do a co-sheltering um warming site at the Lotus Center. And so with that, um, Matt Baldwin, great partner, Dr. Allison Crow, great partner. They're working out logistics right now. Um, but this year, that will be another warming center site unless something changes. I say all of that because in the past we've had um True Vine, we've had Fellowship High Crest, we've had Let's Help step up, we've had Vallejo help. And sometimes those warming center sites don't continue, but they said yes for the time being, and that was a blessing. So um when that happens, regardless of whoever is another warming center site alongside of TRM, we share whatever we get. So whether it's snacks or food, um, clothing, we literally divide up whatever comes in, we divide it in three ways or four ways, depending on however many warming sites are happening. So I would say um, in addition to today, really looking at just warm clothing in general, the sweats, the um wool socks, the sweatshirts, um earmuffs, scarves, gloves, those kinds of things, we need because TRM alone helps a ton of people stay warm in the inclement weather. But also, we believe that when people bless us, those items don't belong to us. Like they're the Lord's. And so this year, um, again, unless something changes, another warming center site will be associated with Street Dog Coalition. And we want to be able to share coats and warm clothing that we have, whatever's donated here. So uh please take part today on this um National Share the Warmth Day or in the weeks to come because it's definitely gonna be needed.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and also uh with Street Dog, if people aren't familiar with that, this is our partners uh that work with our unsheltered population in our community and also their pets. And so that warming center that is being established uh is going to be able to bring the animals in as well, which is which is huge. Because um, if you're a pet owner, you love your pet, your cat, your dog, your goldfish or whatever, you do not want to leave them to where they might be in harm. So that uh this is a a great thing to be able to not only just help people stay alive, but also bridge some relationships with them. Correct. So another thing that uh Lamanda, have you uh watched any your VHS's lately for your movies or whatnot? What about your Nikes? Have you got your Nikes?
SPEAKER_01:Uh the pumps or whatever from the tongue, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:So apparently not. So it's uh National Back to the Future Day. And so that 1985 sci-fi classic, you watched that, didn't you?
SPEAKER_01:I actually did.
SPEAKER_00:Uh-huh. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, the original. I mean that it did let me just prepare. In 1985? It was before I was born. So I washed watched it probably ten years later, but yes.
SPEAKER_00:Okay. Well, it uh grossed nearly$400 million worldwide. I guess that's peanuts today, right, Josh? And movie stuff. But anyway. Do you know why October 21st is Back to the Future Day? Uh oh.
SPEAKER_04:No. Here's here's my random nerd fact for you for today. It's the date that they go to the future in the second one October 21st, 2015. So we are 10 years removed in the future from the future of Back to the Future 2. And we still have no flying cars.
SPEAKER_01:I know. Um, but as long as he did, it's all matters.
SPEAKER_00:All my nerds out there. We need some more coffee here to be able to stay up with Josh. So anyway.
SPEAKER_01:And that's hard to believe that that was already ten years ago.
SPEAKER_04:I know. That's weird. From what they predicted the future was going to be correct, yeah. And like I said, no flying cars, so what a bummer.
SPEAKER_01:I know.
SPEAKER_00:Oh bummer. Well, you haven't been reading the internet lately. They're flying cars. Well, I we should have everything on the internet right now.
SPEAKER_04:At this point, we should have more than flying cars. I feel like ten years removed from what they thought we were going to be. We should have like teleportation by this point. So we got that too.
SPEAKER_00:We're away from the case. By the way, that's what yeah, don't be surprised. But anyway, hey, we're doing a podcast. Going clear up the International Space Station so we can do anything. So one more thing National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day. Yeah. That's my favorite. That's good. Is it? Your favorite? Very good. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:I love cheesecake, period. And I definitely love pumpkin cheesecake.
SPEAKER_00:Great. Well, definitely October is when you start seeing the shelves at the stores, have a little pumpkin pie on it. And so then everything's pumpkin now. Go to those coffee places, you got your pumpkin spiced, whatever, lattes, whatever. So um and I'm glad for that. I like pumpkin too.
SPEAKER_01:You do?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Oh, yeah. I tried to make a pumpkin cheese.
SPEAKER_00:There's nothing pumpkin I don't like.
SPEAKER_01:I did not know that about it.
SPEAKER_00:Pumpkin anjolies, maybe I don't like that or pumpkin pizza. Uh no.
SPEAKER_01:With the cream cheese icing? Sounds like that needs to happen.
SPEAKER_00:I need to. Sarah, we're really sorry. We're gonna have to pause this now. We'll get back to you.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Well, let me tell you, I can make a good uh pumpkin cookie. I tried to make a pumpkin cheese dip. No, not pumpkin cheese dip. Pumpkin cheesecake dip is what I tried to make. And it actually turned into a cheese dip. It was awful. Oh no. I don't know what I did, but anyways, it was supposed to thicken up and be a dip with um like graham crackers, and it never set up. And so it was like soup. So I told my husband, I was like, Well, the flavor's great. It tastes like pumpkin cheesecake. You just have to drink it like out of a straw.
SPEAKER_00:But I think the thing about it is pumpkin is so healthy, it counteracts all the other stuff in there, like the sugar and everything and the cream. Just felt you know, it just it makes it okay. Right. Anyway, we can pull it out. Anyway, so those Sarah, aren't you glad you joined us today? Um I'm so I'm loving so much. So enlightening. This is all we do at Topeka Rescue Mission. We just like, what's today? So uh or you know, what day is today? So anyway, we've got again Sarah Rieger with the City Gate Network, and I thank you again for joining us uh in our quest to um connect uh more with our partner rescue ministries around the country and and beyond. And um, so Sarah, um talk a little bit about Citigate Network uh for those that maybe don't know anything about it. Um what is it and what do you do there?
SPEAKER_02:Sure. Well, thank you again for having me on today.
SPEAKER_00:Sure.
SPEAKER_02:Well, City Gate Network is a movement of gospel-centered ministries, uh, which include majority rescue missions, as well as recovery centers, outreach programs, residential programs, and all of these um ministries are serving people facing homelessness, poverty, trauma, addiction, or mental health challenges. And so this collection and coalition of ministries are our focus is to help equip leaders with the relationships, the resources, and the support they need to serve their um target audience and their clients and population with excellence and with um just compassion and the love of the gospel.
SPEAKER_00:Sarah, that's a that's a very big order that you talked about there. How many member uh organizations uh are there in Citigate? You talked about the majority of rescue missions, kind of like Topeka rescue mission, uh, but uh also there's some businesses involved and so forth. So how many, as they say, how many members are in the gate, so to speak?
SPEAKER_02:Well, I'm I'm not sure on the number of business partners that we have right now, but I know we just passed 325 member ministries.
SPEAKER_00:That's awesome. That's great. So that represents a lot of people. Um that's 325 member ministries, plus some businesses and other associations that are involved in that. Um so if if every ministry had uh executive director or CEO like Lamanda is, that would be 325 lead heads that uh you're connected with, plus a plethora of other personnel and volunteers and everything, and board members and whatnot. So there's a that's a pretty big crowd uh to be. And so what do you do there? What's your position? I know you're in communications, but specifically, what is that? What do you do and what what what's your title? What do you do?
SPEAKER_02:My title is communication specialist. And in that role, I get to help tell the story of Citigate Network and its members, um, which is my passion. I love to tell stories. Um, and so I get to uh oversee and create craft along with our director of communications, um, the stories that we share on our social media. Um, I cover all of the different, we have four platforms that we're active on. Um, so crafting those stories, keeping our followers up to date with what the Lord's been doing, not only here in our, you know, headquarters, Citigate Network, but also throughout the whole network to show really the collective impact of this partnership. I also help with uh website updates. Um, we have a membership portal where all of our member ministries can log in and get access to resources, to networking groups where they can ask questions of other ministries. Um, we put a lot of webinars in there, just different trainings as well. So I facilitate all the updates to that platform. Um, and then I help with our um update emails and our newsletter and things like that.
SPEAKER_00:You also put out a uh magazine uh called Instagate. Is that under your uh direction as well?
SPEAKER_02:That is that's above my pay grade. So I do the digital portion of um emailing the digital Instagate out to our mailing list and uploading the digital copy of that into our member portal. But as far as editing, um, that is Bethany and Holly and the other rest of the team on that side.
SPEAKER_00:We can't do it all, but you all do it well together. Yes. So Lamanda, what uh you've been um involved in in the network, City Gate Network, uh for four plus years as CEO now, uh a little bit before that when you came on board um at Speaker Rescue Mission. So what what is your um how can you describe the value to you as a lead in a ministry to be a part of this network?
SPEAKER_01:The first thing that comes to my mind when you ask that, Barry, is it is a way to combat the lie that the enemy wants leaders to feel about in regards to you're doing this alone. Um, you know, there is this I think it's tied to just leadership expectation, which I get and I understand. You know, um we've got a great team here at the Tobeka Rescue Mission, and um we are truly family away from family, and I believe that. But at the end of the day, um, I'm the leader, and there is a lot of responsibilities that fall on my shoulder alone. Um, and um I have to walk in accordance of of what the Lord's asking me to do and um walking to also serve um our board representation and that governing body over us. Um and with that, I think is this duty, and sometimes it's just part of leadership where it's you and the Lord, right? And you're walking this out and um and consulting him for wisdom and all of this. But within that, the enemy a lot of times will want to creep in and make you feel like um you don't have a community because you can't talk about these struggles because you're the leader, or um the lies of, well, no one understands what you're going through. It's really just you. You can't do this, or other leaders aren't struggling with this. And what I've really recognized is that really is the the enemy trying to distract leaders from um how God is equipping us to lead. And so with the Citigate Network, whether it's the annual conferences, whether it's the um forums that Sarah just mentioned, I have posted no less than a dozen each year, questions on there or um kind of taking polls for things. Um so the annual conference, the website, the magazine, there are so many ways to stay connected authentically and be able to at your fingertips have added support. And right now, because of Citigate Network, Barry, there is no less than probably a dozen to two dozen CEOs that I could call right now. So if I had a question about something or was struggling with something, literally could call them.
SPEAKER_00:So it sounds like you you started talking about that in regards to the how the enemy can use isolation or feeling like you're on an island and alone. But also um and and to be able to reach out. Um and Sarah, that sounds like what you do is you provide those intersection opportunities for people in multiple different ways. But also there's the practical things um like uh uh my freezer broke down, I don't know what to do with food, and or how do you get these these beds or whatever? And so the City Gate has got all of that, whether it's a personal contact to another rescue mission around this network, or it is calling you guys and saying, What do we do? So, Sarah, w talk a little bit more about maybe some of the experiences that you had. Well, first of all, how long have you been in this position um as a communication specialist and and what is what does that uh mean to you personally?
SPEAKER_02:I've been in this role um seven months as of yesterday, actually. I realized that this morning and I was like, oh, this is seven months.
SPEAKER_00:Honeymoon over yet, or you know, you end up reality.
SPEAKER_02:No, it's been great. Um and then what does this mean to me personally? I think um transparently I didn't know the Citigate Network existed um in January of this year. And I was at a transition point in my life and looking for um what's next for how I can use my gifts and talents for the Lord, and also how do I pay my bills? So just started looking on um Indeed. And when I found this role, I just saw that every single thing on the job description are were things I'd done. Um I've been in full-time Christian ministry for over 11 years, and I just saw that oh, this role is actually something I could do with excellence, and that I I'm equipped and it will challenge me with the breadth of the role. Um it's not just one aspect of communications, it's really the umbrella of communications between website to email to social media, which social media could be its own whole role as well, but just to see that, okay, this is something I can I can do. And and then the Lord just kept opening the door. I um was actually out of town officiating my sister's wedding. I'm an associate pastor as well at my church part-time. Um, and so I was officiating her wedding, and I uh days later saw a notification from Bethany. And I thought, oh no, I missed the opportunity, but I responded anyway, and she said, No worries, we'll we'll chat when you get back, we'll set it up. Um, and I just remember telling the Lord, okay, if you open these doors, then I'll walk through it. Um and I think um, so I had the series of interviews, everything went great. Um, I began in March, and I really uh I think honestly, I could say I cried almost every day for the first two months of working here at the amaz being amazed at the work the Lord was doing all over the nation that I had no idea about. So, as my role, I I my one of my first projects was to do a social media audit, was to make sure that all of our accounts are following all of our member ministries, to make sure that, you know, to to see what our account had been posting, and just so I jumped straight in and was inundated with these testimonies and these stories of life transformation and got at work. And and then we, of course, we had the media innovation competition, which we do every spring right before conference. And then, of course, then I'm watching all of these other videos and reading the the annual reports, and and it really just it broke my heart in one way, but it also gave me so much hope because I live in Colorado Springs and our homeless population here has skyrocketed in the 11 almost 12 years I've lived here. Um, it has it has changed drastically, and it's so heartbreaking because I see the need. Um, but unless you look, you don't always see the helpers. And so working here at Citigate, I've been able to see more closely the collective impact that's happening in this nation. And um I just think of that scripture that says, When you've done it for the least of these, you've done it for me. And Jesus call to his people really to love um the least, the lost, and the last, as Tom puts it. And um, that's really our our mission and to show them the love of Christ. Um, because anybody can be a humanitarian, anyone can feed, anyone can shelter. Um, but only believers who know Jesus can provide those things with the hope of the gospel. And I feel very strongly personally that gospel mandate. And so the ability to pair um this tangible work of storytelling of what God's doing, helping physically, right? That we have those other verses that say if you see someone in need and you say, Okay, go be warmed and be filled, but you don't give him what he needs for his body, how does the love of God dwell in you? And so it's that pairing of the gospel hope and the physical help together that is why I I love this job and why I am happy to serve here is because it's not just one side or the other. It's together. And I think that's actually what the Great Commission is about, is because we're spiritual beings and we're physical beings.
SPEAKER_00:I really appreciate you unpacking that. Uh uh you came to Citigate out of a couple of reasons that have uh certainly branched onto more than what you were thinking. One is you need to pay some bills. And uh second of all, you thought you could fit the the bill to be able to do this job. And then the seven months you f spent the first two kind of sound sound like you were overwhelmed by what you were learning just because of the magnitude of it. Uh we have a um a saying around here, uh maybe we ought to have t-shirts for new people that come in. I didn't know. Uh a lot of people just don't know what it's like until they see what's happening in a rescue ministry. Okay. I sell that to say this. You're the communication specialist for Citigate Network with 325 member rescue ministries representing hundreds, thousands actually, of people that are on the front lines of this work, which are representing hundreds of thousands of homeless people and more than that who are hungry and impoverished in our community. Do you feel just a little overwhelmed that God would call you to do this? To put this on you.
SPEAKER_02:Absolutely. But I think that's the case in everything when we walk with the Lord because I if I don't dream big enough for him to show up strong in my life, then I'm thinking too small. And um I moved here to Colorado, so yes, it's overwhelming. I yeah, 100%. And I'll just say there's a theme of this in my life. I moved out here when I was 22 and to work for a ministry and to literally develop job sponsorship programs in difficult access countries. Um, they still sponsor children, it's called Indigenous Ministries, it's an amazing organization, but I literally they have brought me on to build programs from the ground up. I'd never done anything like that. But I had a heart for the Lord and a heart for children, and and they saw that okay, she's teachable. And so I literally jumped in and studied all these different programs and you know that where they've operated, um, all the big ones and some other small ones as well. And um very overwhelming. I was overwhelmed, I think, every day I worked there. Um but I think if I know in my life when I bring that to the foot of the cross and I say I can't do it, but you can. So what's the strategy? How do I do this? Um, and what's the goal that the Lord has instead of my agenda? I'm constantly having to surrender what I think is best to what is actually what you want to accomplish here, Lord. Um leaning into that more than what I think is good because my plans are, I mean, sometimes they're okay. I've done this a little bit, I know I know a thing or two, but his plans are, I mean, infinitely better. Uh so yeah, it's overwhelming, Barry. It's overwhelming. Um, especially when you lay it out like that.
SPEAKER_00:I'm like, oh my gosh, you know, well, I think I think that, you know, and Lamanda and I have had these conversations. I certainly experience this. I think anybody in their everybody that's in our room right here, right now, the whole team at the rescue mission, even volunteers, look in the mirror sometimes and go, Why me? Yeah. And then you see the responsibility of the position you have, whether it's in communications or whether it's working a front desk or it's on a street outreach or feeding many, many hungry people, or or or or and you know the vulnerability, the impact, the importance of you being in that person's life, and you look in the mirror sometimes, and and and we all should and go, Lord, why me? Kind of like the Moses, why me? I'm not that guy. You know, but God said, Yeah, you are. And so that's uh this is why I asked the question. Uh so you know, just a short amount of time into this. Fortunately, you've had some other experiences in ministry. This isn't your first radio in that regard, but still the magnitude of rescue ministry is huge, and you are in this place of tying the knots together communication-wise.
SPEAKER_02:And can I add something? This is another aspect that is very impactful to that why me question is um is that we all have a role in the kingdom. The kingdom of God is not uh one of part of um, I'm sorry, spectators, but of participants. And so no matter what our role is, we're supposed to be active in it. And so we can say, why me? And it's because God. Because Moses was unable, but God, right? He his power, he came upon him. He like it was the Lord through Moses. Moses literally, God said, I will go and rescue my people Israel from Egypt. And then he looked at Moses and said, You go. And so that why me, and and I think Lamanda, what you said earlier is the enemy tries to come in and whisper and say, You can't do this. This isn't, you're not, you're not whatever, you're not enough. And and the Lord says, Yeah, but I am. And so that why me, I think there is a an aspect of it that can be honest humility and dependency on the Lord, but I have to be so guarded personally that I don't stay in that seat too long because the enemy will capitalize on it and and say, Yeah, why you? You shouldn't do this. You should you should sit on the sidelines, you should get out of the game. You're not prepared for this, you can't handle this. Um and so yeah, the why me question, always take it to the Lord and let him let him tell tell you why. Um that's what I have to continually do when that comes up in me, that doubt, or like, I'm not prepared, I can't do this.
SPEAKER_00:I think what we sometimes don't think about is that God doesn't need a communication specialist for the Citigate Network. He doesn't need a CEO to lead a rescue ministry, but he chooses to do it this way. And then he chooses to use people that are probably going to be just pretty aware of, just like you talked about, is that uh this is a calling. We're not spectators, God calls us into this in this particular arena. So talk about the team. Talk about the City Gate Network team. Uh, seven months into this, you didn't know much about Citigate work, what was going on in the in North America. Um, what have you learned about the team there?
unknown:Wow.
SPEAKER_00:Don't risk your job saying anything that was, you know, they'll hear that.
SPEAKER_02:I I honestly I say this with 100% authenticity. I work with some of the most incredible people, um, some of the most hardworking, dedicated, Jesus loving, faithful, compassionate people that really pour heart and soul into the work they do every day. Um, I have witnessed. Witness such care for not only the Lord, but for the members that we work with, for the the guests and clients that our member ministries work with. To see Tom lead with such um grace and humility, just have a lot of respect for how he loves the Lord and how he leads with with care. And he's very very intentional. His words are chosen well. And it's um just I know that whenever I actually when I interviewed um with Tom, my last interview was with him. So I'd interviewed with Bethany and then Bethany and Serene and then Tom. And um I went into that meeting in my mind, I'm interviewing him as much as he's interviewing me. Because I had to know that if I'm gonna work in a ministry, that the man or the leader that is in charge is someone that I can follow as I follow Jesus, right? Paul said, imitate me as I imitate Christ. And so in that conversation, we probably had a 45-minute conversation. Um I just could see, you know, a glimpse into his character and his longevity with the Lord. Um, so that was personally really cool. Um, when you ask about the team, do you want me to go through and say everybody's name and title?
SPEAKER_00:Not to work uh in general, yeah, that'd be great.
SPEAKER_02:So it's a small team. I mean, we're we're 10 people. Um and um yeah, it's it's been really amazing. I'll just give one other shout out by Nate.
SPEAKER_00:Ten people working a network system for 325 rescue ministries in North America. Um not the oversight of those rescue ministries, but the support of those rescue ministries. Um, but that's just 10 people. Sam Edwards still with you guys.
SPEAKER_02:He sure is.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, what a dear guy he is. So uh shout out to Sam. Um I gotta give him a call one of these days. He's just uh met him at different conferences. He's been in Topeka a few times uh as they travel through with his uh camper. And uh he'd love that. Yeah, so anyway, uh say hi to Sam for me. But ten people, um, yeah, generally just uh you've kind of said it. Uh your leader is um the kind of person that you interviewed and felt like you could work for him. And and that's your team. Describe uh, if you would, um Lamandas, the CEOs, the different people you work with. What are you what are you learning about the Lamanda types? Um she's sitting right here next to us. Uh, but uh what what do you what have you learned about these uh these leaders in rescue ministries that you didn't know before? You've learned about rescue ministry, you've learned about your team. What can you say about the CEO or the executive director of a rescue ministry that you've learned?
SPEAKER_02:It's a great question. Um personally, I haven't had a lot of FaceTime with with multiple um CEOs across the network, but what I've observed and what I've heard, and of course Lamanda and I have had some excellent conversations.
SPEAKER_00:Yes. Um we stick together.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, we sure do. That's right. Um I've definitely seen uh an authentic compassion for people, um, and then also a grace and a humility to meet people where they're at um instead of meeting them, trying to meet them where we think or they think they should be. Um I grew up in a more um conservative religious community, is how I'll put that. And um there was definitely this kind of attitude I first inherited, I guess, um that people are supposed to be at a certain place. And there was almost like a judgment or like a condescension of why aren't you there? Um, but that's not something I've seen actually at all. And the CEOs, frontline workers, so many people across the network is just this authentic you just meet them where they're at. And it's without the expectation of you have to meet my standards. And it's what do you need? Um, and even just listening to, I listened to Matt's podcast um that Josh had sent me that he did with you guys uh recently, um, and just hearing his story. And um and then also we just did conversations on a bench, and so that actually gave me the best view of of our CEOs. We had uh 70 participating ministries, and I got to watch a lot of the live streams and a lot of the conversations that took place and just to see again and again these CEOs' approach, whether it was um a former client, a current client, um just a random city resident, a police officer, whoever it was, like just to they approached them all with such respect and honor and and value in their inherent human dignity. Um I would say that oh go ahead.
SPEAKER_00:I'm sorry, go ahead. I want you to talk about City on a Bench, what what that's about for people who don't know that.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, conversations on a bench. So this was our um 24-hour live stream event, um, really an initiative to change the conversation around homelessness, addiction, mental health, and recovery. Um and so it's it was an invitation, kind of a challenge because it's very hard, but an invitation and challenge to our all of our rescue mission and ministry CEOs to sit on a bench for 24 hours and to live stream it. Facebook, YouTube, wherever you want to live stream, and to have conversations um with everyone from the mayor to uh, you know, the soccer mom to the guest who's in the residential program or someone who's not in your programs yet. One of the most impactful conversations, and I'm I'm blanking on the name of the mission it was, but the CEO was talking with the woman who's kind of come in and out of their center a number of times and talking very candidly about life choices and how the fact that she wouldn't commit to the program, her life was not improving. And it was it was becoming more increasingly difficult because of the choices she was making. And I just remember this woman just loving her so well, but saying the truth so clearly. Like, oh, and how is this choice impacting your your day-to-day life? And the woman said, Oh, it's just hard. This is not going well. Um, and then to hear by the end of that conversation, she's like, No, I'm I'm gonna I'm gonna make a change. I'm gonna come and I'm gonna sign up for the program. And and it wasn't coercive, it was, it was respectful, it was honorable and respecting the woman's autonomy and her own, you know, capacity. And she realized actually what you guys offer is better than what I'm choosing. And I just I was watching, I it blessed my heart so much because it's that's the kind of conversation that's the turning point in that woman's life for her to say, you know what, I've kind of gone back and forth, but no, I'm all in. I'm gonna commit to this. So there were a lot of conversations like that that were just impactful. Uh, there were other guests who sat on the bench who um had already gone through the programs and they were able to share the testimony. I know um Tom was at um Fresno Mission, which we kind of had as our mission control this year to operate all the live streams, to do the switchboard. Um, and so on our national feed, um, Tom had interviews, um, Matt Dildine had interviews as well, and just to share testimony to connect with um thought leaders in the in this sector um on homelessness. We had conversations with Salvation Army, with um Dr. Kate Long from Harvard, who's doing the study on human flourishing, um, and just multiple conversations to raise awareness about what's happening in this nation. The latest pit count um and the numbers that we have seen this year is shows that there's over 700,000 homeless people in our nation. And that's just 700,000.
SPEAKER_00:And so that's those are from pit counts. That's a point in time, once a year, one day. Doesn't say at all, but that's a lot of counting on one day in the whole nation. Um you both don't know this, I know to some degree, because we had these conversations. Uh Citigate Network's a hundred-plus-year-old organization uh in the United States. And it has gone through lots of different changes over the years. When I came on board, it was the International Union of Gospel Missions, the IUGM. And then they wanted to shorten that. So it became the AGRM, Association of Gospel Rescue Missions. And then I think 2018 or so, it decided that it was going to broaden itself out and invite other people's into the network, other people's other ministries into the network, and that's where you mentioned Salvation Army. That's a uh uh mentioned partner as well within the network. It's not a m rescue ministry or rescue mission, but it's similar. To be able to come together for conversation, to be able to say, let's do this better together. And so Citigate Network has now risen to um a place of uh not only importance of local ministries, but also the voice of the homeless in the country. Um having representatives like Tom and uh others before him who've actually been to D.C. in the White House, in the Oval Office, to have those conversations with our leaders at Congress and so forth. And so that really helps uh to um have um not only that feeling that we're not isolated here, but also it lends credibility to the local ministries as well. I know Lamanda, you've been involved um um, which has been a whole lot of fun on the local level uh with government and so uh and and working all those different kinds of angles. And so it's not like you're the only one doing this. Other people in other communities are doing it. How how valuable is that when you're talking about um elected officials, um uh staff from government levels, even though Topeka Rescue Mission is a non-government organization, it's a ministry. How does that help to know that uh others are doing the same thing?
SPEAKER_01:It's so helpful. Again, um just being able to have a healthy example and a healthy networking pool of other um gospel-centered leaders who are doing this work. Um, there's many CEOs that have challenges with their local and state government, and being able to see how um they still walk this balance of respecting authority because we feel like that's what God has called us to do, um, yet also trying to find that the appropriate avenues to speak truth and to advocate when sometimes the decision makers are not doing things appropriately. And so um I have learned from other leaders who have difficulties with those relationships and how they're navigating it and um tips that they have, things that they've learned from. Um, I also have great examples within the City Gate Network that have had challenges with their local and state government, uh, but then have overcome those and where we really see God bring unity um and and instead of division. And so that's really neat to see because um that's really what my heart aspires for in our community. I think anything that we can do together when people really are participants and not spectators and spectators trying to coach um when they've never played the game, that's hard. And so um having those examples at the City Gate Network level is so helpful because some have made it through the challenges, and I want to use that as a goal for myself to make sure that that my behaviors for the rescue mission and as leadership matches um that the other leaders who handle difficulty difficulty Christ-like, but also who haven't given up. I mean, there's some leaders, Barry, that for decades have tried to bring unity between social services, rescue mission work, faith, and government and haven't given up the good fight. We've had others who um have been able to be very honest and said, we respect authority, we continue to try to partner where we can, but yet we cannot use the disunity as a distraction. We're called to this rescue mission work, and we're gonna continue that regardless of what government is doing. So, anyways, there's just great examples of people who have been able to bring together secular nonprofit, faith, government, all of that. There's some that's still in the trenches with it. I learned from that as well. So, to me, whether it's talking about um partnerships, whether it's talking about um financial questions, whether it's talking about building and all of these things, the Citigate network provides such networking opportunities for wisdom and people and ideas. Um, and God uses that every day within that ministry.
SPEAKER_00:Used to be that uh rescue ministries were known as that place down there. And uh so just fine, stay down there in that part of town or wherever, do your thing. Not not anymore. The problems have escalated in our nation in regards to hunger and poverty and homelessness and all kinds of other associated issues with that, the plethora of street drugs that are out there, the dizzy deinstitutionalization of people who need mental health help, all of those things have flown down there to the rescue mission. And so that rescue mission is now not just down there, it's at the table and oftentimes leading in great conversation about what do we do as a as communities. And so Citigate, um, being in that position with a whole 10 people on staff uh to be able to help network and uh help m create those opportunities for people to learn from each other and to share from each other. Sarah, um we want to thank you for being on the podcast today. Is there anything else you'd like to share with us about uh your story or Citigate Network?
SPEAKER_02:That's a great question. Well, there are a number of things, but I think the last thing I'll share is just of the faithfulness of the Lord. That in the face of great challenges, I've always found the Lord faithful because he can't do otherwise. He's always faithful, he always comes through for his people, might look different than we expect it to. Um, and I think in mission work, we see that a lot. I'm sure you both have seen that a lot. Um, the faithfulness of the Lord, but might not be exactly what you'd hoped for or expected. Um, but that he is steady. Um, he is steady. And then I would just share if people want to learn more about Citigate Network, they can find us online at Citigate Network.org. And if they're interested in learning more about conversations on a bench, they can visit conversations on a bench dot org as well. Thank you so much for having me.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you for what you do. Congratulations on seven months in now, and uh looking forward to much more. Um we can just tell that you know this is where God's assigned you and um and what an incredible calling that God has placed on your life and and the team there in rescue ministries around around this nation. So Sarah Rieger, who is communication specialist for Citigate Network, has joined us today. Um she mentioned the website, CitigateNetwork.org. You can find out more about that there. And also if you're interested in Topeka Rescue Mission, which we know you are, you can go to TRMonline.org. That's TRMonline.org. It's getting chilly outside. We talk about coats. We talked about um getting ready for warming centers, and what we didn't talk about yet is Christmas is around the corner. So if you're interested in helping Topeka Rescue Mission out with this Christmas, there's a needs list out there. And a lot of people start saying, where's that needs list about June or July? So it's there, so you can get ready to bless many, many people in this community. Thank you for being a part of our community, our mission is a