From the Sanctuary to the Streets: How the Dreams of One City's Homeless Sparked a Faith Revolution That Transformed a Community [Paperback]

Wendy R. McCaig (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 6, 2010

What does it mean to be church? Is it spending an hour on Sunday with people who look, think, and act much as we do? Or is it something more incarnational that seeks out those who are different, the ones living on the margins? For centuries Christians have presumed that we are to take the gospel to the poor. Instead, Wendy McCaig invites us to receive the gospel from the poor. Through a series of encounters with incarcerated, homeless, and impoverished individuals, Wendy McCaig experienced the mysterious power of Christian hospitality that turns strangers into family. Her gift for storytelling brings this mysterious transformation to life.
Inspired by the dreams of a homeless mother who wanted to help her neighbors, McCaig started a ministry that empowers formerly homeless individuals to live out their dreams. Together these dreamers are transforming their city one person, one community, and one church at a time. Her true stories of the least, the lost, and the forgotten in her community will show you the Good News becoming reality in the midst of injustice in ways that will inspire you and deepen your faith.
These twenty stories-within-a-story about what ordinary people can do when they come together across racial, economic, and geographic divides to fight poverty will expand your vision of what it means to be the church. With your eyes opened to the needs and gifts of your neighbors, you too can begin to dream God-sized dreams for a hurting world. And as you pray Thy kingdom come on earth, you will be inspired to live in such a way as to make it happen in your own community.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Wendy McCaig is the founder and Executive Director of Embrace Richmond, an urban ministry in inner-city Richmond, Virginia. She holds a MDiv and has worked for more than ten years as a leader in the local church, and for another six years serving the homeless. However, her greatest honor is being the mother of three amazing daughters and wife to the most supportive husband ever.

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Wipf & Stock Publishers (May 6, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1608990893
• ISBN-13: 978-1608990894
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #470,422 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

In 2002, after an unexpected relocation to Virginia following the demise of Enron, her husband's employer, Wendy McCaig fell into working with the homeless. Through her relationships with homeless men and women, Wendy's vision of what it means to be the church began to transform. She soon found that she was experiencing the richest expression of the Christian faith, not in the pew on Sunday morning, but in the streets serving alongside her homeless friends. It is this journey beyond the walls of the church that inspired Wendy to write her first book, From the Sanctuary to the Streets: How the Dreams of One City's Homeless Sparked a Faith Revolution and Transformed a Community.

Wendy McCaig is the founder and Executive Director of Embrace Richmond, an inner-city ministry in Richmond, Virginia. Wendy holds a Master's degree in Divinity from Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond and has worked more than ten years as a leader in the local church and another six serving the homeless population. Wendy has a bachelor's degree in accounting from Texas A&M University and is a CPA who spent six years as an auditor in Houston, Texas before becoming a minister. Upon graduation from college in 1988, Wendy married her high school sweetheart, Chris, and has been happily married every since. Wendy's greatest honor is being the mother of three amazing teenage daughters.

From the Sanctuary to the Streets was written for others who are seeking to experience the richness of the Christian tradition that is found in communion with the Holy Spirit through the practice of hospitality with the stranger. To learn more about Wendy McCaig visit www.wendymccaig.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read!, June 22, 2010

By 

Sharon D - See all my reviews

This review is from: From the Sanctuary to the Streets: How the Dreams of One City's Homeless Sparked a Faith Revolution That Transformed a Community (Paperback)

A beautifully written story of how a group of suburban women lived their dream of reaching out to the homeless community in the city...what they found were blessings greater than anything they could have imagined. Wendy McCaig's story is heart warming and inspiring.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From the Sanctuary to the Streets, July 17, 2010

By 

Jeanne from Houston TX - See all my reviews

This review is from: From the Sanctuary to the Streets: How the Dreams of One City's Homeless Sparked a Faith Revolution That Transformed a Community (Paperback)

I was very encouraged by reading this book. It really makes me want to get a group of friends together and make a difference in my community like Wendy and her friends did. I was so interested in reading all the insites she had in there from all the different people. It was hard to put down. I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened next! I also liked how she did not hide her true feelings of wanting to give up several times. We are all put in situations where it is hard and wondering if it is all worth it. In the end, it is always worth it when Jesus Christ is in the center of it. Great book, can't wait to hear the rest of the story......!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "A Compassionate Journey", June 20, 2010

By 

Mimi (MC GREGOR, TEXAS, US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From the Sanctuary to the Streets: How the Dreams of One City's Homeless Sparked a Faith Revolution That Transformed a Community (Paperback)

This book tells the story of how a very few people can make a huge difference in the lives of the homeless and the helpless. Second chances and merciful love are mixed together to change the lives of those we drive past and try to forget on our own selfish expedition through life. The author draws encouragement from her own circle of friends, family, and mentors to help people most of us would run like crazy from. Her quest to help was full of difficulties and unexpected blessings. Easy to read and full of wonderful ispiring quotes from stimulating people. It's definitely a pilgrimage you won't soon forget.