Articles for tag: Fred Liggin

April 20, 2015

By Fred Liggin When I first met Frank, I didn”t know anything about him other than he was poor and homeless. I didn”t know his story. I didn”t know how he got into such a mess. Did he drink himself homeless? Did he waste his money? Was he just lazy or did he refuse to work? Did something traumatic happen to him that caused him to spiral out of control? But it didn”t matter. We were Jesus” followers and we had to help him. So we did. As we began walking with Frank, we learned how he got into this

March 9, 2014

Christian Standard

Mission & Evangelism

Aid to Stick

By Jennifer Johnson Why do we always want to Band-Aid the solution? Never mind. I know why. Whether it”s homelessness or abortion or violence in schools, it”s easier to organize a sock giveaway, stand on a picket line, or bicker about gun control than to address the systemic social issues that first led to the problem. I relearned this a few months ago when interviewing my friend Becky Ahlberg about My Safe Harbor, a nonprofit she (and Anaheim First Christian Church) launched in 2008 to serve a city ravaged by gang violence, crime, and poverty. It might have been easier

March 9, 2014

Christian Standard

Mission & Evangelism

Compelled to Do More

By Jennifer Johnson “Williamsburg, Virginia, is a wonderful place to live, a place full of history and beauty,” says Fred Liggin. “It”s also a city that”s in denial about its homeless population and its deep poverty.” Several years ago a family showed up at Williamsburg Christian Church asking for a place to stay overnight. Liggin, who serves as WCC”s lead minister, felt compelled to do more. “I decided we”d have to do better than a room for the night, because Jesus would not want this family and their little baby to go back on the streets,” he says. “I had

July 25, 2012

Christian Standard

Culture & Public Square Politics & Government

Too Much Is at Stake to Forget

By Fred Liggin We are shaken by mourning as we hurt for those suffering due to the horrific events in Aurora, Colorado, on July 20. Yet even in our mourning, the political and social debates haveÂ already begun to light up the airwaves. And I am reminded of a most sobering reality. No government, regardless of how strong or well-meaning, can thoroughly legislate morality. To be sure, it can create laws that limit behaviors destructive to society (“You shall not steal”). But as a Christ follower, I am led to believe that only Jesus will bring lasting and systemic change (“You