LC Valley Church Partner: Shann Profitt

Currently, a safe, clean-and-sober shelter does not exist in the LC Valley area, but UGM’s new shelter will provide a pathway out of homelessness for those ready for change.

Shann Profitt has pastored First Church of God in Clarkston, Washington for nine years. He speaks of his congregation’s love for the people of the LC Valley, some with a special passion for those in need in the community. “It’s hard to leave somebody where they are. That’s why I’m so excited for [UGM] to come. It’s like help is coming, because I’m not equipped, but you are… To me, [UGM is] the life ring.”

He explains how Celebrate Recovery has impacted the way the church interacts with those battling addiction. Younger people from Celebrate Recovery are coming in on fire, integrating into the church, and taking volunteer jobs where it was difficult to get people to serve. “They’re finding Christ, and they want more.” He goes on to say that when they get hungry, literally and spiritually, they come to the church for that. “People come here broken. They hold up a white flag and say, ‘A little help here!?’ and then you introduce them to Jesus, they go ‘Oh, that’s a good idea,’ and then you can come along and mentor them. [I love] watching people come to Christ… I go and love on people… I come and sit with people who don’t feel good enough. They’re there because they’ve got a hurt, habit, or hang up, and I go and tell them, ‘Hey, you are good enough.’ And I love on them. And that’s really my job, to love people. Everybody is loved. Everybody.”

“That’s why I’m so excited for [UGM] to come. It’s like help is coming, because I’m not equipped, but you are… To me, [UGM is] the life ring.”

He acknowledged the resistance he has experienced, welcoming people off the streets and into the church, saying, “I have people that say, ‘We don’t like them. We don’t want them here.’ But God calls us to love everybody and pray, ‘Take out my heart of stone and give me a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26).’ ‘Restore unto me the joy of my salvation and renew my Spirit within me (Psalm 51:12).’ We’ve just got to get back to that. We’re all the same, and we’ve just got to love each other.”

Loving each other includes the biblical principle of working for what you need. UGM embodies this by providing opportunities for those in need to learn and work, rather than simply giving them handouts. “With the homeless, people don’t treat them like people,” he says. “And it’s easier to just give them five bucks and send them on their way, and then they’re stuck. You didn’t help; you hindered…The more I give them money, the more I enable that lifestyle. I should love them enough to say no and offer them work that honors them. You’ve got to train them up, and that’s what UGM does. It offers them dignity…I’m so excited you’re coming down here. That’s such a blessing to us.

“Well, you can’t see God, but when you see somebody come in so broken and they change—you can see God right there.”

“I always say, you can’t see the wind, but you may see a little dirt devil going across a field. Well, you can’t see God, but when you see somebody come in so broken and they change—you can see God right there.”

By this time next year, the LC Valley Shelter will be offering a much-needed resource for this community. Your prayers and support continue to lay a foundation of faith and hope for this project. Together, we are making a lasting difference in the lives of those who need it most.

Want to make a difference? Donate toward the LC Valley project here: