“At Trinity United Methodist Church, we envision a Home For All—
where every family in Chester, Virginia lives in a safe, secure, affordable home.”
With this bold, Spirit-led vision, Certified Renewalist Rev. Alan Layman, a recent graduate of Creating a Culture of Renewal®, is reimagining what church can be: not only a sanctuary of worship, but a catalyst for community transformation.
As Alan puts it, “In our community, everyone who desires to has housing that is safe, secure, permanent, and affordable for their income and resources. Because this provides daily security, families can focus on being healthy in their relationships and responsibilities. Children have a place to play and study and sleep and do better in school. Overall, the long-term impact is abundant, providing stability and community investment. The church benefits because the community is healthier, and folks are less fearful.”
This week, we are proud to highlight Alan as the first in a series of Certified Renewalists who are bringing their big, Jesus-like dreams to life in ways that uplift entire communities.
As you will read in what Alan writes below, his story is one of prayerful discernment, courageous leadership, and deep alignment with God’s unfolding vision. From hotel rooms to permanent homes, Trinity UMC’s Home For All initiative is not just about housing, it’s about healing, hope, and the holy work of renewal.
Defining the Vision: A Home for All
For years, Trinity UMC has fed the hungry and cared for the homeless in partnership with A Place of Miracles Café. The café serves the “hotel homeless” community near us, in Chester, VA. We provide fresh fruit weekly (in lieu of altar flowers), invest financially, and serve in the hot-meal and home grocery ministries. In the context of the emerging vision, we began to wonder if our support was in fact, enabling families to stay in the hotels. Was there a better way?
We operated with the assumption that those families who were living in a hotel room could not afford anything better; that they were doing the best possible at that time in their lives. What we learned, when we began asking, was that many of them just need assistance with down payments and utility connections. That in fact, their monthly hotel bill exceeded what they might need for rent. We were beginning to “get it.”
Our initial team was the Leadership Board, who participated in crafting the vision, how it might play in the church and community, what resources we might need, leading the prayer effort. When we had a sense of where we thought God was leading us, we brought in our mission team leaders. At that time, they connected us with a nearby UMC (in another district) that was doing something similar through the local public school system. Their focus was only on families identified as “homeless” within the school system, operating under the McKinney-Vinto federal grant. We quickly determined that the need was greater than either program had thought. We were overwhelmed with the magnitude of need and the competing community programs trying to help. Yet, there remained a gap. I struggled at this point to stay focused and tuned in to what God was doing in our midst.
A true wake-up call came when one of our board members informed me that he and his wife were going to give $75,000 to the Dream Like Jesus initiative. This was before we had settled on specifics, laid down a process, or even come up with a name for the ministry! Church folks were seeing the vision and embracing it, acknowledging that it was not about “us” but about the flourishing of the community and the Kingdom of God. Their support inspired many parishioners and community members. The vision took off! By early spring, we were two months ahead of the implementation schedule.
We were working and planning alongside the local public school system, the local department of social services, the local mental health department, another United Methodist Church, a Richmond-based homeless care program, and the Place of Miracles Café. The Leadership Board / Vision Team continues to be motivated by Dream Like Jesus, a book we have worked through and discussed now for nine months, and we have a standing item on our monthly meeting agenda for The Dream.
Putting the Pieces Together: From Vision to Action
As the Leadership Board / Vision Team worked with tools from Creating a Culture of Renewal®, we embraced the big-picture vision and began to wrestle with the housing subject matter.
“Why this?” we asked. We discussed at length our cultural influence, how we are connected with, and abundantly support, an assistance program for families who live in hotels, apparently enabling them to remain there. While we think the feeding and supportive ministry is vital, we began to imagine “what if?” What if we worked with the same fervor to get families into more permanent housing?
We prayerfully considered, “Why us?” Biblically, we were influenced by acknowledging these are our neighbors; that we are a compassionate, generous and resourceful church; and, admitting that we all have safe, secure and affordable homes.
“Why now?” Affordable housing is a movement in the making, across the county and in our local area. There is a momentum that we can latch on to.
The primary place of pushback in the early stages was from the Mission Team. They were upset that they had not been brought in sooner, to help plan execution. It was for that reason we did not involve them until we had a clear sense of direction. The mission team are “do-ers.” They are in-the-weeds problem solvers. They are executors, and when the time was right, we brought them to the table. When introduced to this vision, they immediately began elaborating on the “how.”
In January 2025, on Epiphany Sunday, we presented the vision and plan to the congregation. From the onset, we created pathways for their involvement. We created two “teams” – a prayer team and an implementation team. Anyone could be involved in one or the other. We also began a financial appeal. On that announcement day, we formed a dozen members prayer team that pledges daily to pray for the ministry, the implementation team, the church, the homeless community and the greater Chester community. That day, we formed an 8-person implementation team, that collectively makes final spending and assistance decisions; and, on that day we received $10,000 in pledges and gifts for “Homes for All.”
This was a collaborative effort of church, community and private groups and individuals making a dream come true. As of the end of June 2025, we have assisted 12 families and given over $30,000 for safe, secure, affordable homes in our community.
Seeing Results: Real Change in Church and Community
The greatest shift in culture has been a desire by members of the congregation to lead, develop, and participate in new programs and services. A space has been created for exploration, trial-and-error, failure and success. We are seeing this as well in the new staff hires of the last year, as they “get it” and want to join in the creative efforts on behalf of the church and community. New small groups and affinity groups are forming. In addition, we are partnering with other churches in the community, beyond the Homes for All ministry.
Our growth is spiritual! We are envisioning how we can be the church in the community, as we bathe all we do in prayer. We are more confident in what God is doing with us, and more trusting of the path we are on. We are better able to recognize that something is not working or has finished its time. In the last year, in addition to the “Homes For All”, Jesus-like dream, Trinity has installed a new electronic security system and a digital sign in front of the church. These are big changes for a small church. Noteworthy, through the first 90 days of implementation, our expenditures have been generously matched by new contributions.
I have grown in that I no longer have to be the source or holder of innovation; others have gifts and inspiration too. I am better able to recognize communication style differences and not perceive them as attacks or opposition. At the same time, I recognize both my responsibility and authority to lead, to cast the vision, to celebrate the wins and remember the losses, to model receptivity and openness, to execute the plan and vision to reality.
Ready to Start Your Own Journey of Renewal?
Alan Layman’s story is just one example of how bold vision, Spirit-led leadership, and community collaboration can transform a church—and a town. If you’re ready to cast your own God-sized vision and create lasting change in your ministry, we invite you to take the next step.
Join us for the upcoming interactive seminar How Christian Ministries are Achieving Success.
In this free 90-minute session, you’ll discover what’s working for leaders like Alan, and learn how to begin your own journey toward renewal, growth, and deeper impact.
Seats are limited. Register today and let your next chapter begin.
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Rebekah – Six years ago, the District Superintendent who brought me to Trinity-Chester called it “a God thing.” She saw God moving in times and places others could not. I believe God brought us together so that I could learn, grow and develop through your ministry. The work being done here is holy work, not possible without your leadership and coaching. I give thanks to God for you, your Jesus-like dream, and your dedicated team. Thanks for sharing our story.