Blogging the Campus Values: RESPECT

This is the second in a series (the first of which was posted eons ago!) of blog posts with some guest writers. This is the first in a series of blog posts with some guest writers. I have asked some of my co-workers from the Campus for Human Development to write some personal reflections on the seven core values that are contained in our mission statement:

“Through the power of spirituality and the practice of love, the Campus for Human Development provides hospitality with a respect that offers hope in a community of non-violence.”

In this post, the focus is on respect. Our Founding Director Charlie Strobel’s thoughts on respect come first, followed by a very nice reflection that Mary Wilder wrote this spring, where she explains how she encounters respect in the world around her and in our Campus community.

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Charles Strobel:

This is the operational principle of the Campus for Human Development. Hospitality begins with respect, the unconditional acceptance of the other person. At the Campus it is the operative norm for all the policies and procedures. It is incorporated in the “Rules” that are posted throughout. These rules state that “respect” is expressed by creating an atmosphere that is “free from” alcohol, drugs, violence, etc., a positive statement rather than a series of “Thou shalt nots…”

One assumption this principle reflects is the understanding that the Campus is designed around a relational model rather than a legal one. In a relational model, both staff and participants offer one another mutual trust and concern. This is no small task. In the “sub-culture” that we call homelessness, our participants often do not experience trust and personal concern. There are countless stories of homeless being betrayed, violently assaulted, robbed, ignored, verbally accosted, taken advantaged of, etc. It stands to reason that a primary assumption any participant may have of any staff is that “no one care enough” or “is trustworthy.”

When the experience on the street is compounded by further experiences in their personal life—prior to becoming homeless—such as alcohol and drug abuse, sexual abuse, failures in relationships or in employment, then the establishment of a relationship of trust and concern seems even more insurmountable.

Any agency created to assist the homeless cannot presume that its “clients” automatically believe the agency and its staff care about them. Often comments from the homeless reflect just the opposite, namely, that agencies are “in it for the money” or “staff don’t care; they just want a paycheck.”

In a relational model based upon respect, staff seeks to reverse that history. Staff enters into dialogue with participants with the hope that trust can be established before any specifics of their problem(s) can be resolved.

Respect recognizes the dignity of the other person. Mutual respect honors one another and establishes equality. Respect defuses an attitude of disrespect. It is individualized and recognizes individual rights.

Such respect can only be offered if one has confidence and believes in the power of accepting another person prior to forming any judgment. Degrees and professional qualifications do not guarantee it. Participants recognize such confidence regardless, since it is encourages and empowers them.

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GUEST BLOGGER: Mary Wilder

The other day I was impatiently waiting at a stoplight in a residential neighborhood. Lost in thought, a slice of color in one of the yards caught my attention. A forsythia bush was in riotous bloom on the front lawn.

This particular area of the city prides itself on its homes and landscaping. All around me was color---the subtle pink of cherry blossoms, the pure white of Bradford pears, the pale green of new leaves. Everything around me was manicured, tasteful, and very pretty. But, somehow, I didn’t even notice. It was the forsythia that shook my senses.

There it was in the middle of the yard. The forsythia stood by itself, like a kind of centerpiece. Its branches curled and danced crazily in the air. Their direction followed no logical pattern; they just grew and moved any way they pleased. As I gazed at it, I tried to think of words to describe its yellow flowers. They were neon, fluorescent. They were ablaze in their own brightness, almost violent to the eye. It was a piece of madness against the decorum of the other blooming plants.

The light turned green, and I had to drive on. But I left with a respect for that bush. It was giving all it had to its own existence.

I walked through the Campus dayroom later that day. I saw Richard, one of our participants who struggles with a severe mental illness. Patient and courteous, Richard often waves his arms at the creatures his mind creates or steps in an exaggerated way across the room to avoid imaginary obstacles. I also saw Charlie, well over six feet tall and excruciatingly thin because of his addictions. He wants me to think his heart feels nothing anymore, but I see his face soften when we greet him. And I saw Mike, a man who has cursed me because I have things in life he does not. But there was one dark night outside our building when Mike stood behind my shoulder ready to protect me from a man who was threatening.

God does work in mysterious ways. Creation brims with beauty, and we seek it in so many obvious places and in obvious persons. But there are moments when something wild and unexpected flares up in front of us. It may be a flash of love from an angry soul or hope sparked within a defeated heart. Maybe it is a wise word from a crazy man.

The Campus has forced me to reconsider almost everything. Of course, I honor and value the ideals my culture has taught me. But I now know to respect the brilliance that is unpredictable and unlikely. The rest of the world may not see it, but it is always, always waiting and willing to come to life in warmth and light.


Mary is in charge of the Campus’s Education Team. That would make her my supervisor. (Wasn’t this the best piece of writing you’ve ever read?) She also works hard from November-March as a Room In The Inn Coordinator. She has special skills in preparing and leading devotions at our retreats, and all of us are always impressed with her skills in talking to people and explaining why we do what we do. She is a native Hoosier, and her parents still live near Evansville where they enjoy receiving balloon bouquets and making aprons to send to Nashville. Whether she’s trying to figure out who her secret pal is (could it be Ms. Anneice?!?!?) or taking us out for some new experience as a staff (hookah, anyone?), it’s always fun when Mary is around.

Correction: Mary's parents live nowhere near Evansville. They actually live in Remington, Indiana, near Lafayette. For you non-Tennesseans, that's pronounced Lah-fee-yette, not La-FAY-et.