We believe God created everyone to work. He designed all of us with gifts and talents to subdue and steward the earth through work. We find our purpose, meet our economic needs, and worship God through our work.
However, 14 million people are unemployed, 22 million are underemployed, and 80% of workers are disengaged. There are personal, educational, and systemic barriers that prevent some of our neighbors from working or thriving at their jobs. We believe there are solutions to these problems, and we believe it takes each of us taking part in our own communities..
At JfL, we believe God has called us to love our neighbors through work. By helping people not only find and keep meaningful work but to also thrive in their work, we can help restore work back to God’s original design. The Gospel of Jesus Christ and Biblical principles motivate JfL’s vision, mission, values, and practices. We believe in relational community and transformation, and hold firm to the belief that change can truly happen when we all work together.
Established in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1996, JfL addresses the root causes of unemployment, underemployment, and disengagement with work by uniting churches, businesses, and community organizations and facilitating positive transformation within lives and communities.
Jobs for Life started because Pastor Donald McCoy needed his church’s parking lot paved. He had heard of CC Mangum, a paving company, and decided to give them a call. Because of circumstances only the Lord can orchestrate, Chris answered the call that day. As he talked to Pastor McCoy, he felt something tugging at him to be the one to service this request.
So, Chris went. He met Pastor McCoy and began measuring the area for the parking lot. After he was finished, they discussed the project and Pastor McCoy invited Chris to follow them into the church sanctuary. Chris watched as two men went to the front altar and fell down prostrate. Chris, not knowing what to do, continued to watch until they waved him down the aisle to join them.
That day, Chris found himself lying prostrate between two African American men praying for a parking lot. But as Chris told this story countless times, he realized later they were not praying for a parking lot, they were praying for a relationship instead.
