Rework Project
There are several components of the Rework Project:
Workshop: We have a 2200 sq ft warehouse in South Austin that we are building out with a woodshop and sewing/crafts space for men and women to be able to build, repurpose and constuct products to sell in our retail space and at area community events.
Retail: This is where we will sell products that men and women make. Proceeds from these products go directly back to the person who made it.
Job Search & Training: We have computers available for job searching, help with resumes and general job search training.
New Businesses & Job Creation: We will work to create new businesses that provide living wage jobs for men and women who are experiencing homelessness.
ework Project is a city-wide community response that is about work itself and rethinking work for those experiencing homelessness. It is a relationally driven response. We canÂÂ’t always give money and jobs to everyone, but we can offer healthy relationships with dignity and respect. It is informed by the belief that everyone has some talent, but not everyone has opportunity. We want to be distributers of opportunity.
Gospel Centered
The gospel is at the center of the Christian life, both for salvation and for our continued growth and renewal. It is the good news[1] that although we are depraved and without hope, God demonstrated his love toward us by sending his Son to die for us.[2] Transferring us from a life of captivity to a life of freedom[3], it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes[4], and as followers of Christ, it continues to renew us today[5]. By its power and God's grace we are continually transformed[6] and made ministers of the gospel in renewing the whole world.[7] The gospel gives us hope and transforms us from the inside-out, moving us from reliance on our own moral goodness to trust in the provisions of Christ's righteousness.[8]
Worship as a Lifestyle
Our proper response to God's being and movement is to worship[9] Him in spirit and truth.[10] Our worship is both spontaneous and intentional[11] and it extends far beyond merely singing songs to God. Worship is a lifestyle that permeates everything we do. Worship exists in many forms, some of which are:
Worshiping God in adoration of Him through song.
Worshiping God through serving one another within the body and our communities.
We worship God in practicing the spiritual disciplines: Some of which are prayer, fasting, Sabbath rest, journaling and meditation.
Our worship of God overflows in our lives through the creation of song, poetry or prose, dance, or through painting, photography, drawing, or music.
We worship God in our workplaces through excellence, integrity and loving those we work with.
We worship God through our generosity and good stewardship of all that God has given us.
Design
We have each been made in the image of God, and as such, we strongly affirm the personhood and dignity of all peoples everywhere. We have all been created individually with a variety of abilities, activities, passions, talents and unique experiences that shape us. As followers of Christ, we are given a variety of spiritual gifts that combine with our redeemed personhood to inform us of our unique role in the greater story of redemption and God's glory. The gifts that we are given are not our own, but they are to be shared with and used within the context of community for the benefit of the common good.[12]
Community
We are baptized into one body[13] to have authentic biblical community with one another. In community, we strive to lay hold of Christ together[14], and our oneness as the body of Christ is a primary means by which Jesus is made known to the world[15]. Christian community is not some ideal condition we seek to attain, but rather a reality that we participate in. At Soma Austin, we love the greater Austin community where God has placed us, and we aim to cultivate community in the neighborhoods and various communities we find ourselves in.
Truth
In building up the body, we seek to be rooted in the love of Jesus and His truth. Truth is revealed as Jesus Christ[16], and truth comes from and through Jesus Christ. It is communicated via the Holy Spirit through the scriptures and the testimony of believers[17] in order to renew our minds, and stir our affections toward God for the purpose of serving the body of Christ and the world.[18] We worship God in truth as He has revealed Himself.[19]
Renewal
The church has been called to renew that which was broken[20], to make disciples of Jesus Christ by declaring and demonstrating the gospel in love and truth[21] and to seek the healing of the physical, emotional and spiritual brokenness in the world.[22] Culture is the fruit of what people worship, and through our worship of God we are to cultivate a culture of renewal and reconciliation in people's lives and communities.
[1] John 3.16-17; Matthew 11.4-6; Luke 4.17-19
[2] Romans 5.8; John 3.16; Colossians 1.13-28
[3] Romans 8.20-22; Galatians 5.1; Galatians 5.13
[4] Romans 1.16; 1 Corinthians 1.18; John 1.11-13
[5] 2 Corinthians 4:16
[6] 2 Corinthians 3.18; Romans 12.2; John 1.15-17; Romans 3.23-25
[7] Matthew 28.18-20; Acts 1.8
[8] 1 Corinthians 1.30-31; Galatians 3.1-5
[9] James 2.14-26; Romans 12.1; Isaiah 6.1-7; Job 28-34
[10] John 4:23-24
[11] Matthew 14.32-34; Luke 7:36-50; John 4.19-24; Hebrews 11; Revelation 4.9-11
[12] Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12; Ephesians 4; 1 Peter 4
[13] 1 Corinthians 12:13; Acts 2.41-47; John 1.12; John 11.51-52; Romans 8.16-17
[14] Galatians 6.1-6; Philippians 3.13-15
[15] John 17:22-23; John 13.34-35; Ephesians 3.10
[16] John 1.1-5; John 18.37; John 11.25-26; Colossians 1.13-28
[17] John 14.16-18; John 15.25-27; 1 Corinthians 2.10-12; Galatians 6.1-6
[18] 1 Corinthians 13.1-3; Romans 12
[19] John 4:23-24
[20] Genesis 3; 3.15; Ephesians 3.10
[21] Mathew 18.18-20; Acts 1.8; 1 Peter 3.14-15; 2 Timothy 4.1-2
[22] Isaiah 58:6-12; Isaiah 61-1; Luke 4:18-19; Matthew 25:31-40
