In 2011, then President of the congregation, Todd Lofald and I started talking about the possible purchase of the house at 203 4th Ave. S across Irvin Street south of First Lutheran’s preschool entrance. At the time, a pastor friend of mine was serving a church where the youth had their own house near their main church facility. Middle and high schoolers used it for small groups, overnights, after school study sessions and lots more. They all but owned the place. I wondered whether this model might work for us here at First Lutheran. And… even if that didn’t work out, a church like ours—busy as we are—would find ways to make good use of it! After lots of conversation, our Vision & Leadership Team decided the potential for ministry was worth the manageable cost ($110,000 at the time) of what we have always simply called, “The House.”

Since then, The House was home to our “Courageous Men” for a time, as well as hosting Peer Ministry for many years, an occasional youth group, confirmation small group and a few other random small groups from time to time. Within a couple years of our purchase, our custodian, Mike Peper, built raised garden beds. Jodie Visker, master gardener extraordinaire, led the efforts for a decade to grow thousands of pounds of vegetables that supported area food shelves.

Perhaps the most consequential ministry that sprouted from our purchase of The House was the Teen Clothes Closet. The entire place was transformed into a boutique with thousands of items to choose from. Racks and hangers and try-on rooms replaced bedrooms and living areas. After some years, the Teen Clothes Closet moved to the North Side of La Crosse where the number of visits increased exponentially. Since the Teen Clothes Closet moved, The House has been underutilized.

Our 2026 cottage meetings at First Lutheran are winding up. Since 2023, our Stewardship Team has led conversations among our members with the goals of 1) Thank our members for all the ways they contribute to First Lutheran, especially with their financial generosity and 2) Listen to our members’ ideas for how we should be following the ways of Jesus. Since those very first cottage meetings, I have heard a LOT of concern for the area’s unhoused population. What can we do to help? has been the question many of our members have asked.

So… we have an underutilized HOUSE and our membership feels great concern for those who are UNHOUSED? I was not a math major, but even I could solve this equation! Then… things got a little ‘weird’ as the Holy Spirit oftentimes does. As First Lutheran was looking, in 2024, for someone to step into the role of congregational President, wouldn’t you know that one of our own, Jason Witt, who serves as the Human Services Director for La Crosse County and is intimately involved in the County’s “Pathways Home” project was able and willing to step into our role as President?

So, to recap: we have a house. There are people without a house who need a house. And the leader willing to serve our congregation as President happens to be in charge of the effort to put people without houses into housing. Sometimes, God makes discernment pretty simple.

I tell you, the membership and friends of First Lutheran, this story so that you can better understand the work our church is doing to prepare The House… now known as “Hope House”, for a partnership with Pathways Home.

Here’s what the website—lacrossecounty.org/pathwayshome—says about the project:

Pathways Home is La Crosse County and the City of La Crosse’s joint homelessness response initiative, launched in 2024. It coordinates services across the community in partnership with local agencies to make the system faster, smarter and more effective. Our goal is to make homelessness rare, brief and nonrecurring in La Crosse County. This is called functional zero homelessness — a system that quickly and effectively helps people return to stable housing.

The website has plenty of stats and graphs to see how Pathways Home is already working. First Lutheran’s participation in a partnership with Pathways Home is an exciting model for other property owners to follow. We will retain ownership of the house, use of the garage and will manage the gardens and yard. We will negotiate a contract with the County who will provide a case manager to any tenant(s) in their efforts to get back on their feet and a property manager who will be the liaison with the tenant(s) responding to any property needs and taking the lead with any collections etc. The county guarantees to pay rent at a fair market value on behalf of the tenant(s). We’ve had leaders from Pathways Home, both Jason Witt and Jim Drees, speak to First Lutheran a couple of times. Our Vision & Leadership Team feels very comfortable moving forward with conversations and we hope to have Hope House ready early this summer for tenant(s). Please bring any questions or concerns to me or Jason Witt as soon as those questions arise. We feel confident that this whole effort is being driven by the Spirit.

For all the times we ask, “how can we help” with the assumption that there isn’t much we can do… this is one of those times when it seems we have something the world truly needs. In 2011, none of us imagined this was what The House would be needed for. May we all thank God for seeing ahead of us!

In Faith,

Featured

Reverend Jason Stanton

Senior Pastor