What if someone came up to you and made an unbelievable offer - one that would truly impact the church in America today by stirring Christians?  What if that offer promised to meet the needs of and, for the first time in modern history, target the statistically largest unreached people group in our culture, a virtually forgotten people in our midst? What if this offer incorporated a ministry to and with a people that have neither asked for their situation in life nor have committed some sin that has caused their circumstances? What if this offer could also guarantee to energize believers who have become perhaps, apathetic and lethargic, into enthusiastically ministering in the name of Jesus in new and exciting ways? Further, what if this offer would place the modern-day Christian church in a positive, public high-profile position? What if from that positive position, rather than typically telling people the things that we are against, we lovingly tell and show them the things that we are for? Finally, what if that offer, when accepted, would result in drawing closer to Jesus Christ not only the people who are the beneficiaries of that ministry, but also those that tenderly minister? Would you be interested? Would you consider it worthy?

The P.U.R.E. Ministry Project is a movement and a plan to emphasize and focus on a people and a ministry that has traditionally been virtually non-existent in our consciousness and, therefore, in our churches.  Yet, it is this very ministry in which we see Jesus most often concerned and involved while on this earth. That ministry is described by Jesus in Luke 14: 12-14:

Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." (NIV) 

In this passage in Luke, Jesus is using contrasts as He so often does as He teaches. He uses the metaphor of the dinner or feast in the home, which in the Jewish tradition is an overt act of worthiness, of friendship, and of acceptance. What He is saying to us Christians today, however, is not disguised but shockingly clear: we are to be about this very thing today ministering to the disabled and their families. The P.U.R.E. Ministry Project is a practical plan to do just that: enable churches to better minister to the disabled in their communities, just like Jesus did.

 The acronym P.U.R.E. for the very first time POSITIVELY depicts the person with disabilities -  

P  Perfect People that are created perfectly in the image of our sovereign God;

U  Unique People, like us, unique in their gifts, needs, blessings, talents, and desires;

R   Receptive People that are, almost always, receptive to our communication and contact;

E  Eternal People, yes, even disabled people have eternal souls.

The P.U.R.E. Ministry Project not only accurately describes the people who are the recipients of the ministry, but also we who minister. The P.U.R.E. Ministry Project underscores the other crucial principle Jesus speaks about in the passage in Luke. When we reach out to P.U.R.E. people and their families, we must do so with pure hearts and motives. We must minister not for anything in return, but simply because Jesus has commanded us.

The one place in our culture where people with disabilities and their families should find love, acceptance, and comfort is the church. Sadly, that's not reality today. The question is: in light of the example of Jesus, will we, as spiritual leaders, lead our brothers and sisters into this P.U.R.E. ministry? Will we commit humbly to this mission at God's urging? Will we lead people in this ministry that, if we simply look at Jesus' life, is most probably the closest to His heart?

The P.U.R.E. Ministry Project is a nation-wide effort:

•  To make pastors and ordinary Christians more aware of disabled people and their families in their communities
•  To encourage ministry that will reach out to these wonderful people and draw them into the fellowship of the church
•  To equip and train all Christians, pastors and others, to better minister to them.

This effort will be accomplished by: conducting regional events (P.U.R.E. Celebrations), seminars, and workshops; developing ministry partnerships with many denominations and other Christian based ministries; beginning a concerted and intensive effort to approach, encourage, and help facilitate selected seminaries to develop and offer educational courses on P.U.R.E. Ministry issues; introducing creative and "outside the Sunday school class on Sunday morning box" ministry ideas to churches; and finally, initiating and growing a national network of local church-based respite care programs across the U.S.