About the Book

The Bowery has long been one of New York City’s most notorious streets, a magnet for gangsters, hucksters, and hobos. And despite sweeping changes, it is still all too often the end of the road for troubled war veterans, drug addicts, the mentally ill, the formerly incarcerated, and others generally down on their luck. Against this backdrop, for 140 years, Christians of every stripe have been coming together at the Bowery Mission to offer hearty meals, hot showers, clean beds, warm clothes – and, for thousands of homeless over the years, the help they need to get off the streets and back on their feet.

Jason Storbakken, a recent Bowery director, retraces that colorful history and profiles some of the illustrious characters that have made the Bowery an iconic New York institution. His book offers a lens through which to better understand the changing faces of homelessness, of American Christianity, and of New York City itself – all of which converge daily at the Bowery Mission’s red doors.

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Praise

Storbakken delivers a persuasive case that shatters stereotypes of the homeless. . . . He weaves together a rich history of the characters and politics of the area – always centered on the plight of the homeless and their influence on the neighborhood – and profiles his subjects with gentleness and respect. . . . Tinged with both sadness and triumph, this short, refreshing study is a fine testament to one of New York’s oldest organizations.

Publishers Weekly

Storbakken chronicles the Bowery Mission’s formidable challenge to bring food, shelter, clothing, jobs, and rehabilitation to the down and out, turning lives back from addiction and despair. In our new Gilded Age of growing income inequality and homelessness, this book could not be more timely and welcome.

David Mulkins, President, Bowery Alliance of Neighbors

Reading Bowery Mission immediately brings to mind the scripture, “Faith without works is dead.” Jason Storbakken reminds us that to be effective in ministry we must get our hands dirty and take risks. If you are still doing “safe” ministry, this exciting history will inspire you to hit the streets, where you might very well be changed yourself.

Glen Guyton, Executive Director, Mennonite Church USA

Part history, part memoir, Jason Storbakken’s inspiring book combines personal anecdotes from his own experience with compelling narratives of the Mission’s founding and transformation over time.

Heather D. Curtis, author of Holy Humanitarians

You will not be able to put this book down. The stories will make you smile and cry and wrestle with the hard world in which we live, but also gasp in admiration for the people who have served at the Bowery Mission.

Mary Elizabeth Moore, Boston University

Bowery Mission is about this longtime institution’s calling to preach the gospel through serving the poor, even though societal upheavals. The huge changes in American urban society and life in general since the 1920s have tended to leave religious congregations spatially dispersed, as well as disconnected from the physical neighborhood of their churches.

Matt Robare, New Urbs

Tablet of Contents

Tags:
Service
Witness
Relationships
Human Rights
Economic Justice