The Story of Compassion Connect

Compassion Connect was never a vision cast in a boardroom. Rather it is a story of how God moves creatively in the lives of His people and knits circumstances and people together in ways that are left for the realm of miracles.

In the early 2000s, Clear Creek Community Church (Gresham, OR) was a healthy growing church that was sending teams of short term missionaries to Mexico.  They were holding medical and dental clinics with a solid collaboration of churches, dentists, and more.  These missions experiences were shaping the life of the church. Gary Tribbett, a pastor and elder at the church, could see that Christians reaching out to their neighbors by addressing their physical needs was very effective.

At the same time (2002) Milan Homola was attending undergraduate studies at Winona State University (Winona, MN). He was beginning to follow after the Lord and one day a pastor asked "If there were one thing you could do that you were most passionate about, what would it be?"  Milan immediately responded "Help churches work together to serve their neighbors."  He didn't know why he said it or where it came from, because he really didn't know what that meant or what it looked like.  But soon life swallowed up that vision and it became a memory.

In 2005 the Clear Creek team went to Mexico again, and on their return trip a couple people asked a haunting question "What about our own backyard?"  This question penetrated Gary's thoughts.  His immediate response, "It's impossible to do this in the States," seemed like a lack of faith.

That fall Milan and Tara Homola had moved to Gresham, OR to attend Multnomah Biblical Seminary. They searched around for the right church and ended up at Clear Creek.  Eventually, Gary and Milan met and shared what motivated them in ministry and how Clear Creek might serve their community.

In January 2006, Gary Tribbett and Milan Homola met in a local coffee shop and dreamed big. They wondered if it was possible. Could members of an American community provide free medical and dental care for the underinsured of their own community? Most importantly, could churches work together to reach out to their neighbors?  What would happen if the churches acted as The Church in a neighborhood?  After much prayer, they decided to step out in faith and trust that God would take care of the rest.

The results have been nothing short of miraculous. The first clinic was held in April of 2006 and up to this point there have been nearly 20 Compassion Clinic events as far away as Rwanda. The God-initiated experience and reflection gained through Compassion Rockwood has given them a passion and calling. The power and witness of collaboration is the way of God and the way to impact modern culture.  The experiences from the clinics helped reveal to Gary and Milan that an organization was needed that would focus on helping bring churches together to serve their neighbors as an expression of God's love, therefore Compassion Connect.

The organization has grown to help churches serve in low-income housing complexes, the local school district, and it is now helping lead the local task force of churches that is seeking God's direction on how to attack the local sex-trade that is preying on young teenage girls.

We want to thank everyone who has volunteered and helped to spread the vision of many churches working together to serve their neighbors as an expression of God's love.  May you continue to grow as a servant in the Kingdom of God.