We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Gwynn Browne. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Gwynn below.
Gwynn , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
My mission is to see that my husband, Joe Browne, accomplishes his God-given dream and to allow others who come to us to fulfill their desire to help our ministry reach the marginalized, underserved people in our immediate community. As others work with us, they realize that they, too, can meet the needs of others in their communities.
Our individual life experiences can direct our focus on addressing the concerns and needs of others. Joe grew up in a single-parent home, exposed to abuse and alcoholism. I was fortunate to grow up in an intact family; mom and dad both graduated from college. My siblings and I were exposed to a variety of cultural experiences and were encouraged to continue our education beyond high school.
When Joe and I met, I could tell that this man knew what direction he was headed; I knew I could go wherever that would lead us. This journey has led us to be in a place to help people in their time of need. Joe experienced being without food. He experienced fending for himself before reaching adulthood. The primary needs of people coming to us has been food scarcity issues. Other times it has been to seek referrals for emergency temporary shelter. Children needed help with their homework, and we stepped in to help during the school year and school breaks.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am an Arkansas transplant in California, who did not know I was growing up in Watts until the riot of 1965. It has always amused me that I could have been a Texan if it wasn’t for segregation. I was born in a border town, Texarkana; half in Arkansas and the other half in Texas. Well, the “Negro” hospital was on the Arkansas side. Oh, well, I grew up in Los Angeles, California from 9 months of age. I’ve been told I’m not like California-born people, so I credit my Southern roots for making the difference.
I can remember sitting at my mother’s desk when I was in 6th grade, where she was the director of Bel-Vue Nursery School, and having a conversation in my mind, that one day I would marry a man that would be very different; that man was Joseph Browne and we married in 1978, moved to northern California, and began our life in Sunnyvale, California. There were many occasions in married life when things seemed too difficult and strange to my mom; my mother would listen to me vent, and give advice if I asked for it, otherwise, she would say, “As long as you’re happy”. Our first 2 children were born in Mountain View, California then about 2 years later we relocated to Los Angeles where Joe began a radio ministry encouraging people that God is with them in their daily living. Our second 2 children are Angelenos.
I have always found it very easy to be of help to whomever I might be connected with; like assisting my mom in her church duties or at her job with clerical work. My mom would say, “It’s not enough to have horse sense, you need to have common sense”. “You don’t always have to be told what to do, if you see something that needs to be done, do it”. So, I married into our ministry work and whatever needed to be done, I did my best to do it. This role has given me many hats to wear and I can’t think of anything else I want to do. My youngest son often would say, “Mom, when are you going to get a job”? I have a job, it just doesn’t come with a salary, YET!
If I could do things differently, it would be to take seriously accounting in college. I knew a business major would be something I could use no matter where I landed in life. A church, a ministry, isn’t typically thought of as a business, but something in me knew I had gained tools that have been utilized time and again to keep us afloat. Most impressive to me is how we are still serving, being blessed to own 4 parcels on a block of 5 parcels without the initial capital to acquire any of the parcels. It is truly a miracle how we have been so blessed to be used to be an example of God using Joe and me in such a unique manner.
Joe has a heart for helping people. Encouraging people, helping people as much as our resources would allow us, or connecting people to people who have the means to help, that’s what we are about. Our ministry’s scripture is Isaiah 61:1-3. I came on board full-time to work with my husband in Faith in Christ Ministries. The ministry is more than a church; it is a living organism, evolving to meet the ever-increasing needs of the community. A special gift we have, we have been able to connect people who want to make a difference to people or a cause with those in need and want a difference in their lives.
Food has been an integral part of what we do in our community. We provide “bagged groceries” every Tuesday from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Every Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., we provide a hot, delicious breakfast. Every Thanksgiving and Christmas we provide a hot meal for the community.
When our ministry came to 46th on Western Avenue, I witnessed many women, who worked the streets to support themselves and/or their habits. I always made a point to acknowledge the women I met and learned their names. As we developed a relationship, I sought ways to help them. Then one Saturday morning during breakfast, a woman addressed me by name and I learned we attended and graduated from the same high school. She had a suitcase with her and I asked where was she traveling to. She said she was homeless and had to take her belongings with her when she had to leave the shelter. She asked if she could come to our center and spend some time going through her suitcase to rearrange things and collect her thoughts. I had heard of the Women’s Center downtown on Skid Row and thought it would be nice if we could offer something for women in our community like that because my friend said she did not want to go back to Skid Row; the area was too oppressive. So for several years, my associate, Susan Searey, and I would provide a luncheon for women only. I hope to grow this once-a-month activity into a full program, similar to the downtown center for women. I welcome others willing to help me achieve this goal.
Education continues to be the key to giving people options in life. Far too many children of color have left school unequipped to handle life responsibly. We began a charter school to provide a place in the community for adults to complete their high school education but became overwhelmed with students being sent to us who were no longer welcomed at their attending high school. What an eye-opening experience it was to learn firsthand how life was for so many young people. At the point our sons were threatened by gangs, my husband shut the doors of the charter high school. He did not want to sacrifice the lives of his children, but it was heart-wrenching to feel we failed our students.
Children have been another key focus in our ministry. We have provided a safe place for After-school programs to help students complete their homework before going home. During the summer months when school is out we have had interactive activities and field trips to give them exposure to new experiences they might not otherwise have. We are very fortunate to have a space for a small parking lot with a basketball half-court, a play area, and a garden so children can safely play, like basketball and group games, and learn about environmental issues.
Our Annual Thanksgiving Day Celebration is our biggest and most fun event where we prepare enough meals for other organizations to come to pick up meals to take to their communities and serve on Thanksgiving Day. Christmas Day is another fun event where we provide a free meal for our community, and we provide gifts to the children and make clothing available, especially warm outerwear for the winter season.
We are proud of the fact that many of our volunteers have served with us for various activities for more than 5 consecutive years with several serving for over 15 years, and two volunteers becoming board members, Cee Cee Mills, recently passed, and my right-hand associate, Yejide Akinwale, came to volunteer because her daughter, Kemi Waire, who led our mentoring program; Yejide kept asking her where is it you go every week? Her daughter said, “Come and see”.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Our reputation is built on 42 years of serving our community. We have welcomed anyone who has had a desire to serve with us in meeting the needs of our community. We have encouraged others to persevere in their work with youth who were very challenging by testing the boundaries of volunteers. What youth, what the community wants is to know how real the commitment is to seeing the needs and addressing them for the long haul. Building relationships is what builds trust, and allows pitfalls and disappointments not to side-rail our intention to do our best to bring hope and encouragement to be there for each person who turns to us in their time of need.
Word-of-mouth has built our reputation even when things may not have gone as planned. There have been times when Plan A didn’t work, and we went on to Plan B and sometimes to Plan C. There have been times we have just flown by the seat of our pants and I think that came from my Girl Scout days “Be Prepared” and learning to use what is available to me at the moment.
We haven’t been afraid to help other organizations out if we have the means/resources to do so. We were fortunate to participate in supplying meals to first responders during the height of the pandemic. We raised funds to provide new sleeping tents, equipped with sleeping bags, portable lights, fans, chairs, and other items and then distribute them to Vets encamped near the VA facility, but permission was denied. After hearing a story on ABC News about the humanitarian effort of the St.Vladimir Ukrainian Orthodox Church congregation under the leadership of their Pastor, Father Vasile Sauciur, we boxed up our tents and added medical supplies, and donated our items to Ukraine.
When we have had Back-to-School events or after the Christmas season, if we had extra items left over, we have made donations to orphanages and homes for abused women homes to bring joy to children and adults who are facing difficult times.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
The greatest pivot in my life, was when my husband lost his ability to walk. The man I married, who directed the path for our lives, could no longer be in charge as he once was able. I have always been there to see to the everyday ins and outs, but as for running things. UGH! Now, I am running the food program, I am the operational manager for the upkeep of the facilities, making sure deadlines are being met to stay compliant in business matters, making new connections in the growing field of homelessness, keeping our Women’s Program going, and always seeking avenues to engage the children of our community through various activities. It can be a bit overwhelming at times and I am so grateful for the individuals who have come into my life to encourage me and let me know that I am doing okay.
When the pandemic shut down our in-person activities, we knew the needs of the community were still here, then there must be something else we can do. Along with continuing our food programs by serving individuals one at a time, through our side door, and having everyone staying safely distant. we did not miss serving one Tuesday or Saturday during the pandemic. We are so fortunate to have a member of our team, Val Peacock, RN BSN; with her guidance and protocols set in place, we were able to host COVID-19 vaccination sites, and our teen volunteers served as Vaccination Angels to assist people in making appointments and locating sites to receive vaccinations. And, most importantly we served as a Voting Center for our community for the two elections during that period.
Contact Info:
- Website: ficmla.com
- Instagram: Faith in Christ LA
- Facebook: Facebook@FICMLA
- Other: The Wave Newspaper