On October 2, family, friends, staff and supporters filled the room to celebrate a powerful night of transformation and triumph at the Fresno Mission Graduation at CrossCity Church. Together we honored the courageous men and women who completed our recovery program and are stepping boldly into a new chapter of their lives.
This year’s theme, “He Is Doing a New Thing,” comes from Isaiah 43:19: “Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” All evening, one truth rang out. The new thing God is doing is happening in the lives of our graduates.
“You are not labeled by your past”
Pablo Davalos, Fresno Mission’s Director of Programs, opened the evening by reminding each graduate who they are in Christ. Reading from Isaiah 43:1, he told them, “You are not labeled by your last mistake. You are not labeled by your past. The only thing that you should remember is that you are His.”
He also spoke honestly about a year of trials at the Searcy Center, from the merging of two campuses to the loss of a beloved case manager. Through it all, he pointed to the promise of Isaiah 43:2. “Notice that God does not say if. He says when,” Pablo said. “The promise is not that you will bypass the heat, but that God goes through it with you.”
Pablo then shared his own story. After at least 38 years in addiction, God made him the director of the very program that changed his life. “That’s the new thing,” he said. “God used a wretch like me.” He reminded the room that God has been using Fresno Mission for 77 years to restore people and send them out with purpose.
“True change does not come from turning a calendar page and graduating a program. It comes from trusting the Creator who brings life back to dead places.” — Pablo Davalos
He charged the graduates to carry their story beyond the stage. “You’re empowered to be a witness,” he said. “Everywhere you go, people should see you as a living letter.” He closed with a final word for every graduate: “God, who took a dead heart and brought it back to life, knows you by name, and He is doing a new thing.”
“You are never alone”
Josh Phanco, Fresno Mission Board President, closed the night with encouragement and prayer. “You’re an inspiration to us all,” he told the graduates, reminding them that our lowest moments often come from feeling alone. “You are never alone. God is always with you,” he said, adding a promise from Fresno Mission itself: “You will forever have us. We will always be there for you.”
“Tonight is not the end of anything,” Josh said. “The Fresno Mission is a part of you. You are a part of the Fresno Mission.” He challenged everyone in the room to keep walking alongside the graduates, because “their work is not done. Our work is not done.” In his prayer, he gave God all the glory and asked that each person would honor Him through the way they live.
Graduation is not a finish line. It is the start of a new season, and our graduates are stepping into it with purpose. Thank you to everyone who prayed, gave, served and cheered them on.
To our donors: this night would not have been possible without you. Your generosity provides the meals, beds, counseling and care that carry men and women from their hardest days to the graduation stage.
Every graduate who walked that stage is part of your story too. Thank you for partnering with us to rescue, restore and empower lives in Fresno.
Please join us in continuing to encourage these men and women as they live out the new thing God is doing in their lives.
