It all started during Christmas in 2013 when Karhma Novak pulled an angel tree tag from her church. She and her husband, Anthony, along with their children went out, purchased presents for the young girl listed on the tag, and brought the presents back to the church for them to deliver. Little did they expect the pastor to hand them an address to deliver the presents themselves. The address was only a couple of miles down the road from there, and when the Novak family arrived, they were horrified. There was no running water in the bathtub, dirt plagued the floor, and the windows were made of plastic. “This is not okay,” Anthony said.
Immediately, the Novak family launched into action. They started reaching out to people in the community to help, and soon enough, everyone in Senoia had her phone number and started donating appliances and more to assist in her endeavors. With an overflowing garage, the HOA claimed she was running a business and had to empty her garage in ten days. Unsure of what to do, Karhma was amazed when two local pastors reached out to offer bigger rooms in their church she could use for storage. “We had no clue what we were doing. I had no idea about non-profit work. But God started this thing, and it just grew legs.” In 2015, Novak’s small yet blossoming organization merged with another to create the I-58 Mission.
Isaiah 58, the Bible chapter after which the mission was named, essentially describes a scenario where the prophet Isaiah tells people they are not doing what God called them to do and dictates what they are actually called to do. Karhma’s intentions are more than just to help people, though. She aims to love on them; to esteem them. One gentleman entered the former church, which now houses the mission’s headquarters, and said he was absolutely shocked at the level of dignity offered through all the little touches. “That’s our goal,” Karhma said. “To esteem people. To feel that dignity.” On the same afternoon, a lady was shopping in their food section and overheard the gentleman. She said in response, “And if you don’t got it when you come, you got it when you leave.”
For thirty minutes every Thursday, those who enter the establishment in pursuit of goods, dignity, and esteem come together for devotion. Even more so, all volunteers stop, sit, and collectively do devotion together with them. Karhma said, “Everyone coming together for devotion, hearing everyone’s voices come together feels like Kingdom on Earth.” Anthony remarked, “The good is just the donkey that Jesus rides in on.”
The mission’s headquarters is organized into different sections: food, home goods, clothes, and esteemed goods. With food ranging from frozen to fresh, home goods including everything from microwaves to decor, clothes for all ages, and esteemed goods such as birthday gifts and back-to-school goodies, I-58 continues to impact all who walk through its doors with the simple intent to love on people.
To stay up-to-date and see all the good works of I-58, visit their website www.thei58mission.org.
"... hearing everyone’s voices come together feels like Kingdom on Earth."