Love Well, Live Sent: Introducing The Lovewell Center Houston

Transitions always come with a sense of expectancy. Some are small, others significant. And then there are those that feel like a divine appointment—an invitation to participate in something bigger than yourself. That’s how I feel as we stand at the threshold of launching The Lovewell Center Houston.

Though I don’t oversee Lovewell, I have the privilege of supporting this ministry as part of the family at Cross Community Church, where Pastor Del Traffanstedt leads us with a heart for the people of Houston’s EasTex area. His wife, Charmaine Traffanstedt, is stepping boldly into this next chapter as the Executive Director of The Lovewell Center, and I want to introduce you to what God is doing through them—and us.

Why Lovewell? Why Now?

The need is undeniable. Just a few blocks from where we gather as a church is the Tidwell Corridor, one of the major hubs of human trafficking and sexual exploitation in the greater Houston area. On top of that, poverty grips our neighborhood. The median household income here is $35,000—barely above the federal poverty line for a family of four. These are not statistics pulled from afar; this is the reality just outside our front door.

So, what do we do as the Church? How do we engage without causing more harm or compounding trauma? How do we offer more than charity and instead restore dignity and stability?

Lovewell is part of that answer.

What is The Lovewell Center Houston?

Lovewell is an auxiliary ministry of Cross Community Church, birthed in partnership with The HUB Ministries and other partner churches. It’s a multi-faceted, gospel-centered initiative aimed at breaking cycles of poverty, homelessness, and exploitation in our community.

The mission is clear: to share and demonstrate the love of Christ by establishing relationships with members and offering pathways out of human trafficking, sexual exploitation, poverty, and homelessness. This is not a handout; it’s a hand up, rooted in love and dignity.

How Does Lovewell Work?

Lovewell operates through two ministry arms:

1. Purchased: Not For Sale – This ministry focuses on women and children impacted by human trafficking and sexual exploitation. It includes direct outreach, trauma-informed care, recovery programs, and community-building efforts designed to offer hope and healing to those often forgotten or discarded by society.
2. The Lovewell Stores – This initiative is a membership-based resource center where people earn needed resources by engaging in personal development. Members accumulate points by attending classes (Bible studies, job search training, addiction recovery, parenting courses, ESL, and more), volunteering, or seeking employment. These points can then be used to shop at the Dresswell clothing store, the Eatwell food store, and the Washwell laundromat—all designed to provide essentials with dignity.

In essence, Lovewell is a place where people don’t just receive—they participate. Where they aren’t just served—they are empowered.

Why This Matters to Me—And To You

I believe that when we follow Christ into the margins, we find Him there. Lovewell is about more than programs and resources. It’s about showing up for the broken, the exploited, the impoverished, and the hurting, just as Christ showed up for us.

Hebrews 13:13-16 calls us to “go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured” as Christ did. This ministry is about going outside the walls of comfort to where Jesus already is—among the outcast, the trafficked, the poor—and joining Him there.

I’ll be walking alongside this ministry, helping however I can, but this isn’t a solo journey. Lovewell needs your prayers, your hands, and your financial support. As we gear up for the launch of our Phase One ministries, there is work to be done and a harvest to be gathered.

Will You Join Us?

You can help in three ways: pray, give, and go.

Whether God is stirring you to volunteer, to give financially, or to simply commit to praying over this ministry, I want to invite you to take a step.

You can learn more about Lovewell and contribute financially at https://www.crossforall.com/lovewell.

This is the heartbeat of the Gospel in action. It’s our opportunity to see restoration where there has been ruin, healing where there has been harm, and freedom where there has been chains.

I’m inviting you to join me in this work. Help us love our community well.

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