The Full Story
Homeless Street Ministry
Homelessness is a complex reality. It sounds simple, but there is no one explanation of how people fall into homelessness. Those experiencing homelessness have often experienced a painful rupture of their relationship to God, others, and self.
As Christians we know that all human beings bear the image of God (Gen. 1:26) and thus have indelible dignity. This dignity is given not by a roof over our heads but by a Messiah on the cross. The message of the gospel in this ministry is to meet the homeless in their search for someone to tell them they matter deeply. God has taught me that what’s required to love well is not similarity of story but empathy. What most men I encounter need and crave is someone to look them in the eyes and ask them their story. They need a friend.
The moment we decide we have nothing to learn from the homeless, while handing them a bag of food, clean undergarments or a blanket we dehumanize them. A homeless person’s willingness to share generously of their story, and their eagerness to understand and affirm yours is a reflection of gospel friendship—whether he himself believes in the gospel or not.
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When we hand a homeless person a bag of food, underwear or a blanket and engage them in conversation, we affirm the dignity of each image-bearer who is homeless and work for their well-being, which is a Kingdom calling. This is what the OLA Homeless Street Ministry is all about.