This summer my wife and I took our children on a trip to California. The low humidity and beautiful scenery were wonderful. The gas prices were not!
We ended our trip in San Francisco. What a marvelous city! It’s also one of the most expensive cities in the United States. One report says the average rent is $3,800, the highest in the nation.
From our hotel, I went for an early morning run along the bay. On my run, I approached an unexpected object right next to the running path—a tent. Outside the tent was a pair of men’s sandals. Obviously a man was sleeping inside.
I assume this man wasn’t just trying to avoid paying the expensive San Francisco rent. He was probably poor and homeless. Great wealth and great poverty dwell in the same city—in cities all across our great nation.
I didn’t see the man in the tent, but you’ve seen people in similar conditions, perhaps on the side of the road holding a cardboard sign. A young woman with a child. A veteran with PTSD. An old man who looks even older because his appearance is so weathered.
How Do We Help the Homeless?
As the church, the Body of Christ, how do we help the homeless population in our communities? Our Savior tells us in Matthew 5:42:
Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
Jesus commands a generous spirit and a compassionate heart. These words summon us to action individually and collectively. These words find practical application in our approach to the homeless.
Sharing Food and Clothing Resources
Some churches will provide resources directly through a food pantry or clothing giveaway. We remember Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:35–36:
I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, I was naked and you clothed Me.
When the righteous asked when they did these things, Jesus pointed to their service to the poor and lowly, saying, “As you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me” (Matthew 25:40).
Having Referrals Ready
It’s always helpful for churches to have information on hand to direct the homeless to needed resources. This could include information about local food pantries as well as overnight shelters. Providing directions and bus passes can assist in getting to these locations.
Offering Life Skills Training
Along with providing for immediate physical needs, churches can help by empowering the poor toward a better future. A church might offer job or life skills training. Volunteers might help job seekers to write resumes and look for work. The Lord has filled His church with wise, experienced saints who can train others to be successful.
Distributing Care Packages
Churches can also equip members for small acts of caring toward the homeless. My congregation regularly prepares blessing bags. For example, our confirmation class does it in conjunction with their lesson on “Give us this day our daily bread” (Small Catechism, Lord’s Prayer, Fourth Petition). With blessing bags, everyone contributes nonperishable items like crackers, bottled water, a comb, a toothbrush and toothpaste, and the like. We fill bags with each of the items, along with a Bible verse and an encouragement statement on a notecard. We then give the bags to members to keep in their cars. When they encounter a homeless person at a street corner, members can roll down their window, give a blessing bag, and speak a word of kindness.
Praying for the Homeless
We also serve the homeless by praying for them in the congregation’s prayers in worship and in our personal prayers. We can pray for their housing situation, for safety, for protection from the elements, for guidance in their life choices, and for God’s provision for all of their needs.
The combination of actions and prayer are a powerful force in the hands of our God, who sent His Son for all people and who loves rich and poor alike with sacrificial love and grace.
Scripture: ESV®.
Catechism quotations are taken from Luther’s Small Catechism © 1986 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Looking for a simple way to extend your outreach ministry? Share Portals of Prayer devotions with those experiencing homelessness and point them to Christ’s enduring care.
