Pastor A.G. Williams,
Greater Victory Baptist Church, Lemon Grove:

In America, over 30 million people live in poverty, over 3 million are homeless, one half are children, and 5 million are one paycheck away from being homeless.

Jesus said, “the poor you will always have with you” (Mt. 26:11). Prior to this (Mt. 25:37-43), He addressed feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, taking in the homeless, and clothing the naked as evidence of what pleases God. Furthermore, Jesus himself may have been considered homeless (Mt. 8:20).

The church is obligated to minister to the spiritual and social needs of the homeless community. I recommend that every church organize a ministry for the homeless in their community, connect with other community agencies, and diligently do the work. Our church is connected with the San Diego Rescue Mission, in addition to our monthly feeding and clothing efforts to the homeless community. Consequently, our church is being blessed with God’s favor as a result of our efforts.

Pastor Dwight Hall,
Children's Bread Ministries, Oceanside:

Here’s how we do it. We get a love, we get a joy and we get a peace for the things of God. And then we go out there and instead of having pity on the homeless, we have compassion for them and we help them out of their situations. It’s loving on them and serving them and getting to know them.

We who are called by His name have the mandate to become educated by true everyday experience and interaction. Not to talk it but to live it. To do what Jesus himself did. Give them a hand up. Not a hand out. Jesus made them accountable for their own lives, bringing them pride and dignity, and we are to do the same. People who have found themselves without the basic necessities of life don’t need a hand out. They need a hand up. They need someone who is willing to spend time with them to help them get a grasp on the overwhelming situations of life.

The thing that must be done is to stop and take the time, to invest a quality moment into the life of another struggling human being. Take the time to share the warmth of a caring touch or to just listen without judging.

We are going to have to follow the example that Jesus gave us in Luke 10: 30-35.We are to take those whom life, and the situations of life, have taken and robbed and beaten and left for dead, and reach out to them and help them. They are our neighbors, our brothers, our sisters, our mothers, our fathers, our sons and our daughters. We will most assuredly give an account to the Master as to why we did not adequately, with the knowledge and wisdom of God, tend to their needs and feed His sheep.