Steve didn’t have much to say. Isolation can do that to a person — especially when circumstances render you faceless while fellow humans rush past your curbside bed without any inkling you are there. So, when a deacon from All Nations Church of God approached the 42-year-old on the frigid streets of Chicago, Steve soaked up the churchman’s words but offered few of his own in response.
The deacon invited Steve to his church, explaining the congregation was committed to helping the hungry and unsheltered, and offered a variety of resources for those living in poverty.
The following Sunday, Steve set out for All Nations. He was not prepared for what came next.
As Steve entered through the front doors, members of the congregation embraced the man whom others looked past. The deacon handed Steve a Homeless Care Kit with a warm smile, both designed to ward off the stubborn winter cold. Each care kit contains a warm blanket, hat, scarf, socks, gloves, toiletries and gospel literature. Cru® Inner City donated the kits to All Nations, one of its partner ministries.
Each winter, Inner City provides Homeless Care Kits to churches and missions that have a pulse on the most urgent needs in their neighborhood. As part of the kit distribution, volunteers from churches in dozens of U.S. cities receive specialized evangelism and discipleship training.
Juanita Buie, a member of the congregation’s evangelism team, gave the homeless care kit to the deacon for Steve. She said their new friend returned the very next week as the deacon continued to minister to him. When several of the women discovered Steve was using the bus to get to church they began gifting him with bus cards.
"We want to see the longevity. We want to see them be fed. We want to see them grow in Christ."
“Some of the elders began to just bring extra clothes to the church for him and things like that and so he continued to come,” Juanita said.
After attending services for several weeks, Steve responded to the pastor’s altar call, where he publicly gave his life to Jesus. A few weeks later, Steve followed that step by officially joining the church.
As time progressed, Steve began to increase his commitment, arriving early on Sundays to help clean the church.
“He became more vocal because, at first, he was very quiet in the church,” Juanita said. “He began to talk more. Believe it or not, now he comes walking in, ‘I have my tithes!’ and he will come in with $1, $2. He’s always excited about giving his tithes. One particular Sunday he came in and said, ‘Look, I have my tithes and my offerings. I got one for the Father, one for the Son and one for the Holy Spirit.’”
Juanita said the Cru Inner City training has helped the congregation understand the benefits of consistent discipleship.
“We want to see the longevity,” she said. “We want to see them be fed. We want to see them grow in Christ. We want to see them begin to develop and go from being homeless to OK, now you have your own place. Now you're serving in ministry. Now you're being discipled. Now, you're pouring into someone else. We want to see those steps come to reality.
“We appreciate (Inner City) for helping the church to be the church because the resources they’re supplying us with are helping us to make a connection with the community.”
Lori Arnold serves as the senior writer for Cru's inner-city ministry.
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