Associating with the Lowly

We work in the day shelter from about 6:30-10:00 on Sunday mornings before going to church. Today I spent much of that time in our storage closet. Around 9:00, I was told to pick up the phone. Over the phone I met a young woman who needed a favor. She had met a homeless man and had convinced him to go to our church with her, but she wanted a man to ride with them. She had called my director (who happened to be out of town) and he recommended she call and ask for Matt or I. So basically I was in the right place at the right time.

We picked up her homeless friend at a McDonalds and drove to church. We got some coffee, worshiped a bit, and heard a wonderful sermon challenging the church to be a loving community. The pastor challenged us to meet the needs of others, practice hospitality, and associate with the lowly (Romans 12:9-16) – a rather appropriate message, I thought. So after the service, as folks began departing and mingling, I asked our new friend what he thought of the church/message. He had me sit back down. About an hour later, he had finished pouring out his heart and shedding many tears over the desperate state of his life. I mostly listened but also had the opportunity to share the Gospel and a few more thoughts with him. I also shed a few tears, because my new friend is broken and he knows it. Some of his brokenness is self inflicted. He admits that he has been punishing himself for a long time, only falling short of ending his life.

But now he wants change. Now he has friends who want to help him change. Now he seems hopeful. He appears to be the picture of a motto here at Jeff St.: “Hope changes everything.” I’m so blessed to have been at the right place at the right time and to have been able to minister to my new friend. He knows where I’m at, I know where he hangs out, he’s got my number, and he’s planning to join us for church again next week. I pray that this is not the end of the story, but only the beginning. I’d appreciate your prayers for my new friend as well.

How to Entertain Angels . . .

What do you think of when you hear the word “hospitality?” For most of my life I’ve thought of sweet, older ladies who are really good cooks and have nice homes. I’ve been the grateful recipient of this type of hospitality throughout my life. I also think of so many precious missionary wives who I encountered during my days in West Africa. The gift of hospitality seems to be a requirement for wives on the mission field. But me? No, I’m not hospitable. Any why should I be expected to be? I’m just a single guy with limited cooking and homemaking skills. I guess God has not gifted me in that area. Or has He?

Sunday at Sojourn (the church I’ll be attending while in Louisville), I heard a great message on Christian hospitality . . . for probably the first time in my life. I wonder why I’ve never heard such a sermon before. After all, hospitality is a command of God. Not just a suggestion for some Christians but a command for all. “Be hospitable to one another without complaint” (1 Peter 4:9). “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love . . . practicing hospitality” (Romans 12:10-13). Hospitality is also a requirement for overseers/pastors (1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:8). The Bible even goes so far as to say that sometimes when we think we’re simply showing hospitality to strangers, we’re actually “entertaining angels” (Hebrews 13:2).

But true hospitality is not simply about entertaining others. At the heart of hospitality are ideas like looking out for the interests of others (Philippians 2:4), inviting the poor/crippled/blind to our dinners (Luke 14:12-14), and accepting others as Jesus did us (Romans 15:7). Essentially, the heart of hospitality seems to be love for our neighbors.

So it seems hospitality is not just for sweet, older ladies who are really good cooks and have nice homes. Hospitality is also for me, a not so sweet young man who doesn’t cook much and lives in a homeless shelter (a very hospitable type of place by the way). And if you are a Christian, hospitality is also for you.

First thoughts

I’ve been living here at Jeff St. for right at a week now. I came here with few expectations, but most of those expectations have been exceeded. The staff here is more fun than I’d guessed. The homeless folks are more normal than I thought. The residents are less scary than I expected. I’m getting up earlier than I’d hoped (6 AM).

Despite that last unfortunate realization, life has been good. I really am enjoying serving and getting to know the homeless and formerly homeless (the 30-some guys who live here) who we see every day. Life here is always interesting. For instance, I just got interrupted by one of the residents who is a Cuban guy who speaks very little English. Despite that detail he’s one of my favorite guys to see around. He always gives a warm greeting, usually in English.

I guess most surprising has been how easy it has been to begin building relationships with the guys here. All the guys living here at Jeff St. have been diagnosed with mental illnesses. I’ve had very little interation with such folks in my lifetime (at least to my knowledge). Yet I’m quickly learning that mental illness does not equate to being “crazy” or “psycho” as we might sometimes describe such folks. In fact, many of the guys seem quite normal. Among them are science buffs, sports fans, and avid readers. But still I must realize that these guys are just like me and every other human being in that we all have our problems - some are just more obvious and detrimental than others. We all need help. God is the ultimate Helper and salvation is the ultimate cure. I just pray that the Lord will use me to point others to Him and to His remedy.

A New Adventure . . .

Greetings friends!

I’ve now got a new adventure to tell you about!

On September 9th, I will move into the Jefferson St. Baptist Center, a homeless shelter in Louisville, KY, in order to live and serve among the homeless. JSBC’s self-description: “We exist to make the entire good news of Jesus Christ known to the homeless of Louisville – meeting physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs” (www.jeffersonstreet.org). I will be a participant in their HOPE program (www.hopeforlouisville.com) through which I will serve five days a week in their Day Shelter, helping to meet some of the basic needs of the homeless – providing mail service, breakfast, a storage closet, toiletries, and more. Spending this time in the Day Shelter will lead to in-depth relationships with my new homeless friends, which will allow me to share the Gospel with them in a whole-life sort of way. I will also have great opportunities for service and spiritual growth through my church involvement and the Christian community of the other HOPE participants. I am very excited about beginning this new ministry very soon! I am excited because in recent years I have seen God change my heart to be more compassionate toward the poor and needy. He has given me the desire to attend to both the physical and spiritual needs of people. HOPE is a great avenue through which to channel this God-given desires for ministry.

You have the opportunity to be a part of my ministry through HOPE and JSBC. First, I need your prayers. Please pray for our new HOPE team to get off to a great start: in our training, our relationships, and our acclimation to our new lifestyles. Pray that we will, above all, live lovingly towards each other and the homeless folks we are there to minister to.

Second, the greatest thing that homeless people need is meaningful relationships with Christians that ultimately point to Jesus Himself. These relationships take time to build. To be a part of the HOPE program for a year I will need to raise $6,600. Your financial contributions will allow me to remove the financial burdens of daily life to be able to focus exclusively on loving “the least of these” that Jesus told us are so important to him. And for those giving a gift of at least $50 you can receive a free HOPE T-shirt!

You can send your tax-deductible contributions made payable to Jefferson Street Baptist Center attn: HOPE, 733 Jefferson Street, Louisville KY 40202. Please make sure to designate your check towards my support by writing my Fund ID#: HOPE-0809-KS1 on the memo line of the check. HOPE will send a receipt for each gift given. Do not write my name anywhere on the check as this may negate the tax deductibility of your donation.

As during my time in Africa, I will be sending out a monthly newsletters and blogging about my life and ministry at JSBC. Thus, the former “Faso News” site has now become the new "HOPE News," unless I decide to come up with something more clever. I will also be making a new email list for those who wish to receive my HOPE updates. You can let me know if you are interested in joining this list by writing me at kweetur@hotmail.com.

Also please let me know of others who might be interested in hearing about this ministry or who might like to support me in prayer or financially. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. Thanks for all your support through the years. God bless!