Be a Fool for Christ

Journal-Review
May 27, 2010

When you think about homelessness, Crawfordsville is probably the last place that comes to mind. Few would consider that Montgomery County would be included in a conversation about homelessness. Yet, I have had the homeless come to my study door seeking assistance. Each time, I had to refer them (and in some cases transport them) to facilities in Lafayette, Greencastle or Indianapolis.

A working family, after losing their home, lived in tents under a county bridge. Others find temporary shelter on a couch of a friend or relative. Eventually, the stress of such living arrangements becomes too much to bear.

No, we don’t have the homeless living on the streets. But we do have a homeless problem. Thanks to the work of Trinity Mission, there is hope that something can be done. On Wednesday, June 2, at 10 a.m., in room “C” of the Crawfordsville District Public Library, a public meeting is scheduled to inspire, inform and invite the community to come along side Trinity in this important work. Volunteers are needed to staff the temporary homeless shelter, serve on a local advisory council and provide financial support. Such an effort needs to be saturated in prayer. Trinity hopes to get the homeless shelter operational by late summer in the former county home on Whitlock Street.

Why is this effort to help the homeless important? A section of our church’s mission statement says “we seek to relate people to Christ, connect people to the Body of Christ and reach out in love and concern for the world.” With the guidance of Trinity Mission, our church’s involvement with the shelter will help us to complete our mission. Each resident of the shelter will have the opportunity to grow in their faith and to take steps to improve their lives. By supporting the shelter, local churches will be able to reach out with the love of Christ to a hurting segment of our community.

Homelessness is often a spiritual problem in addition to being a physical one. The loss of a place to call “home” often unleashes various mental and emotional issues. Trinity Mission promises more than a hot meal and a warm bed. With our help, persons in need of temporary housing will find a place to find healing because the Lord’s presence will be experienced there.

The Bible identifies with the homeless. The Apostle Paul, one of the Bible’s most prolific writers, compared the Christian life to being homeless. In a letter to Christians in Corinth, (1 Corinthians 4:11) he writes “To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless.” In quelling a controversy in the church, he makes an appeal for the church to act with humility, even when it seems foolish to the world. I ask you, dear reader, to join in this foolish cause for Christ!

Words associated with meeting the need of others appear everywhere in the Bible. When an expert in Jewish law asked Jesus “who is my neighbor,” the Lord tells the story of a man who is helped by a Samaritan. This story, known as the “Good Samaritan,” is our marching orders. “‘Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers? The expert in the law replied, ‘The one who had mercy on him.’ Jesus told him, ‘Go and do likewise.’”

One of the most striking references to helping our neighbors comes from the Great Commandment in Matthew 22. “‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?’ Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbors as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hand on these two commandments.’”

When it comes to meeting the needs of our neighbors, the Bible convinces us that giving to the needy must continue until the needs are met – not until desires are satisfied. This is why it is my policy, when it comes to helping the needy, to never give cash. The temptation to fulfill desires is just too great.

The June 2 meeting is just a beginning. Please consider attending and getting involved. It is an honor to be a fool for Christ in this community.