The situation is bad; really bad.  At this time in the city of Jacksonville,  dating back to a rule  that went in effect February of 2023, people are banned from panhandling on street corners and drivers can be fined up to $250 for handing out even a bottle of water to a homeless person.  Those who voted for this ordinance say it is a safety issue but to those without a home, food and drink, it is a nightmare, as if they already don’t have one day-in and day-out in their lives.  They each one live that nightmare. Daily.   YES, it is their fault. YES, they have gotten themselves in this horrible condition but now what?

As of 2023, they cannot get money, food or drink by a hand-out.  You say, “Go to a shelter”.  How to find them?  How to get there? Are they open 24/7 or are the homeless to eat only once a week?  If given food, how will they carry it?  Where will they store it? The questions go on and on and on. 

It is my guess that 99% of the homeless are on drugs.  Their bodies rage with the need to satisfy a longing within.  They are seriously dependent on drugs. They cannot control this rage thus they beg, borrow and yes, even steal to solve this horrible addiction.  The city leaders’  response to this was to shut down their begging which leaves borrowing and stealing but the rage continues.  A drug addict cannot control his or her body. This is a serious problem; a devastating dilemma.  In truth, there is only one real answer:  God, and they curse him day and night.

Then people say, “Well, they should not have gotten in this situation”. Well, they did. Now what?  Another person may say, “Okay, get a job”.  How?  They are hungry, have no way to get clean, no clothes to look presentable for getting a job, no way to know where jobs might be, no transportation to get to the job interview if they could figure that out, no phone or communication,  and the problems continue.  And, most of their focus is on the basic needs that everyone has, to eat, and drink. 

These thoughts shared here are not to give the homeless a pass. No, it is to hopefully wake up the church, the Body of Christ to see that there is a mission field out that that is almost untapped.  The homeless are truly desperate not just for the necessities of life but for the God who created them and can change them.  At this point, any homeless I’ve met curse God and so often blame Him for their wayward behaviours.  

Now is the time for the Church to step up and make the difference.  The situation is dire and the stakes are high.  It is almost hopeless in truth.  The Church knows it cannot align with the government without the government controlling the church so there is that problem.  On the other hand, without the one true God, the homeless have no hope of true recovery.

The homeless  don’t have jobs. No they aren’t clean or upstanding pillars of the community but in fact they are desperate and if every church in the city of Jacksonville had even one ministry to help the homeless, lives could be saved and changed.

Here are possible Church Ministries to be considered and,  with every single one it should include a time of preaching and learning of God’s grace and glory.

Church Ministries

Bible Lessons, Church Services, Clothes Closets, Food Pantries, Job Opportunities, Shower Stations, Skill Training

There is so much the church could do to help the homeless. The time is now. The need is real.  If you’re a true Christian and reading this, please pray that the churches in Jacksonville will step up and meet a serious need in our community.  Talk to your church leaders and see what one thing each church could do.  The body of Christ is God’s hands and feet and they are so needed at this time in our city.

See you tomorrow,

Nan

He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.Proverbs 19:17

If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother:  Deut 15:7

He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor. Prof 14:31

He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse. Prov. 28:7

Sources: City of Jacksonville Ordinance, Personal experience with homeless, COSAC Foundation