As I was driving home at night, I saw a woman pulling a suitcase on the sidewalk of Wade Hampton Boulevard in Greer. Where is she going? Why is she out here? She must need help, I thought. I made a U-turn and pulled up next to her at the intersection and told her to meet me in the nearby parking lot.
We talked for a few minutes while I tried to Google different places that she could spend the night. We called one shelter, and they were full. We called a hotel, and they were too expensive. I can’t leave her out here, I thought. But I also can’t take her home.Stress was building, and I was frustrated that I didn’t have help.
My pastor, whom I texted, sent me a cheap hotel option. I took her to stay there for the night — and thankfully she had money to pay for it.
Experts Way In
Christians often want to do the right thing and serve the homeless, but don’t know how. After the interaction above, I was determined to find a solution. Thankfully there are experts in the field — some who experienced homelessness themselves — who have wisdom to give.
Ryan Duerk has been the CEO of Miracle Hill Ministries for six and a half years and previously served Miracle Hill in various other roles. He walked through the doors of Miracle Hill 24 years ago as a guest and met Jesus, who radically changed his life. Now he said his calling is to help those experiencing similar things that he did.
Kirby Murdaugh-Bochman, the director of Shepherd’s Gate, Miracle Hill’s women’s shelter, has a similar testimony. About seven years ago, she was a drug addict on and off the streets. She was dropped off at Shepherd’s Gate, where she began a relationship with Jesus. She served as a counselor with Shepherd’s Gate for five years and then became Shepherd’s Gate director this month.
Cody Carver, director of Greenville Together* with United Way of Greenville County, has served with various nonprofits and local government his entire career. He’s been the director of Greenville Together since it began two years ago.
Finally, Rachel Davidson is a ministry resident at Reconcile Community Church, where she serves in addiction recovery ministry in their neighborhood. She previously served the homeless through a nonprofit called A Place to Call Home, located in Spartanburg.
Duerk, Murdaugh-Bochman, Carver, and Davidson all gave tips, resources, and advice on how to care for the homeless.
First Things First—What Are We Commanded To Do?
In Matthew 25, Christians are described as those who feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome in the stranger, clothe the naked, visit the sick, and go to the one in prison. And when we serve the least of these, we’re serving Christ.
Duerk said, “I think what people miss out of the passage is that the passage is frankly about final judgment. And so, what’s being written here is not a suggestion. Like, this is a measuring stick that’s used.” He continued, “If you are a person of faith, you’re commanded to come alongside your neighbors. But Jesus summarizes it with ‘Love God and love others.’”
If Christians are commanded to love God and love others, what then does loving the homeless look like?
Practical Advice For Serving The Homeless:
Heart Posture:
Duerk said your heart posture is the most important place to start. He said we should see people as made in God’s image and valued by their Creator. He said, “The person you’re talking to has no less value than you do.” He said we shouldn’t start from the position of “I have, so I’m going to give to you,” but rather from a place of equality, that the ground is level at the foot of the cross.
Duerk also acknowledged that “not everybody’s issues are our issues to solve.” Murdaugh-Bochman agrees. She said, “If a person is not ready for help, there’s absolutely nothing you can do to change that, but you can sow the seeds.” She repeated a phrase her nephew uses: “Their ‘want to’ has to want to.”
Starting The Conversation and Building A Relationship:
Duerk starts his interactions with the simple question, “What do you need and how can I help?” He also shakes their hand, makes eye contact, and introduces himself. He said Christians often have guilt and feel like they need to do something transactionally; instead, Duerk said we should pursue people relationally. He said the “old school” way of thinking is to assume the homeless just need to get a job, but Duerk said everyone’s story is unique, and different contributors led them to where they are. That’s why it’s important to get to know them.
Murdaugh-Bochman suggested asking them, “How can I help you help yourself?” She also encouraged sharing your story and explaining that your story may be different, but we all have the same brokenness.
One way to get to know someone, while also filling their immediate need, is inviting them to lunch. Duerk said to avoid giving cash and invite them to share a meal with you. Inviting them to a meal is a great way to discern between their needs and greeds, Duerk said from experience. He found that most homeless people he’s invited to Subway suddenly don’t like that kind of food.
Providing Practical Help:
If someone has specific needs beyond your scope — such as a drug addiction problem, a medical bill that needs to be paid, or any other issue — you can connect them to the following resources. Encourage them to take responsibility and download the app and make the phone call, but help them along the way.
- Dial #211. If you’re anywhere in South Carolina, simply call #211. This non-emergency phone line is open 24/7 and even through holidays. They are essentially the middleman and can connect the one you’re helping to transportation services, shelters, medical facilities, drug addiction rehab, pregnancy centers, etc. You can find specific names, addresses, and phone numbers for varying nonprofits using the search engine on their website: resources.sc211.org. If you’re in Greenville County, Carver said Greenville Together has an outreach team that can be deployed to your location — this team is primarily available Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Access this team by calling #211 and pressing #2 for “homeless outreach services.”
- Download the Miracle Hill Ministries Help Kit. This free mobile app has dozens of resources in one place. You can find addresses and phone numbers for homeless shelters, food banks, and other resources on this app. Encourage the homeless individual to download the app if they have a cell phone. They can also click “other resources” to access facilities/resources unrelated to Miracle Hill.
- Have Pre-packed Hygiene Kits and Snacks With Resource Cards. Carver suggested always carrying a hygiene or snack kit with you to give out. He recommends going by various service providers (Greenville Rescue Mission, Shepherd’s Gate, Overcomers, Renewal, Salvation Army, etc.) to gather resource cards to put in the bags to connect them to further help.
Share The Gospel And Connect Them To A Local Church:
The most important thing we can do for a homeless person is tell them the good news about how Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection provide eternal salvation for all who repent from their sins and trust in Jesus (John 1:12, 3:16).
Murdaugh-Bochman said, “There’s nothing that a homeless person has done that disqualifies them from forgiveness and salvation. God’s grace is sufficient.” She said it’s particularly important when sharing the gospel with a homeless person to help them realize that they aren’t disqualified because they feel like they’re the worst of the worst and that God couldn’t forgive someone like them; rather, the truth is that we’re all sinners.
But more than sharing the gospel with them, we should also connect them to long-term community — a healthy local church. Davidson recently wrote a story about a woman who was so close to recovery, but fell back into addiction.
She said, “Addiction isolates — it convinces people that they are forgotten, even whenever mounds of folks are praying fervently for them. And while programs are important, what Mary [a pseudonym for the woman who this story was about] needs is people — people who are steady, consistent, and will remember her name when she forgets theirs. This is why the church matters.”
Davidson believes that the addict and the homeless need people more than programs. She said, “Jesus and His people are necessary. The church is a non-negotiable for life.”
What Not To Do:
What are a few things that people should avoid doing when serving the homeless population?
- Murdaugh-Bochman advised men not to give rides to females, and females not to give rides to men; instead, ask another person to come along.
- In most circumstances, don’t give out money; instead, buy them a meal. (Duerk)
- Don’t try to fix them; instead, come alongside them. (Duerk)
Next time you see a homeless person, what if you moved toward them, instead of looking away from them?
“Imagine if we were all walking around our lives scanning the horizon for the next person that we get to be Jesus to,” said Duerk. t
*Please note that several of the resources on the sites suggested are not particularly Christian, but still offer necessary tangible help to those in need. We encourage Christians reading this to always prioritize the gospel in every interaction, while also not neglecting a person’s physical needs. The majority of these nonprofits are not affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.