It was 1991. Our church was hosting a Christmas Dinner for the homeless. I had just started as a Pastor, and I was curious about this event our church hosted for the first time. Our church, Smithtown Gospel Tabernacle, had just started supporting a local ministry called "Hope for the Future" whose director was Diane Dunne. She had a warehouse in Farmingdale, NY filled with food and supplies, and she would go into New York City and feed the homeless and needy twice a week. Six years later, I would later join her as a Board Member, and I also wrote articles for her newsletter.
Being a young Pastor and being curious, I wanted to know what they did at this event. I walked into the gym and many of our church members and the homeless were having relay races. All I could say as I walked into the gym was, "Wow, the smell is horrible!" 💩 When you don't shower, you smell. I was not very sympathetic. 😞As I entered the courtyard by the church offices, Diane Dunne, who I barely knew at the time walked over to me and asked me if I saw a gentleman named Freddie. She described to me what he looks like and boy, was she in a panic. I couldn't understand why until she told me he was a pyromaniac. WHAT? I didn't stay to volunteer, but I drove home with a bad attitude and thinking to myself, "Why can't these people just go out and get a job. Why are they so lazy? Just get a job at McDonald's flipping burgers!" Little did I know back then God wanted to do a work in my heart and give me a heart for those in need. Here's my brief story! My Readers Digest version.
After starting as a Children's Pastor and looking for opportunities to minister, I was invited to come to NY City and join one of the Hope for the Future Ministries outreaches. I will never forget my first one. It was August 1994. I brought a group of adults with me, and we did a program in a park using puppets, clown skits and music. At the end of the program, I became very sick and could barely stand up. On the ride home I laid in the back of the van moaning. The whole ceiling was spinning around. I had the flu big time!
Diane Dunne was very impressed with my ministry. When I formed Kids in Missions in 1996, I would bring the kids to her warehouse to help her out by making sandwiches and stocking food. I also brought kids into the city to do ministry at Thompkins Square Park. That Christmas Dinner for the homeless dinner I first attended? Well, I became the Keynote Speaker for several years. I will never forget after one Homeless Dinner event, a member from our church, Ron Kennedy told me he drove the homeless "home" after the dinner in the church bus. He told me how his heart broke when he pulled up to a park in Manhattan. He opened the bus door and watch everyone pile out into the cold night. They were not going home. They were back out on the streets. His heart broke, and yes, so did mine! God gave me a heart for the homeless and needy.
After one event, Diane asked me if I would become a Board Member of Hope for the Future Ministries. I have to confess that after sharing at the Annual Christmas Dinner and going into the city to do ministry, I started having a bigger heart for the homeless and those in need. I actually told several people that if I ever got tired of doing kids ministry, my second and third choices would be ministry to the homeless and kids ministry.
Today as I now reside in South Carolina, I see the homeless every day. They walk up and down the busy street I work both jobs at on Harbison Blvd. While driving through shopping centers I see them laying down on benches in the extreme heat trying to get rest at our local Walmart. Many times, when I walk to my car after my Chick Fil-A shift, they will walk up to me and ask me for money. They come into Chick Fil-A asking for drinks, food and cups of ice. There are a few who are banned from coming onto our restaurant property because they have caused several disturbances. We have had to call the Police on them unfortunately. It is heartbreaking.
So, to conclude, I pray you all see the needs of others and begin to get a heart not only for the needy, but for people. It doesn't matter if you are in New York City, Columbia, South Carolina, Miami, Florida or Bismark, North Dakota. There are needy people and needs everywhere you go. We live in a society that says, "It's all about you. No one else matters. Do what feels best for you. Don't worry about everyone else." But Jesus said in Matthew 25:40 - "When you do it to the least of these, you have done it unto me." I pray all get a heart for those in need and for the "least of these. Every day I think God for what I do have. I don't want to be selfish. I want to have a heart that pleases God. That is important to me. I hope you want to please him also!
No comments:
Post a Comment