Police rang Renovation Community’s Parsonage doorbell Sunday night just before 11 PM and walked me to the backseat of a squad car. But they weren’t putting me inside; they were introducing me to a woman already in there.
I met an officer new to this beat a few weeks ago when our new neighbor suddenly died across the street. This officer learned all about all the non-traditional ministry that takes place within our traditional-looking building.
A homeless woman had been staying behind a 24-hour gas station about a mile from us. I’d never seen or met her since she’s only recently returned to the area after living in the warm southern California climate.
She called police after realizing her backpack containing several sentimental items and medicine had been stolen outside when she walked in the gas station. As the kind officers came to help her (but couldn’t track down her bag), conversation turned to the cold front. She wasn’t dressed for it.
So my new officer friend brought the woman to me. But she didn’t have my number. She’d just have to ring the Parsonage doorbell, hope I answered, and ask if this homeless woman could stay in our gym.
I met the cold woman waiting inside the police car and extended a welcome into our building, but explained I already had a frail older homeless man sleeping on a cot inside.
The arthritic man struggles to get up from his cot to walk, and to even stand up straight at times. And he was extremely sore after being hit by a slow-moving car Friday night. [In fact, a church member just took him to the ER yesterday due to his worsening pain.] So I wasn’t necessarily concerned for this woman’s physical safety around him (especially since she’s younger, stronger, and taller than this man). But I knew a man’s presence with her in the gym could still make her uncomfortable.
The two officers, the woman, and I entered the gym so our two homeless guests could meet and ensure the woman felt safe.
As soon as she saw the man, she smiled and said “I know you.” Our neigborhood’s small Chronically Homeless population meet each other pretty quick. She felt safe around the man.
But I still set her up in our gym Women’s Sitting Area, a room that locks to the outside hallway and connects to the women’s bathroom and showers.
I asked, “would you like to take a shower?”
“Ahhhhh. I would LOVE a shower!”
Several years ago a friend donated nearly 200 bottles of small shampoo and soaps she’d collected from frequent hotel visits. We still haven’t finished that bag.
Our new guest received gifts that many of you have donated: bottled water, snacks, shampoo, conditioner, and a freshly-washed towel. Then I said goodnight as her locked door clicked shut.
Over the next couple days, I began to learn this woman’s story. The Streets are cruel to all who live on them, but especially to women. Tuesday she walked to meet a man who also lives on the streets and invite him to stay in our building.
He seemed interested in the offer but suddenly changed his mind. She now stood in the dark, outside a fast food restaurant nearly an hour’s walk from our property. I answered my phone at 7pm to hear her apologetic quivering voice. She hadn’t planned to walk back in the dark alone. Could I come get her?
We discussed her next steps to begin true life-change as we drove the short trip back home.
Yesterday morning she began to cry as she shared, “I feel like you really understood me last night and that I can get help here I can’t get from a shelter.” I thanked her for her kind words and then explained how the women from our church can walk with her through the vital steps in becoming self-sufficient–replacing the stolen IDs and food stamps card, re-filling her medicines, and finding clothing in our Clothing Pantry. She could even build friendships with some of our ladies who have been regularly helping us around the property during the week.
Especially after living on the cruel streets, most men make her uncomfortable. So the thought of making friendships with safe women within our church overwhelmed her with joy as she rattled off a happy, tear-filled response…
“I love listening to music and God really speaks to me through songs. My favorite song is called ‘Rescue’ with a line where God says ‘I will send out an army to find you in the middle of the darkest night.’ And that’s what He did the night I met you! And now I’ll get to meet more of His army with these other ladies!”
Last year I preached through 52 major Bible stories during our church’s Sunday gatherings. I found an old bulletin last week from my message on Gideon with the sermon title “Strength Made Perfect In Weakness.”
If you’re not familiar with the Biblical story of Gideon, it’s about how God used an ill-equipped leader with a tiny army to rescue Israel from foreign invaders who had been oppressing the people. Gideon assembles men for battle but God keeps whittling away the army until there’s only 300 soldiers. Eventually God led Gideon to an illogical battle plan that no sane ancient or modern military strategist would have ever used, involving trumpets, flaming torches, shattered clay pots, and screaming. It was very weird.
Although God used Gideon and the tiny group of men to defeat hoardes of Midianites, He worked in such a way to prove the defeat was truly miraculous. A brilliant military leader couldn’t have led 300 ragtag men to such a victory, much less a man like Gideon with no apparent miliatry background. Israel’s enemies begin attacking each other while Gideon’s men blow trumpets and shout.
This strange story reminds us our omnipotent God has paradoxically chosen to partner with the weak, imperfect, and incompentent.
I often describe Renovation Community as a “Fixer Upper Family.” We’re like that broken-down house in the neighborhood, in desperate need of repairs. But we’re also a group of people desiring to join Jesus as he fixes up all that is broken in our world. And “family” seems like a fitting word to describe how we all interact in our small church.
But my new homeless friend revealed another side of us…
For some, like this woman, we are their Fixer Upper Army. As the lyrics of her favorite song say, our church was part of God’s army He “sent out in the middle of the night to find her.”
On the way to school yesterday, our 8-year-old asked if the U.S. has a “standing army” in case we go to war. He’s learned about the concept from his history lessons and several children’s books set during World War II he’s recently read. This led to a conversation about the different military branches and different ways people serve in the military. Eventually the conversation drifted into discussing our military’s total size. ‘How many people are in the military?’ I explained that its total size fluctuates depending on the nation’s felt needs. When the needs feel greatest, the military’s ranks tend to swell, like during World War II.
Obviously, one of our city’s large rescue missions with a multi-million dollar budget can accomplish more for this woman than our church can on our own [which is why we build relationships with them].
But, at this temporary stage in her journey, it seems their large budget and specialists weren’t what she needed most. She needed a safe and quiet place in a familiar neighborhood, a pastor who will listen, and some new friendships with safe women in our church. In other words, she didn’t need a massive “army.” She just needed an old rundown military “fort” to rest her head and a hodgepodge group of untrained soldiers who will love her well.
There’s many wonderful churches in our community. Each of them serve the poor and hurting in vital ways. But I’ve yet to hear of another nearby congregation who helps like we do.
We (a group of broken people with a broken and ill-equipped leader, worshiping together in a broken building) are being healed by Jesus and extending His healing to our neighbors in greatest need.
Like those among Gideon’s army, we are a ragtag army God uses to find those who are walking through their darkest nights.
But, unlike Gideon’s group, we’re not yet 300 strong. So we have room for more soldiers. 😉
The need is great in our neighborhood, friends.
May Renovation Community’s ranks swell a little bit more.
May God lead some of you to join this small, broken army that He sends out “in the middle of the night.”
