Christians Reaching Out to the Unreachable...

John Ferber, spent a week in Los Angeles's Skid Row

When I think of the word "outreach" I think of reaching out those around us... I have talked about the church I grew up in and I think they did alot when it came to reaching out to others... It didn't matter where they came from or what they looked like... What got me thinking on this is an episode of  Secret Millionaire... This show would take wealthy people (millionaires) and place them in areas where they can locate people who are in need and those who are trying to make a difference in the lives of others...  They are taken out of their lives of comfort and placed in the lives of the communities for a week... I think almost every episode I bawled like a baby... Not only did they make a difference in other peoples lives, their own lives changed because of this experience...

John Ferber, a successful internet advertiser

There was one episode where the man that was helping the poor by feeding and clothing them seen a man who needed shoes... This man took his own shoes off his feet and gave them to the homeless man without thinking twice... I wonder how many times if we seen people like this that we as Christians would stop and give them the shoes off our feet or would we look down at them with pity and walk away? 

In our own area here in St. George you can walk down the street and see homeless people with families... You can tell who they are, and for some reason people will go to the other side of the street to get away from them and look away... Is this what our world has come to where people look away from those who are in need... I know many have put themselves in the situation they are in, but many haven't... No matter what the reason may be that they are there, shouldn't someone be willing to help them and show them that there are others that care... 

I'm not talking about any one church in particular or maybe not even the church... I am thinking as Christians, we don't get out of our comfort zone and get to know those around us... We let fear take over our lives and that prevents us from reaching out to those that seem unreachable...

There have been times where some homeless people will show up at church or where ever and the people around them would be talking about how sad it is that they are homeless... I think about one guy named Brad that would come to our church... If I seen him around town, I would try to help him out and after getting to know him, I found out that there is more to him then meets the eye... He was very smart and had a heart of gold... He didn't want anyone feeling sorry for him... He wanted to talk and was humble... But in some churches I have been Brad would have been shunned and turned away because he didn't look clean or had some BO... I wonder if Jesus walked through the door in the way He would have been dressed when He was walking this world if He would be shunned and turned away because He doesn't look or talk like everyone else... There are times I wonder if God is present in some of the churches today... 

Churches have become a social network in many ways... It would be awesome to see how many in St. George in the poorer areas have been reached by other Christians... Have they been asked if there is anything they need or do they want to talk... My friend Dena that died 3.5 yrs ago was a Christian, but she was lonely... I would spend till 1 or 2 in the morning talking to her... After getting to know Dena I found that she had an awesome life story to tell and share with others... The time I spent in getting to know her and listening to her is still blessing me... She lived alone and died in her 80's... How many other Dena's are out there? When I would do walk abouts in town around our church, I was surprised to see how many families that weren't affiliated with any churches and for some reason nobody reached out to them to invite them or see how they were... I don't think Christians are doing what we should be doing if we aren't willing to be there for others... We all have our downfalls, and I have plenty of my own...  

I think there is a stigma when it comes to the poor, homeless and the not so pleasant people... Maybe it's because of the news... We are warned to stay away from people we don't know... Most churches around here will send people to Dixie Care and Share if they are having a problem... I wonder if this is kinda like passing the buck... We hear they are in need and we send them there... Maybe they should be talked to and get to know them and offer a ride to help them... I love Dixie Care and Share and everything they do for our community... I just wonder if it has gotten to be the normal to send them there rather then get involved... I was thinking about the song by Casting Crowns- Does Anybody Hear Her and how we as Christians look the other way and don't see what is going on... I put the video on here... Sometimes I feel like the person in this video on my bad days... But when do we allow fear to come between helping and being true Christians... There is a lot of fear of being hurt, sued, taken advantage of or whatever else when we go out on a limb and help others... But is that an excuse to not help and lets us off the hook or what? 

I think what got me going on this topic is something a few friends said to me about allowing others to help... This is an area I am not good at and is outside of my comfort zone... My friend that edits my blogs will be one of the first to point this out and also my friend Chris... I am sure there is a very long list of friends that will agree with them... 

I was reading this other blog and I liked what he said, "It's time for Christians to start acting like Christians." And that is where I am going to leave this... Maybe that will be my affirmation thought for today...