This morning, I moved through the streets of downtown San Diego, waiting for my tires to be changed, only a few steps from where I preached my first sermon: God’s Extended Hand Mission. I was 12, nervous, and naïve, but also excited to share the gospel with people who they were on the fringe of society, and yet are in the very heart of God and his plan for redemption in the world. I remember being so caught off guard by their warm welcome, the way they received my words, and how they graciously encouraged me as we ate together following the service. It was a milestone for my life, built my courage and confidence, and helped set me on the path of ministry in which I walk today.
God’s Extended Hand was a mission to San Diego’s homeless. A place for nurturing both bodies and souls. Today, as I walked by, thinking of all the ministry over the years done out of this old building, I was saddened to learn that it had finally closed, several months ago, succumbing to the immense pressures of a developing downtown which is pushing it’s homeless residents even further to the fringes of society, prizing the value of real estate over the value of redeemed lives.
However, I am also thankful for the countless other ministries and social services down here serving people who are struggling with addiction, mental illness, poverty, and the host of other ingredients that come together to form the many recipes of homelessness. I’m thankful for Ministries like the San Diego Rescue Mission, Saint Vincent de Pauls Homeless Facility, Father Joe’s Villages, Connections Housing, Monarch Academy, Alpha Project, SD Downtown Fellowship of Churches and Ministries, and a host of others who continue this difficult and often thankless work. THANK YOU! Please keep fighting the good fight of faith, believing in those who’ve given up believing in themselves, seeing God’s image in the faces of people who often hide their faces from society, and painting portraits of God’s redeeming love on the canvas of a broken city. Your labor is not in vain! Who knows what reward awaits you… meanwhile SAN DIEGO NEEDS YOU! God’s Hurting Children Need You! We are grateful for the way you faithfully keep loving and serving Jesus!
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