Helping the Homeless

By Gary Keith, Lead Pastor

A recent study has identified at least 200 people who are living on the streets, in fields, or under freeway overpasses right here in Upland. Many of these people are not what we normally think of when it comes to homelessness. Many of these people were displaced as a result of the economic downturn in 2008. And it’s not just about single men and women who are living in chronic homelessness; it’s also about families with children. It’s a great need and we’re called by Jesus to respond. 

Meeting this need is complex and difficult. It’s about more than simply finding these people and placing them in an apartment. To really embrace this problem takes a much larger commitment of time, patience, and love. It requires making an effort to gain a deeper understanding of the needs of people who find themselves in poverty and homelessness and responding to those needs with
a holistic approach.

Helping the homeless can also be intimidating. It’s like heading out into uncharted waters. We don’t feel well equipped, the challenges are complex, each situation is unique, and we certainly don’t have all the answers. We are fearful that we’re going to let someone down. We’re afraid the burden and responsibility will be too great. These issues paralyze us and as a result, we just don’t get involved. 

The Open Table Solution

Open Table is a ministry organization with strategies and resources for helping families move from poverty to personal health and productivity. Through Open Table, you don’t need to have all the answers and you won’t bear the burden all alone. A collaborative team of 12 people will work together to solve the complex issues of re-establishing a person or family out of homelessness into stability. 

Picture a large table with 13 chairs. One chair is for the family we are assisting, the other 12 chairs are for people to come alongside and help. Each chair represents a different area of responsibility – for example, housing needs, finances, transportation, education, job skills, etc. Each person sitting at the table will take responsibility for their area and help the family regain their footing. The 13 people at the table are working together to bear the burdens and responsibility to bring the family to long-term health and wholeness.

This month LBF will officially begin a new project in alignment with our Love in Action
vision called Open Table. This is a project that has been several years in the making and it is all about connecting with our community and helping the homeless.

This project has two phases. Phase one includes partnering with Mercy House in
Ontario by sponsoring families while they are in their program. During this time we will
receive training from Mercy House and then be assigned to a person or family who has been taken off the street and have entered into Mercy House’s program. 

Mercy House does more than just house people. They also have programs designed to meet the specific needs of each family so that at the end of their program, they will have a better opportunity for success. During the time they are living at Mercy House, LBF members will meet the family and become acquainted with them. We want to be an encouragement to these families while they are in the program at Mercy House and create a foundation of relationship that we will build from when we launch phase two.

Phase two begins once they are released from Mercy House. It’s at this time that we will move from sponsoring a family to adopting a family. We will build upon the relationship started during their time at Mercy House and continue that relationship for the next 12 months. 

During these next 12 months we will assist this family in a variety of ways. Our goal is to wrap our arms of love around them and help them complete the process they began at Mercy House. 

As I mentioned earlier, what we are about to embark on has been several years in the making. This new effort takes into consideration the needs and the barriers to solving those needs, and provides a solution that really falls upon all of us as followers of Jesus. 

But in our church we will share the load of this need together. And together we will help people out of poverty, while at the same time we will have the opportunity to address their spiritual need as well. I could not be more excited for this opportunity and the impact it will have in our city and in our church, but more directly in the lives of people God allows us to love.

Next Steps

There you have it. This project involves our church, Mercy House, and Open Table. Together we have the privilege of helping people in very real and tangible ways. 

If this type of project makes your heart beat fast or you feel like you can’t wait to become involved, I want to invite you to an informational meeting on January 26, at 12:15 p.m. in The Garage. Lunch will be included.

In the meantime, please be part of this effort by praying for the families that God will bring into our lives, for the people from this church who will be engaging face to face with those in need, for the two organizations we are partnering with, and for the desire to grow this ministry and see it impact our city for Jesus.

There is a huge opportunity to put our love into action. Will you be part of the team?

Loving the Homeless

By Gary Keith, Lead Pastor 

For several years now I have had a growing desire to see our church become involved with helping the needs of the homeless. I naively thought it would be a simple thing to find a homeless person and have our church, with its many resources, step in and turn someone’s life around. But the more I learned about the issue of homelessness, the more I learned that it was a complex subject with challenging solutions.

But I’m glad to say that we are now at a place where LBF is ready to put our “Love in Action” as it relates to homelessness. Let me explain.

Starting in September, LBF will adopt one or two families who are currently residing at the Foothill Family Shelter (FFS) in Upland. FFS has been doing a wonderful job for the last 25 years in taking people off the street and providing them a place to live, along with providing the kind of support they need to return to a healthy lifestyle. They provide a four-month program and after that, they continue to provide guidance. But they can use support from local churches at this point to help a person or family continue on the road to sustainability.

This is where LBF will step in. Step one will be to sponsor families at FFS while they are in the four-month program. This will involve getting to know the family, building a trust relationship with them, and letting them get to know us. Once the four-month program is completed, LBF will adopt this family for one year. During this year we will continue to help them get back on their feet in the specific areas of need they have.

We will do this by providing a team of 10-12 people who will walk with the family personally for a year. Each person on the team will have a specific area of responsibility. For example, someone can help them obtain their Social Security support, someone can help with finding them a job or using a computer, and someone can help with providing food when necessary. There are 12 different areas in which we will be able to help.

One of the keys to make our effort in helping the homeless succeed was finding a partner who could show us the way. I have found such an organization: Open Table. They will provide all the training we need to successfully walk with someone for a year and be part of transforming their life out of poverty and into health.

To help get this moving I’m looking for an Open Table Church Coordinator. This will require some training and about five hours of ministry per week. Once we have that Coordinator trained, then we can move forward in training our Table Teams.

It’s hard to express this on paper, but you need to know that I’m very excited that soon we will be putting our “Love into Action” and tangibly helping people break out of poverty. I anticipate that God will use our love for Him and for people to make a significant difference in our own lives, as well as many lives within our city.

Please join me in prayer for the start of this new ministry. If you are interested in becoming involved, feel free to send me an email at gary@lbfchurch.com.