Matthew 25:40 – “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

One way we go outside the walls of the church to reach the lost, the lonely, and the forgotten ones is through homeless ministry. For the first seven years, we led monthly outreaches on the streets of Pensacola, FL. We addressed their physical needs first by providing them with a home cooked meal and items such as hygiene supplies, tarps/tents, shoes, blankets and coats. This then opened the door for us to meet their spiritual needs by sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and offering prayer, whether that be for health, family, unforgiveness, or wounding. During this time, we realized how intricately woven together homelessness is with jail ministry and addiction recovery. So at the beginning of 2025, we shifted our focus to helping people on the front end of homelessness before we met them on the streets. Now in addition to providing them with basic needs, we also offer them resources through shelters in Pensacola, FL and Mobile, AL that we have partnerships with. If they battle addiction, we work with them to find a faith-based program that is right for them to get them the help they need. 

One thing has not changed – we are still very intentional about taking time to talk with them and get to know them on a personal level. They are more than simply “homeless people”, they are human beings. We are all one mistake or crisis away from being in their shoes. By letting them know that they are valued, loved, and special, we are showing them the love of God the Father.