Homelessness is broad and far reaching.  As an individual believer or church, you might feel there isn’t much you can do. 

Homelessness demands a lot of resources.  You might feel you have enough problems of your own. 

Homelessness takes many of us out of our comfort zones.  You might have fears and insecurities about involvement.

Reasons not to get involved will abound so you need to just begin.  Here’s a process for getting your church involved:

1. Promote an awareness of the causes and  solutions of homelessness.   Look at it from a biblical perspective.  — Educate people about homelessness.
2. Partner with other ministries and community programs through giving of time, finances, and other resources.  Encourage individual giving but also set the example as a church and an easy path for individuals to give.  — Expose people to homelessness.
3. Present or provide opportunities for people to help both in preventing homelessness and assisting those who are homeless locally and beyond.  Encourage everybody to do their part in ways that fit with their gifting and skill sets and you will make greater inroads into motivating them to get involved.  — Engage people with the homeless.

Note the process:
       Educate, expose in less threatening ways, and then engage.

Obviously people who are homeless need shelter, food, warmth, and personal goods. Distributing these items is a meaningful ministry, sharing the love of Christ in tangible ways.  However, if we never get beyond the symptoms of homelessness to addressing the causes and real needs, we will do little to solve this problem.

Those who lost their jobs, can’t afford health insurance, and the like need help finding employment and paying medical and other bills – a sense of security.

Those in family crisis (death, divorce, estrangement) need counsel, comfort, and practical assistance – a sense of perspective.

Those with substance abuse problems need help overcoming their addictions – a sense of victory.

Those released from prison need help getting back into society, gaining employment, etc. – a sense of forgiveness.

Those from a foster care background need to know they matter to someone, have someone they can trust, and find help in establishing roots – a sense of belonging.

Those who are victims of natural disaster need help rebuilding their lives, maybe their homes — a sense of hope.

Of anybody, shouldn’t we as Christians be able to provide people with that sense of security, perspective, victory, forgiveness, belonging, and hope?  Meeting those needs goes beyond the physical realm.

In the U.S. the first week of October is Mental Illness Awareness Week, established in 1990 due to the increase of mental illness.  Tuesday of that week is the National Day of Prayer for Mental Illness Awareness Recovery and Understanding. 

So I ask: 

How much do you understand about mental illness? 

How much is physiological? (i.e., chemical imbalance)

How much is psychological?   (i.e., faulty belief system)

How much is emotional?  (i.e., reaction to trauma, loss, abuse, etc.)

How much is sociological?  (i.e., conditioning, environmental)

How much is spiritual?  (i.e., result of a hardened heart, sin, or spiritual warfare)

I’m not sure that we can always know the answers to those questions which supports the need to minister to the whole person.  God made us with a body, mind, will, emotions, and a spirit and He made us a relational being.  All these areas weave together and can affect each other.

If you don’t fully understand mental health issues and don’t know how to come along side of people with mental illness, just treat them as whole people:

Physiological:  Encourage them to get regular physical check-ups, to eat well, exercise, and get enough sleep.

Psychological:  Help them work through faulty beliefs.

Emotional:  Comfort, support, and encourage.

Sociological:  Point the person to the power of God to break cycles.

Spiritual:  Pray for them.  Engage in a discipleship process.  Share God’s Word with them.

Just as you might not fully understand a person’s physical health issues, so you might not  be able to get a good grip on mental health issues.  That doesn’t mean you avoid them.  You still love them, accept them, and come along side as you are able.  You treat them as whole people made in the image of God and loved by Him.   You view them with value as you would any other human being.

When I worked as DCE of a church, I developed many of the activities for our Wednesday evening children’s classes.  I remember doing a session on Psalm 139:14.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

They made outlines of themselves on a long roll of butcher paper cut to their size.  Then they drew hair, facial features, clothes, etc. to make it look like themselves.  They used these outlines in a variety of ways to drive home the truth and ultimately got to hang them on the wall as a reminder.  They only scratched the surface, however, of the truth of Psalm 139:14.

Here is a video excerpt of a message by Louie Giglio for us adults to get a little deeper into just how wonderfully we are made.  Be sure to watch, and not just listen, to the end.  If you, as a follower of Jesus Christ, can watch this video and not go away praising the Lord, I’m not sure what will convince you of how wonderfully and fearfully you are made.

What a wonderful illustration of how we are wonderfully made that also demonstrates spiritual realities of how God is able to hold us together even in the darkest of circumstances!  What does it stir up within you? … comfort?  hope? encouragement? … don’t forget praise!