Hungry at D & 96 Hwy

I spent the morning at the intersection of highways D and 96 with raggedy clothes, no shoes or socks and a sign that read HUNGRY. As many passed by, I started to pray and wonder what would happen as time passed.

Our goal in doing this was not to mock a horrible situation or make people feel poorly for passing by. Our goal was to initiate conversation and thought. Our goal was to share with people how, as we meet people’s physical needs, we show them the love of Jesus. In doing so, we also point them to the One who can meet their spiritual needs.

The first person stopped. He asked if he could buy me some breakfast. As I explained what we were doing at church, how I was a pastor, and how we were using this as a tool to speak with others, he explained to me that he was a pastor. We were able to pray together, and hopefully a friendship was started.

As the day continued, many people passed by, but a lot of people stopped to bring food, give money, and even give clothing and shoes (not all of it was received, but some people insisted that the money go to the church). In fact, one couple stopped with full rain gear, boots included! As people stopped, the conversation went something like this:

They would get my attention; I would ask if they were a Christian (only about 3 out of 40 or so people that stopped said they weren’t Christian); I would ask if they went to church; they would reply (if they said no, I would invite them to CCO); I would explain what I was doing there and what we were doing as a church; I would ask if we could pray (that was my favorite part! I got to pray with over 40 people on Sunday, two of whom weren’t Christian but really wanted to start going to church!); I would pray and thank them.

Of course, there is always someone who will not be pleased. There was an elderly lady who was not a Christian who became offended when she found out I wasn’t homeless. She drove off in a huff, and about twenty minutes later, a police officer pulled over. He said there was a complaint from a woman who said that I shouldn’t be there. He asked me what I was doing, and as I explained, he encouraged me. We talked for about a half hour, and he told me he was involved with the youth group at his church. (He was actually the brother of one of CCO’s members). He explained that while it was not illegal for me to be there, he would feel better if I moved down the block for safety reasons. I obliged and continued to sit and wait for the next person to stop.

Throughout the day I was able to meet so many people that I didn’t know before from CCO. I was also able to meet brothers and sisters from other congregations in the area. I was able to laugh with some, cry with some and pray for others who had illnesses and difficult situations. It was an amazing morning! It is awesome to see what the Body of Christ can do when we are Christ-centered and not self-centered.

As we learned this morning, “whatever you do for the least of these you do for Me”. I pray that we would continue to love Jesus and love others; that we would continue to meet the tangible needs of others to show them the love of Jesus and point them to Him; and that we would understand that Jesus is the One who will meet the needs of others both physically and spiritually. I praise God for all of you and am excited to see how we can honor Him in all we say and do. Imagine…

Adam Scutti,
Associate Discipleship Minister
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