For 10 years, our youth ministry has served at the rescue mission. The mission invites churches to lead a chapel service once a month; ideally, they would like to have 30 churches commit so every night is covered. The services last an hour and happen right before dinner. Our students participate in the entire service—from greetings and readings to brief messages and music. Obviously it’s a tremendous opportunity for them to develop their leadership gifts in a new and unfamiliar context. Everyone has to stretch.
The hardest part is getting them there. Our students are busy (no revelation to you, I realize). Often they come straight to chapel services from a game or practice.
One time, one of our boys arrived in full baseball uniform, having been taken to the mission immediately after pitching a game. To me it looked funny to have this boy in leggings and bright red cap playing his pink electric guitar up front. As I chuckled and thought, “This looks so funny,” I realized nothing looks crazy at the rescue mission. It is a place full of obvious brokenness and pain. In the midst of addiction, poverty, mental illness and homelessness, the last thing the residents are worried about is what we look like. Frankly, it always has been the most accepting environment in my week. Unlike everywhere else I go in this beach town full of beautiful people, no one at the mission sizes me up when I arrive.
Another time, a girl of 14 from our group was set to share. Ideally when a student volunteers to speak, his or her small-group leader meets with him or her ahead of time to help prepare. Let’s be honest: Sometimes that doesn’t happen, and this was one of those times. This girl walked up to the rickety podium with the cheap microphone and started with, “Hi, my name is Sherry (not her real name). Today I’m going to talk about temptation. Now I don’t know how familiar you are with temptation…”
I stood in the back and could hear a murmur rumble through the room. Given that one of the primary factors of homelessness is substance abuse, this was definitely a group familiar with temptation. I gritted my teeth, fearful about what she might say. Sherry described how tempting it is for her to fight with her younger brother over using the computer or watching her shows on TV. “Oh dear,” I thought to myself. “These folks are going to be so offended by our privileged, easy lives.”
Then the opposite happened. As Sherry talked about fighting her desire to hit her brother, various mission residents shouted out encouragements: “You go, girl!” or “Keep tryin’, Sherry!” She shared verses that helped her in her struggles and thanked them for listening. Everyone clapped as she headed back to her seat.
This is the best part of the rescue mission chapel services for us: It is not simply a place of service for our students; there is true give-and-take here. The residents minister to us by offering encouragement, applause and pats on the back. They are the most accepting and forgiving people our youth have faced. Teenagers’ voices can be off key; beats can be off tempo; messages can lack polish; and these folks simply do not care.
They are so pleased that our kids want to be with them that mere attempts are more than enough. It has been a delight, and frankly, a huge surprise to me. Often as we visit afterward they tell us, “You are our favorite group! I just love seeing those kids up front. It gives me hope.”
Getting Started
How did we get started? Our church has supported the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission (sbrm.org) for more than a decade because we like to support local ministries as much as international ones. At some point, two students asked if I could help them work at the mission to complete some community service hours. As I made inquiries, I found out that some of our church members were leading chapel once a month. I thought it would be fun for our youth group to do that sometime, too.
Unexpectedly, we loved it! Students asked me to sign us up again. We ended up doing it two or three times that year, and soon I took the leap and committed us to monthly services. The high schoolers provide the majority of chapels, but three times a year I have the junior-high group do it, as well. A favorite mental image of mine is seeing three eighth-grade girls stand up in praise during a worship song, mostly to support their friends leading up front. Once they stood up, several mission visitors slowly rose around the chapel. A verse from Isaiah popped into my mind: “The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them” (
Now not only do we lead chapel, but students prepare, serve and clean up dinner each time, too. A small Bible-study group volunteers each month to collect donations, which vary each month: toothbrushes and toothpaste, new socks, shoes, blankets and jackets all were gathered last year. We also slowly are learning how to come a half hour early in order to visit with people there. Our students have needed coaching on this; but again, it has been worth the time.
Who Is Rescuing Whom?
One does not need to look far in the Bible to find scriptural support for this ministry. However, the passage that best expresses our time there is found in
Jesus is busy and pressured by a large crowd. Nevertheless, He stops to hear her story despite what would be viewed as the most urgent of agendas (a dying child). Keep in mind she probably told Him the whole story. If you think of how long it takes to recount one trip to the ER, imagine how long it would take to sit through 12 years of treatments, doctors, hopes dashed, etc. Jesus calls her “Daughter,” extending intimacy and relationship to an outcast. Simply put, He doesn’t write her off. She matters and is worth time and relationship.
The rescue mission has, in fact, rescued us—from our mistaken notions about who the homeless are. We have discovered they are real people who have something to offer us, as well. As Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.” Bring teachable hearts and God’s heart for others. You’ll never be the same.
Getting Involved
Towns big and small have services for the homeless. The Association of Gospel Rescue Missions (agrm.org) has 257 member organizations, but many local missions are independent organizations. Do some research or contact your local officials to learn about the needs in your community.
Photo by Paul Turner. Used with permission from Adventures in Missions.
