By Pete Semple
There are many ways to die on the streets, ranging from starvation to hypothermia. Even in an area where the temperatures are not so extreme, the homeless of Raleigh, N.C., have to deal daily with the question of survival. Without shelter and support, their odds for survival diminish.
Six years ago, Stephanie Narron moved to the Raleigh area. She observed the many individuals who called the streets “home.” Her heart went out to the homeless, and she began to help them. They were little things at first, but acts that doubtless made a difference.
“I would normally carry water and snacks in my trunk,” she says. She’d pull her vehicle along side them and offer them to homeless people she would see.
Her ministry expanded to providing clothing, umbrellas, sleeping bags, and other essentials. Eventually, she was distributing so much that she had to buy a larger vehicle.
Before long, her efforts caught the attention of others at Hope Community Church, a Grace Brethren church in Raliegh, N.C. (Mike Lee, pastor) where she is a member.
“I believe strongly that we should glorify God and not ourselves,” Narron says. “That’s why I didn’t say much about what I was doing.”
The ministry continued to grow in size and scope as people joined her, culminating in an ambitious effort to keep the homeless out of the cold during the harsher days of winter.
Narron and her fellow workers established a “white flag shelter” at Hope Community Church. The name comes from the white flag that is hung outside the shelter to alert the community to unsafe conditions and to let those who need temporary housing know that the shelter is open. Unsafe conditions usually means when the outdoor temperature drops below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. The shelter provides meals, showers, laundry service, and sleeping accommodations.
The church shelter provides a wonderful opportunity for those who have nowhere else to go. In surrounding Wake County, only two shelters downtown are open for men. Women and children have significantly more options, so for now, the shelter at Hope Community is open only to men.
In addition to the shelter, Narron and her fellow volunteers have continued her original ministry, taking bug spray, sleeping bags, and other essentials to those who need them, making sure to spend some quality time with the men and women who live on the street.
“What really matters to them is your time,” she says.
In addition to the church shelter, Narron and others offer “meals on wheels for the homeless.” Three times a week through the fall, volunteers have taken food to the homeless.
Hope Community Church is aptly named. Through it, God has provided hope for many who might otherwise have perished on the streets. By meeting their physical needs, volunteers have introduced the homeless to the love of the One who can meet their spiritual needs — Jesus Christ.
Pete Semple was an editorial intern with the Brethren Missionary Herald Company during the summer 2008. He is a member of the Grace Brethren Church of Columbus, Ohio, and is a student in the professional writing program at Taylor University-Fort Wayne.