Chris Miller, President of Miller Management, is the host of this week’s episode. He is joined by his college, Eric Burger, Executive Director at Shelter KC.
This series will go into how we can be a generous church during this holiday season. Last week we discussed how to set up a benevolence ministry, and the next two weeks we will discuss how giving out benevolence really works.
Homelessness
Homelessness is a complex issue. The majority of homeless people either have an addiction or mental health issue, while the minority are actually in need, and having a temporary crisis. For either of those instances, giving cash out is usually not the best way to handle the situation.
Once the transactional process takes place the personal relationship is almost always out of the equation. A better way is to figure out how they can get the ultimate help that they need.
Receiving Help
Knowing the right way to help is key. So many people aren’t ready for a program, yet. Not ready to go into the church for the right reasons. Just as in the prodigal son story, the dad had to wait for the wayward son to hit rock bottom and for him to be ready to make the changes necessary before he could help.
The homeless population may look a little different than what you might expect. There are more single moms that are homeless in Kansas City than adult males. The hidden homless population – they are the ones that are in the temporary crisis. And who may not be reaching out for help.
The church has an opportunity here to model what a healthy, godly family looks like. That could help this hidden homless population more than anything.
How to Get Involved
Sometimes we’ve set up systems to train people how to get money. Feeding that homelessness system that doesn’t see the need for change. Versus that single mom who is in need and she is also a member of a church, where she is seen and known.
Citygate Network can give you access to a shelter near you. If you are in the Kansas City area, Shelter KC can partner with you to learn how to benefit the homeless in your area the best way. One great way to partner with these ministries is donate needed items and have them ready for a big Christmas giveaway. Or even just a donation to a local shelter is another way to get involved.
This ministry is all about giving hope, and that is a great message for this season.
Coming Up
Join us next week as we continue our series: Generosity in the Church with some other non-profit experts in the field.
Join the conversation, see behind the scenes, and learn more on our Instagram and X pages.
Special thanks to our guest, Eric Burger, and our masters of all things Podcasting, Chris and Lauren Miller, for this second episode in our Generosity and the Church series.