Continuing my thoughts from yesterday, it’s amazing how little I know about my own city of 30+ years. It’s like the city has an entire side to it that we don’t realize is there. A learned invisibility as we’ve trained ourselves to not to see the homeless. We don’t want to stare out of “politeness”. We try to not make direct eye contact for fear of being hit up for change. We roll up our windows or lock our car doors when they get too near to our cars. It was on another day of day street with Outreach, Inc where this lesson was truly driven home.
We were in another area, almost literally in the shadow of downtown Indianapolis, investigating the rumor of a new squat. We had stopped to talk to a homeless gentleman who was living under a bridge. While talking to him, he told us of a place where kids were known to congregate. So we went off to investigate. Now, to be straight, this day was miserable. Not only was it cold, but it raining, a constant drizzle which soaked us.
We crossed over the bridge and down a path through the trees which blocked the view from the main street. Gray slate rocks covered the railroad tracks we soon crossed over. Their slick surface nearly twisting our ankles as we slipped across them. A thick grove of overgrown branches formed a wall on the other side of the tracks, but careful examination revealed a slight pathway.
Someone had been here. Towels and pairs of short were half buried in the mud as if a makeshift welcome mat into the home. An action figure of the X-Men villain, Pyro, hung from a tree. Two steps into the underbrush and I was covered in brambles and burrs. The thick copse of trees opened up into a clearing. A burgundy car seat sat next to a vinyl green chair as if they had been arranged in someone’s living room.
Collected bags of trash, though some of which had been scattered by animals, walled off one end of the site. A discarded set of book shelves held a flashlight with a hand crank and several candles. A milk crate was on either end of the encampment, covered with toilet seats. One had a grocery bag lining, the other was supported by two by fours over a hole. It’s difficult to convey the mix of emotions in seeing the scene. The sense of squalor, though in some ways, you admire the ingenuity.
We hoped this was a party squat, with the amount of Cobra, Magnum 40, and Miller Lite bottles we found. But we made a note to come back and check on the site a few more times to see how active it was.
Damp and itchy from burrs we went off to the next location. We had been hearing tales of a tent city down by the river, with conflicting reports of it being a ministry or self-run by homeless men, but some clients had stayed there so we decided to investigate. Our initial foray was at night during a night street, but wiser heads prevailed in not traipsing into the woods late at night [read: “Johnny, hopefully I’m not the only black friend you have. But let me tell you right now, no amount of words is going to get me into these strange and unfamiliar woods late at night. I’ve seen how this movie ends.”].
By day, we found the site easily. At the time, only one gentleman was present, but the other tents were clearly in active use with everyone else gone for the day. Turns out the tent city was part of a quasi-ministry, one which still left us with many questions. But that’s a discussion for another day.But there you have it. A typical couple of days of what happens while on day street. In the end, it’s about finding and meeting the teens where they are and building relationships as their needs are met. It is hard and emotionally taxing work which is one reason I admire these folks so much.
And keep them in my prayers.
Few more questions /observations here! With all these religious/pastoral remarks you make in conjunction with the outreach: One thing a secular or other-religionist would want to know: is any of this help in any way contingent on attending prayer meetings etc? Do the organisers say it's not but they end up proselytising as much as possible? (Because I've heard that's a problem with much that is "faith-based" esp. prison programs where there is literally a captive audience!) Do you help, say, Pagan or Muslim homeless?! Just wondering! Would your chief organiser throw a fit at a pentacle (I've seen a British Anglican TV presenter do just that, on a religion documentary!) Would he patronisingly advise "clients" on nasty pentacle tattoo removal?! Just wondering! (He won't understand mine if he ever meets me: I'm planning some runic ones you'll need a degree in old Norse to decipher – not to be mistaken for white power rubbish!) Hmm..Another idea you bring up here I just have to take you up on: you know you've
the short answer is no.
there are no bait and switch tactics. actually, they carry out their mission in the way you saw Jesus live out his. most times when you saw him in action, he did something first, met the person in a practical way (such as healing them) before opening his mouth about anything "kingdom".
they meet the kids where they are, as they are.
That's great. That's nice to know. No "bait and switch" – those were the words I was looking for! Very.. like human and authentic. Er – you keep saying "kids" – are young people by far the largest group? In the current economic climate also? Or does the program concentrate its resources on youngsters? So: your "boss" there wouldn't balk at a pentacle here and there? Hey how about among the helpers? D'you have any non-Christian helpers? The reason I'm asking is because in a minute I'm going to say a couple of humorous-sounding things, which could also be taken seriously – you know I love ambiguity! (I just realised when bringing it up – I learned more off that Wagner's Loge than I knew: still, that's what a lonely classical-music-oriented teenagehood will do to one!) Please do answer my questions as and when but do let me finish my idea-packed patter! Takes a lot of effort for me to put these comments onto here – more than you know! Ah… what was I going to say? Ah wait a minute you never know!
Outreach Inc focuses primarily on teens and young adults (through age 24).
Tattoos are the least of anyone's worries.
[…] Continued tomorrow […]