A tiny village for the homeless

PORTLAND, Ore. — “Jesus was homeless,” Ron Clark says.

In Luke 9:58, the Savior declares, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

Clark, lead church planter for the Agape Church of Christ, works to provide shelter for this Pacific Northwest city’s homeless.

He’s a board member for the nonprofit building Agape Village — 15 tiny houses on a hillside overlooking a major interstate. Nearby Central Nazarene Church owns the property.

“We started trying to look at what it looks like to love God and love our neighbor, especially when our neighbors are people who were literally living in tents on our property,” Nazarene pastor Matt Huff said.

This summer, Ron and Lori Clark organized the annual Agape Blitz, welcoming mission groups to help build Portland’s sixth village of tiny houses.

The Federal Way Church of Christ in Washington state, the Saturn Road Church of Christ in Garland, Texas, the Oregon City Church of Christ in Oregon and The Park Church of Christ in Tulsa, Okla., all sent teams. So did Columbia Christian Schools in Portland.

Lucas Ivey, 16, and Naomi Johnson, 13, from the West Main Church of Christ in Medford, Ore., work at Agape Village.

“The Bible tells us to love our neighbors,” said Naomi Johnson, 13, part of a group from the West Main Church of Christ in Medford, Ore. “Even though some people don’t have money to buy houses or do extravagant things, we still need to love them and help them.”

A view inside one of the 15 tiny houses at Agape Village in Portland, Ore.

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