Oklahoma
Hotel rooms — and hope — for the homeless
OKLAHOMA CITY — When the weather forecast called for two major…
Lessons for ministering to homeless neighbors
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As the founder of Second Chances — a faith-based ministry in Oklahoma City that gets to love and serve more than 250 unhoused friends daily — I know the importance of loving people without judgment.
I know the importance of looking them directly in the eyes while listening with our hearts. I know the importance of loving them like Jesus.
Robert G. Marbut Jr. “No Address: An Interactive Study Guide.” David C Cook Publishing. 2024. 128 pages. $17.99.
Robert G. Marbut Jr.’s “No Address: An Interactive Study Guide,” a companion to the documentary “Americans with No Address,” is truly a blessing that can help churches and individual Christians gather and focus on loving outside the church.
Not everyone knows exactly how to approach our unhoused friends who may be struggling with substance abuse, mental health challenges, human trafficking, sex trafficking, domestic violence, child abuse, sexual exploitation, elder abuse or simply the loss of a family member.
These are all situations that we at Second Chances have seen bring our friends into a season that they are unprepared for — be they a real estate agent, a child who has aged out of foster care, a veteran, somebody being released from prison, a president of a large corporation, or maybe just someone who lost their job.
As a community, we must be boots on the ground, ready to serve our friends and love them like Jesus would!
Related: Hotel rooms — and hope — for the homeless
As Paul writes in Galatians 5:13, “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”
Marbut Jr., founder of Haven for Hope, guides readers of his study guide through four sessions on the causes of homelessness, how to engage with homeless people, collaboration with existing agencies and mobilizing churches to follow Jesus’ call to serve.
Luke Hartman and his sons, with Delisa Herbert-Jones, deliver pizzas to unhoused friends in hotel rooms during a cold snap.
I felt so connected to the book, having seen how anyone can be one day away from homelessness.
I myself lived in abandoned houses and camps (ditches) as a child. To see others tell the story of hope brings me such joy! When children or young adults are left to the streets to survive, it often means that they are selling their soul — without anyone paying attention to their trauma.
The lessons of “No Address” hit close to home for me as I try to share with the members of my church the importance of knowing how to best help each of my friends. I plan to use the guide to facilitate a class at my congregation.
I’m excited to use it to bring a group of believers together to learn how to love on our community as a whole. It’s a great start to understanding how and where to help — rather than hinder or enable — our friends.
At Second Chances, we go out into homeless camps with the intention of loving on our friends and getting to know them personally so that we can facilitate a housing plan for them. Housing doesn’t happen overnight, so meeting survival needs — such as camping supplies — is often life-saving.
Meanwhile, our store address has been used by thousands of friends. Offering the use of an address to those without one can be just the starting point they need!
DELISA HERBERT-JONES is the founder of the Second Chances thrift store in Oklahoma City, a Christian ministry that benefits those struggling with homelessness, addiction, recovery, and other difficult transitions. She’s a member of the Memorial Road Church of Christ.
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