USA (MNN) – On October 27th, CityTeam Ministries is
celebrating 50 years of serving the poor and homeless across America.
What started as one outreach in San Jose, California, has
grown into a ministry that touches hundreds of thousands daily in the inner
city.
CityTeam provides life-saving food, shelter,
clothing, recovery programs, youth outreach, camp for at-risk inner city kids,
discipleship and other essential care 365 days a year.
CityTeam President Patrick Robertson says they're more than
a homeless shelter: they're a church planting ministry. "The church
planters are the former drug and alcohol addicts and former prostitutes and
ex-cons, and those are the ones that are starting Discovery Bible Studies and fellowship
groups all across the nation."
Robertson says it is all about reaching out to one person at a
time to meet an immediate need and introduce them to the hope that only God can
provide. They're also mobilizing,
training and equipping local believers to meet felt needs in their own
communities.
When they engage families with the Bible and establish
communities of baptized believers who in radical obedience to the Word of God are transforming their communities,
the people they help are going to other communities to do the same.
Only that can truly change a life. That approach has brought
growth as well as more needs. "Pray that
our recovering addicts will stay strong in their faith and walk closely to the
Lord. Secondly, pray for our staff. We're realizing that what we need are harvesters."
By partnering with CityTeam, volunteers are not just
helping a homeless person off the street and moving them toward rehabilitation. They're helping transform a life, heal a family, bring reconciliation and
break the cycle of destructive behavior or poverty–from generation to
generation.
Partnership comes in many forms: volunteering, mentoring, being a prayer
partner, donating food or clothing, or giving a financial donation. Click here
if you can help.
