Showing God's Love
The Pine Valley United Methodist Church Ogden by the Sea United Methodist Women’s Circle recently completed an installation of a ladies' lounge and library at First Fruit Ministry. Thanks to a church member who funded this project, they were able to refurbish the entire room and bathroom to make it a coastal spa retreat for the 14 women who are guest residents there. This was a collective effort of their circle. They said it was a blessing to do this, and it is part of the mission of the United Methodist Women to go and do. Some of the other circles are donating hygiene items and cash to buy more supplies.
First Fruit Ministries shares the unconditional love of God through food, shelter, and friendship with those experiencing homelessness and poverty in Southeastern North Carolina. First Fruit focuses on supportive housing for women and families and street outreaches, including street feeding programs, food pantry service, outreach to home-bound widows, and a day shelter that provides medical care, emergency services, and housing referrals. This ministry was developed in 1998 when founder Rick Stoker began bringing food and supplies to homeless, runaway children in downtown Wilmington. This quickly grew to be a street outreach to people living under bridges and in the woods of our community, women, and girls caught in the commercial sex industry and human trafficking, and to our local gangs.
In 2000, First Fruit Ministries opened a transitional housing program, Wilmington Dream Center Supportive Housing, in response to women who had been rescued from trafficking and had no place to heal mentally and physically. It is a safe place for any homeless woman who desires real transformation in her life through therapeutic community living and intensive case management. It includes twelve beds of transitional housing for homeless women and two apartments for families, most of whom are victims of trauma– particularly domestic violence and sexual abuse. Often, they are recovering from addiction, a high percentage of whom suffer from mental illness. In addition, there are two units of permanent, supportive housing for chronically homeless women who are unlikely to be able to live independently and need continual support to remain housed.
Matthew 25:40, “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” What does this phrase "least of these" mean? It does not mean that some humans are less valuable than others. All human beings have the same worth or value because they are made in the image of God. Genesis 1:26-27, “Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and overall the creatures that move along the ground. So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”
The least of the brothers and sisters of Jesus are those persons who are vulnerable. They are the socially, psychologically, or economically disadvantaged, such as the sick, the poor, the mentally and physically disabled. As Mother Teresa of Calcutta put it, “When we look into the face of one of them, we see the face of Jesus.” It is not up to us to judge people who are homeless or anyone else who may face challenges or be at a disadvantage. We are simply to reach out and show Jesus’ love. Thank you, ladies, for doing just that!