Charter Member

When Paul started his ministry downtown at the Carpenter’s Cellar, many of the homeless told him that this was their church. Paul was quick to remind them that it was a ministry but not a church. He always encouraged them to become connected to a body of believers for fellowship and accountability.

But if our ministry had been a church, Eric Hall would be a charter member. As Paul mentioned in his last post, Eric was the first person that we met downtown. We called him our “street evangelist” because he would go on the street during the week and invite people to come on Tuesday. His motive may have been to let everyone know there was an alternative to soup kitchen food. He was our eyes and ears for downtown information. Many times if we had a concern about someone we could check them out with Eric. He could tell us if this person was a potential problem or not. Also, often people would ask us about other services that were available in Greenville for the homeless. Again we would turn to Eric and he could provide information such as where to get your clothes washed, how and when to get medical care, and any other organizations that was available.

We learned a great deal about living on the street from Eric. For instance, many carry all their clothes in a back pack. Others hide their clothes in different places and just retrieve them when they want to change clothes. This method prevents their things from getting stolen. We have a dresser to put our clothes into different drawers; they put theirs in different locations for storage.

Eric also taught us some of the slang on street. A “cat hole” is an abandoned building where one could stay for shelter. Another term used is “the Sally” which is the Salvation Army. We leaned that people predominately use nicknames such as “cornbread’ (Eric), “spirit” (not sure what spirit), “tiny’ who is not tiny, and many call Paul “Rev” which is short for Reverend.

Eric has shown himself very resourceful on finding places to stay. Many people have allowed him to stay in their home for short periods of time. This could be an actual room or he could sleep on the couch or even on the front porch. In between these short stays he may stay at the downtown mission in the winter or in a “cat hole” weather permitting. At times because of our relationship with him, Food for Life has provided short term housing for him as funds were available.

Eric earns money mostly from working at Labor Finders, which pays at the end of each work day. This seems to be the only option to earn money on the street. Applying for a job is not easy when you have no address or telephone number. Some even resort to selling their blood plasma to get money. It takes about 2 hours and you can earn about $25.00. The amount is doubled if you return the same week.

Eric gets along with everyone because he is so friendly. He hugs everyone. He loves to talk and eat sweets. We continually try to get him to attend our Bible study but he prefers to be in the kitchen for socializing and checking out what kind of food we are preparing.

He is as much a part of our ministry as anyone because we have developed a real relationship with him. He helps us and we help him. Each week we teach God’s Word and provide food for the hungry and pray for our downtown friends. I would like ask anyone reading this post to pray for Eric this week.

Because of Paul’s desire to help the less fortunate downtown and Eric’s continuous assistance during the week we served 92 meals with the assistance of 14 volunteers. We are very grateful for all who help each week and pray God’s blessings on them and their family. Without their help we could not proclaim the glorious gospel to those downtown. May God though Jesus Christ get all the glory.

~Marc

Humble Beginning

What would it feel like to be given a life sentence in prison and then be set free? On October 1, 2000, I was set free from prison. For 31 years, I was imprisoned by a sin nature. This is the story of God's grace.

I remember walking the streets one night with nowhere to go. None of my friends trusted me, and because of that no one would give me a place to stay. I was ashamed to call my family because of my bad choices and bad track record. My car was in the shop, and I had no money, so I just walked with nowhere to go.

One day in a park in Rock Hill, SC, I met Jesus, and He changed my life. I knew from the moment I prayed that I had become right with God. As a result of being free from sin, I went on a mission trip to Romania where I saw great need for the basic essentials of life, a tooth brush, soap, a hair brush, etc.

Soon after, God gave me the idea for "The Back Pack Minister." It was a backpack filled with all the basic essentials to minister to the physical needs of a person. I called it "a preacher on your back." As a result, a ministry was birthed.

I started a Bible study at the Carpenter Cellar Coffee Shop not knowing what the outcome would be. I only had a passion to serve people and read God's Word. It was a miracle how many people didn't come. I was a zealous man with very little knowledge, but God uses the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. There were times that it was just me, my mom, and my dad, but I felt called to remain faithful.

One summer evening, I met a guy named Eric. Eric and I sat and talked that night in the back of the Carpenter Cellar at a round table and ate pizza. Little did I know that the next week Eric would bring fifteen homeless people off the street to the Bible study. The moment they walked in we were scrambling. We didn't have enough food or coffee, so we ran around trying to meet their needs. Mom went out to get pizza and I made coffee while Dad kept them busy. That night the homeless community became aware that we were there to serve on Tuesday nights. Within two years of that humble beginning, the Carpenter Cellar became overcrowded with the homeless, impoverished, and hungry. We fed up to 80 people a week in a space meant to hold 50. At that point we began to pray for a venue with more space, and God provided the Triune Mercy Center.

The first book of the Bible we walked through was Ephesians. We are now walking through Romans and have been serving the homeless and impoverished for the last two years at the Triune Mercy Center. Oh, the stories we could tell, the people we have met, and the needs God has fulfilled. God has given the means to not only provide physical and spiritual food, but also coats, blankets, sleeping bags, toiletries, and help with payments for bus tickets or occasional power bills, but most importantly, God has given us new relationships and the ability to see His grace upon our own lives. Whether it be the homeless, the impoverished, or the volunteers, we have made many friends and love each one. We will continue to serve God with a heart of gratitude. Where He leads we will follow.

We invite others to come and experience Food for Life Ministry. For if we sacrifice this life, our treasures will be found in heaven, where moth and rust cannot destroy.

I want to say a special thanks to anyone that God has used to further this cause. No gift has been too small. Because of the gifts given, Food for Life's 16 volunteers were able to put chicken enchiladas and fruit salad on 82 plates this week. A special thanks to God for the hot sauce on the tables.

~Paul

First Time Reader

Deborah Camp has been attending the Bible studies at Food for Life Ministries for about three years. She has had a very supportive attitude toward Paul and the ministry during the years that she has attended.

About two years ago, I met Deborah for the first time, which was actually the first evening that I started volunteering at Food for Life. I began spending a little bit of time talking to her every week. A few weeks after I met her, she asked me what I did for a job, and I told her that I teach abstinence education now but that I had taught students with learning disabilities how to read and write for several years.

As soon as she realized that I had taught reading to kids with learning struggles, she said, "You could teach me." I really did not believe that she was serious, so I just shrugged it off as a passing comment. Every week after that for about six weeks Deborah asked me if I would teach her how to read. After about the sixth request I told her that I would teach her if she would come an extra hour early every week. Once again, I did not believe that she would be consistent about coming early, because she obviously does not drive since she cannot read and write. Starting the very next week, which was exactly one year ago, she made sure she was there an hour early unless she called in advance to tell us that she could not be there.

The first week I gave her an assessment and discovered that she could not even put the alphabet in order. She has six children, none of which she has custody of, and she was told that she could not keep her children because of the fact that she cannot read and write. Her greatest reason for learning to read is her desire to be able to see her children again.

Paul and I soon realized that one of her greatest hindrances was the fact that she could not see the words on the pages well because of poor eyesight. We were able to get her some glasses, which was a noticeable help to her.

One year later, she has now learned all of the letters in the alphabet and the sounds that each letter makes. She has learned how to spell many words and read and write sentences that follow basic phonics rules. She has a long way to go, but using the Wilson Reading and Writing program is going to be so helpful to her in the long run.

One day we hope to be able to have a tutoring program for Deborah and others which would be available more than once a week and would help her to move forward at a much faster pace. We are praying that God will give us a building that will have the capacity to host dinners, Bible studies, and a tutoring room. We will see what God will do!

This week we had ten volunteers, all of which also attend North Hills Community Church. We served 92 meals, and the individuals eating the food seemed to really enjoy it. We are thankful for what is happening and hopeful for what will happen in the future.

~Charity

Call 911

Every Tuesday night a group of volunteers from different walks of life go downtown Greenville to prepare food for the homeless and poor. The goal is to not only feed the body but give everyone spiritual food. The volunteers arrive about 7:00pm to start preparing the food and have it ready for serving about 8:00pm. During the food preparation time Paul Blumer continues with the weekly study of the book of Romans. We started studying this amazing book in the Bible over a year ago and God's Spirit has not only convicted our guests but also the volunteers. We are currently studying Chapter 9 verse by verse. This particular night we had 9 volunteers and we served 62 meals. It is very difficult to plan the evening. Do we have enough food? Our attendance has ranged as low as 35 to as high as 92. The worst thing you can do is run out of food. Many depend on a good supply in order wrap up a plate to take with them. Some have low paying jobs but many actually live on the street. There are men and woman of varying ages. Most are respectful and very appreciative of our ministry to body and soul. There are times when it can be difficult especially when someone is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Last night someone got into an argument during the gospel message and would not be quiet. Since these things can escalate quickly into a fight it is necessary to remove that individual as quickly as possible. In this particular case he didn't want to leave after being asked so we had to call 911. He finally left and we continued with the service. After this disturbance we had music by some very talented young people from North Hills Community Church. Everyone enjoyed the music and the food. After the meal you could see various volunteers ministering to the people. An older gentleman who was living on the street asked for prayer to be released from the bondage of alcohol that is killing him. Some seeking bus transportation home hoping to start a new life. Every one helps clean up before we leave at about 9:30pm. You never know what will happen but we are depending on God's mercy for us as volunteers and for the homeless of Greenville.

-Marc