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
