Members of Grace Place Church take bags of food to distribute to the homeless
By Sharon Mager
DUNDALK, Md.—Grace Place Church has temporarily transformed into “Operation Homeless Helper,” Pastor Troy McDaniel said.
McDaniel challenged Grace Place Members to be “on-mission“ by being prepared to give food to those in need. Each week, members are asked to come forward and put together small bags or boxes of food that they can keep in their cars, along with tracts, to share with the homeless.
The food was in the church pantry and was also designated for disaster relief. Using the food to feed the homeless on the street, McDaniel said, is a way to get people out of the church, doing hands-on ministry.
“It’s something I’ve been doing for a year. I keep it in a box and accessible—within an arm’s reach. I also keep a little pile of tracts and business cards with my phone number on them. It gives me an opportunity to interact at stop lights, and other places, and I’ve gotten to witness through the ministry. I presented the entire gospel message to one girl,” McDaniel said.
As he gives away food he usually asks if the recipient is a believer. Most of the answers are yes, but as he investigates further he usually finds the person does not really understand what being a believer in Jesus really means.
“It allows me the opportunity to hand them a tract or quickly share the gospel. It also meets their needs immediately.”