UMTV Web Brief 7/29/02

Crisis of Conscience Intro:
Welcome to UMTV’s web brief, I’m Reed Galin. You’re walking down a city street, when out steps a panhandler asking for your “good will,” shall we say. What’s your gut reaction? How do you decide who “deserves” a gesture? Are they really hurt … really a veteran? Does it matter? Confronting a panhandler is always a confrontation with yourself.

Crisis of Conscience Story:

Steve: "I’ve been out on the streets off and on for like thirteen years."

STEVE DOESN'T LIE ABOUT WHAT PUT HIM ON THE STREETS.

Steve: "Drinkin' and druggin'.”

IN ANY CITY, WE STRUGGLE WITH WHAT TO DO WHEN WE SEE SOMEONE LIKE STEVE. WE WANT TO BE COMPASSIONATE, BUT DON’T WANT TO CONTRIBUTE TO SOMEONE’S DESTRUCTIVE HABITS. WE CAN FEEL LIKE A SUCKER IF WE HELP, GUILTY IF WE DON’T.

Woman on the street: "I don't want people to be cold and hungry."

REVEREND SHIRLEY MAJORS-JONES RUNS COMMUNITY CARE FELLOWSHIP - A UNITED METHODIST MINISTRY THAT HELPS THE HOMELESS. SHE KNOWS THE PUBLIC CAN BE CYNICAL ABOUT THE REASONS PEOPLE END UP IN NEED.

Shirley Majors-Jones / Community Care Fellowship - “I really have not found anybody in all the 31,000 people we served last year that said ‘I really love being homeless.’”

Larry / Street person on corner panhandling: "I have to do this maybe two or three times a week during the hard times."

SO WHAT CAN IT HURT TO SHARE A LITTLE CASH? AT LEAST IT MAKES US FEEL LIKE WE’RE DOING SOMETHING.

Bob Cote / Step 13: "They're committing suicide on the installment plan. What you’re doing is helping to destroy them."

BOB COTE IS A FORMER STREET ALCOHOLIC WHO FOUNDED "STEP 13," A SHELTER WHERE RESIDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO WORK AND STAY SOBER.

Bob Cote: "This coupon good for one free meal. Need a job, a place to live? Step 13 offers you a chance to take charge of your life."

ADVOCATES AGREE THAT CHANGE IS WHAT THE HOMELESS NEED, BUT NOT THE KIND OF CHANGE IN YOUR POCKET.

Shirley Majors-Jones: “There are a lot of problems we need to ask ourselves how we can solve for those who are disenfranchised and marginalized. We need to be asking ourselves those kinds of questions, instead of making the homeless the bad guys. They’re just doing what they have to do in order to survive.”

Sisters’ Service Intro:

If you ask United Methodist pastor, Pat Simpson, about this, she’ll tell you the need to reach out to homeless people isn’t really about your inner struggle. She says it should be about “their” need to connect with society. Pat leads the Church of Mary Magdalene, which ministers to homeless women in Seattle.

Sisters’ Service Commentary:

Many women have issues with the church because they may feel judged or blamed for what’s happened to them, or they might even feel that God is angry with them and is punishing them somehow by making them homeless.

We really try to present the gospel by emphasizing that Jesus reached out to people who were poor, who were outsiders. We were just singing “Jesus Loves Me” downstairs and I guess that’s the simplest message. We want to remind women that God loves them for who they are and cherishes them and wants them to have a better life.

We work with them step by step, one little increment at a time. I just talked with a woman this morning who’s getting an apartment next week, and she asked if I could come over and bless her new home. Those are some of my most joyous days.

The other big reward for me is to watch the women caring for each other... especially those who have gotten some stability in their lives and when they’re able to reach out to somebody else and say, “There’s hope for you.” That’s what community is all about.

Second Chances Intro:

A lot of people in this country are feeling the effects of a tight economy. Some may need a little extra help bouncing back. That’s the focus of a ministry in Dallas, where folks don’t assume that simple hard work and “willingness” to fend for yourself is always enough.

Second Chances Story:

Floyd Franklin: “A wise man will hear and increase learning.”

TO OTHERS, IT WOULD NOT SEEM THAT FLOYD FRANKLIN HAS MUCH REASON TO BE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT HIS FUTURE.

Floyd Franklin: “Last night it was crowded at the mission.”

BUT TODAY, SITTING WITH FRIENDS AT THE FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH BIBLE STUDY IN DALLAS, FLOYD IS HOPEFUL.

Floyd Franklin: “It’s just like we’re family, and I like that.”

HE’S HOMELESS. FLOYD WAS HURT ON THE JOB EIGHT MONTHS AGO, AND EVERYTHING BEGAN SLIPPING AWAY - EVERYTHING BUT HIS PERSPECTIVE.

Floyd Franklin: “Everybody wants it now because, you know, they don’t have anything and they want it now. But you can’t have, you know, it comes in time.”

IN TIME, FLOYD FOUND THE CHURCH’S COMMUNITY CROSSROADS MISSION.

Cyndi Peters: “We want to help families and individuals who are experiencing some level of economic stress, to help them stabilize their situation.”

FOR CHURCH MEMBERS, IT’S NOT ABOUT HOW FLOYD ENDED UP HERE, OR WHY - BUT ABOUT GIVING HIM A CONNECTION TO THE COMMUNITY.

Dr. John Fielder: “And it speaks as much about our humanity and our faith as it does theirs.”

Floyd Franklin: “I’m calling in reference to the job opportunity...”

FOR FLOYD, IT’S ABOUT BEING A CARPENTER AGAIN. THERE ARE OTHER NECESSITIES FOR REINTEGRATING WITH SOCIETY - A HOME ADDRESS, FOR STARTERS. THE CHURCH OFFERS THAT, TOO.

Floyd Franklin: “And I notice, if I keep my faith, I go up a little bit farther, a little bit farther. I feel a lot better today than I’ve felt in a long time.”

Tag / Tease Next Week:
Parishioners have embraced the program. In fact, 90-percent of Crossroads volunteers are church members.