Washing The Homeless Feet

[CC1]

I just flew back home tonight from a business trip to Texas that included stops in both Austin and Ft. Worth.

I finally got to meet an esteemed AFFer who lives in the Dallas area and that meeting will be a thread in itself later this week when things calm down.

This morning I was able to zip across town and go to Randy Phillips Promise Land West second service (they have a 9 am and 11 am service on Sunday).

It was my first time visiting PLW as I normally go to the original Promise Land Church pastored by his dad Kenneth Phillips when I am in town.

During the annoucements they talked about something their youth department did with about 50 young people (teenagers I believe) about a week ago.

This was an all night event with the group first gathering for some fun and fellowship followed by a 3 am breakfast at IHOP.

They then headed to a place that deals with the homeless and served them breakfast, coffee etc.

More than that though they had a footwashing service and those young people washed the feet of those homeless men and woman.

They showed slides on the screen of them doing that and it was incredibly moving.

I think that was a wonderful lesson to teach those young folks in humility and serving others.

Especially since this church is in the more affluent part of town so I imagine most of those kids have had no exposure to those at the bottom of the socio economic scale.

[Sam]

Thank you for posting things like that.

I retired from General Electric here in the Cincinnati area a little over 10 years ago. While working there I was familiar with a man who had a pretty important and responsible position. I'd been in a couple of meetings he had chaired and I was impressed by him, especially the way he would gather and sift facts and then arrive at a decision.

Several years ago I met him again at a fellowship service in the city of Cincinnati. At that time he was involved in a ministry that goes to shelters, where they wash the feet of the homeless, give them pedicures, and dress and bandage sores on their feet. They then give the homeless people new socks and pray for any of their needs.

I was again impressed by this man. He had a high position at GE and I'm sure was paid well and provided a very good retirement. He is now "serving" people.

Another man I only met once at GE had a pretty good job in military engine sales. After his retirement, he and his wife work in the downtown section of Cincinnati known as "over the Rhine." It is a dangerous, high-crime area. They operate a facility known as The Lord's Gym which ministers to folks who have addiction problems. They have another facility called the Lord's Pantry where they feed people and another facility called the Nicolas Hoyer House where children can come after school and hang out and receive love, affirmation, and are ministered to spiritually. They also work with ministries in Haiti. They have been given good press in the Cincinnati media because of their work and because of "success stories" where down and out people have had their lives changed. Their web site is
http://www.focas-us.org/

I'm not trying to hijack this thread or turn attention away from what was done by the youth group mentioned in the original post. I'm just agreeing with what those kids did and how they ministered to people in need. In my opinion, things like this are "real" Christianity and so much more important than debate, judging, and measuring. In my opinion, this is how we fulfill Matthew 25:31-46.

[Sister Alvear]

need to see things like this more often. I am touched.

[Kay B]

Wonderful..thank you for sharing CC1 and Bro Sam.

[CC1]

Sam,

Your post reminded me that they did say they had given them new socks after washing their feet.

[BrotherEastman]

Touching indeed!

[the raven]

What good is washing the homeless feet if they are not saved nor part of the body of Christ.

This is nothing but feel good and believe nothing social gospel garbage. What is scary is when real apostolic/Pentecostals consider this type of stuff. Feed and clothe the homeless...fine. Wash their feet? Not without them having a relationship with God and evidencing repentance...what a load of baloney!

[BrotherEastman]

Originally Posted by the raven

What good is washing the homeless feet if they are not saved nor part of the body of Christ.

This is nothing but feel good and believe nothing social gospel garbage. What is scary is when real apostolic/Pentecostals consider this type of stuff. Feed and clothe the homeless...fine. Wash their feet? Not without them having a relationship with God and evidencing repentance...what a load of baloney!

Did Jesus wash the feet of his disciples because they had a relationship with him, or did Jesus wash their feet to show them humility? Please enlighten us and show us the errors of our ways.

[Baron1710]

Originally Posted by the raven

What good is washing the homeless feet if they are not saved nor part of the body of Christ.

This is nothing but feel good and believe nothing social gospel garbage. What is scary is when real apostolic/Pentecostals consider this type of stuff. Feed and clothe the homeless...fine. Wash their feet? Not without them having a relationship with God and evidencing repentance...what a load of baloney!

I would say you give the term Apostolic a bad name with that attitude, but with that attitude you give all of Christendom a bad name.

[deltaguitar]

Our youth has started doing things like this. While they don't wash feet, they routinely go to a drug rehab shelter and spend time with the guys there.

Once you get out of your comfort zone and try to do something for others you will start to have a burden for people and your spirit will change.

Of course there will always be those that think that they need to have a holy ghost shouting screaming prayer meeting in order to really meet those homeless folks needs.