Let me say that I really enjoyed my time in California as a child. An easy stroll over to the beach, walking through fog in the morning, and all of those quintessentially Sunshine State activities. And yet, I'd never move back there. Their legal and societal choices border on the suicidal and their attack dog-like approach to Christianity and living a Christian life would prove suffocating to me. I've served the homeless all over North America and never felt like I was enabling people to be homeless by giving them healthy food to eat. They are more likely to die from poor nutrition and medical complications than they are to feel strong borborygmi and think "You know what? I need a job! Jeeves, find me my interview suit and have someone prep the car! Let's motor!" Feeding the homeless is not optional. It's a commandment of Christ to be taken literally. Boo, Malibu. Boo.
If you want to help a throughly Orthodox ministry helping the homeless (body and soul), please consider a donation to the St. John the Compassionate Mission.
MALIBU, CA (CBS) - A Malibu church that has helped the homeless for years has been asked to stop feeding people who are down on their luck.
CBS Los Angeles spoke to the people at the United Methodist Church about the request.
Workers at the church say they are able to serve as many as 100 people. They've been serving meals on Wednesdays since 2014.
But now, the food service will come to an end after Thanksgiving at the city's request.
"It's a safe place," said Michah Johnson, who is homeless. "And everyone is welcome. And the food is really good. It's home-cooked. And there's TLC involved."
"The church is very helpful," he added. "They keep my spirits up. They keep me accountable. When you're homeless, it's very easy to slip off and become jaded."
The church says the city sent an email asking members to attend a meeting on Monday, where they were asked to stop feeding the homeless.
"Very succinctly," said Dawn Randall, who works with the United Methodist Church. "They claimed we are increasing homelessness."
"I think many of them eat out of dumpsters and trash cans when they aren't eating with us," said Kay Gabbard, who also works with the United Methodist Church. "We can't pretend like (homelessness) doesn't exist in our backyard. We can't pretend that it only exists outside Malibu."
CBS Los Angeles reached out to Malibu's mayor for a comment. They have yet to hear back.
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I get the enablement/dependacy argument. You are allowing them to continue in their current life. But what is the difference between an addict with my food or without? A dead addict...
ReplyDeleteI think this is a common reaction lately of government being angry the church dares to be on "their turf".
I wholeheartedly suoport the shoutout to stjohnsmission.org. As a person blessed to be involved the last decade with it, it's the real deal. One thing I would point out us that St John the Compassionate sees meals as the means to community not an end. Loneliness is the true poverty here. (At least in a socialized country like Canada)
Re-reading, I realize this is more NIMBY-ism then "let us do it". Wow.. Reminds me of a city that was giving homeless people 1-way bus tickets if they would leave....
DeleteI wish stories like this were confined to California, but they pop up around the country.
ReplyDeleteWretched.
ReplyDelete