The Christian Care Center is a place for second chances. At the Benevolence Center we see many people who have made bad choices in their lives, and they are suffering the consequences.
We serve around 80 homeless clients each month. Sometimes when they come to see us, they have been beaten down by the world... yelled at to “move along” … told to “get a job”. We never know what they go through out on the streets. Some have lost all hope in mankind and in God.
When some homeless clients come into the Benevolence Center, they have not had a kind word said to them in a long time. They can be angry, upset, use bad language, and don’t expect to get a lot of help. But our volunteers welcome them with a smile, and ask how can we help you today?
We have a volunteer that will sit and talk with them and just listen to them. Then the volunteer will pray with them and give them a Bible if they don’t have one. We also give them some food and let them pick out clothing. We tell them about the daily “Dinner on the Patio” at the Men’s center at 4:30 each afternoon, which is open to anyone that is hungry. Sometimes it takes a few visits for the client to realize that we are here to help them.
Recently a homeless man came in who was very angry. Our volunteer prayed with him. He continued to come in and use bad language. Our volunteer told him he need to not speak that way. After several visits, she gave him a Bible and prayed with him. By the next visit he had been reading the Bible. He had underlined passages and apologized for the way he had spoken to her.
We have seen this happen more than once at the Benevolence Center by showing them that God loves them and so do we, along with praying for them and meeting their needs. God can change the hardest of hearts. If you need help with food, clothing, or household items, please contact our Benevolence Center at 352-787-5289.
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