Hope on the Streets

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But shortly after he moved into his own apartment, Gary succumbed to the temptation of the bottle. “I waited long enough to make sure Pastor Fred Lehman (a Hope Ministries chaplain) wasn’t around,” he admits.

In the 16 years before he joined Hope Ministries’ recovery program, Gary often called the area’s tent camps home. When he’d get his Social Security check and food stamps, he’d move into an apartment. But Gary had an “open door policy” for his friends on the streets and would get kicked out after the building manager and neighbors got fed up.

“Gary is a very honest man,” says Pastor Fred. “He believes it’s his job to drink and our job to help clean up the debris and get him back on his feet.” So when Gary’s feet froze on a cold night last winter, he knew he could find refuge at Hope Ministries’ Bethel Mission facility.

A few days before Gary left for the hospital, he pulled out a large photo of his parents he has carried for years and held it close to his chest. “What gives you hope to go on, Gary?” a mission staff person asked. “I may not have all the words to say this right and I don’t go to church every Sunday, but God is who helps me keep going,” he said.

Pastor Fred says the staff at Hope Ministries tries to see men like Gary as Jesus saw the thief on the cross. “Though this man had failed in many of his life choices, he was handpicked to be closest to Jesus when He died. It’s remarkable. We are grateful to have the privilege and grace to provide hope for Gary and others like him on the streets when they call on us for support.”