by Lynette Sparks

One Saturday this summer at Dining Room Ministry, a guest came up to me and asked, “Can you tell me who’s in charge here?” Whenever anyone asks me anything like that, my mind goes many directions! You just never know what the next question will be. Will it be a complaint? Is something wrong? What surprise might be waiting that I don’t really want to know about? Or is it something else?

That day was no exception. In the course of a few split seconds, I thought all of those things. Then I replied with a very cautious “How can I help you?”

The man proceeded to tell me he knew what it was like to need food and assistance, because he was once homeless and once in need of assistance. He expressed his profound thanks to God, giving the credit for helping him escape his former plight. He had provided transportation to our Dining Room Ministry for some others who needed a free hot meal this particular day.

Then he put his foot up on a bench, reached into his sock, pulled out a wad of cash, and handed me a $100 bill. It was for our Dining Room Ministry, he said. Could I make sure it got to where it needed to go? He gave thanks for the faithfulness of the church and for all of the volunteers who lovingly serve this meal every Saturday.

He wouldn’t tell me his name, not even his first name. He just wanted to share out of the abundance God had shared with him.

Why Outreach? Because in spite of preconceptions and assumptions about people that we all carry, you just never know when it will actually be Jesus who shows up!