Youth become homeless for a night — sleep
in boxes, search for food in dumpsters, get run off by police.
By John M. De Marco
JACKSONVILLE — Experience often shatters
stereotypes, and the youth of Oak Crest United Methodist Church here
learned that firsthand recently when they tackled the pressing issue
of homelessness.
Todd and Kristen Johnson serve as part-time
youth directors at the church, which is located on the west side of
Jacksonville in a suburban area near two Navy bases. About 20 to 30
youth are active in the church and are challenged to complete a
monthly service project inspired by the slogan “What Would Jesus Do?”
The youth embraced the “One Homeless Night”
program created by the world hunger relief ministry Heart to Heart
International for their Aug. 24 project.
They dressed in smelly clothing and slept
outside in a large cardboard “city” constructed in a fenced area
next to the church. The night’s program featured Bible studies,
skits and discussions on key issues impacting the homeless and how
society regulates and assists those caught in this difficult
lifestyle. The youth surrendered personal possessions, such as silver
or gold necklaces, upon arriving.
Teachers from a local homeless shelter met with
the youth a week before the event and shared some of their experiences
with homelessness.
“I wanted them to lose their stereotypical
vision that they have of homeless people, such as carrying the ‘Will
Work for Food’ signs,” Todd Johnson, who serves full-time in the
Navy, told the “Review.” “I wanted them to know that rich
businessmen and women can lose their businesses and become homeless,
and that the people in the shelters were still people. That’s who
Jesus came to minister to, and that’s who we’re to minister to.
Kids today take too much for granted, and don’t give back.”
Local businesses gave donations toward the
construction of the cardboard surroundings. The youth group collected
nearly $1,800 in pledges for the event, as well as a utility trailer
full of clothing, shoes and other necessities. These items, along with
half the proceeds, went to the local shelter; the other half went to
Heart to Heart.
The church’s United Methodist Women provided
food for the youth. “I also threw food in the dumpster, and told
them, ‘If you want it, go get it,’ ” Johnson said, noting that
several of the boys were happy to do just that.
The Johnsons also asked a police officer who
attends the church to spend the night with the group, dressed in plain
clothes. At 6:30 a.m., the officer was joined by some of his uniformed
colleagues, complete with flashing lights and sirens. The youth were
ordered, as the homeless often are, to leave the premises at once
because they were loitering.
“They [the police] tore out their boxes, told
them they had to move on. The girls were belligerent and thought it
was just me messing around, and then the cops ripped their boxes down,”
Johnson said.
Johnson feels the youth who participated left
with a challenge to do better. “When I asked them what they learned,
they had a deeper appreciation through their experience. They learned
more through the experience than through lecturing.”
Some youth have become more prayerful in their
lifestyles, Johnson has noticed. A few have observed where homeless
people often gather and have taken the initiative to bring them
various items. The Johnsons hope to make the night on the streets an
annual event for the youth group.
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