church of the week
St. Louis Dream Center's Homeless Ministry
By Gorman Woodfin
The 700 Club
CBN.com
–When somebody comes to the Dream Center, the most important thing that the members want people to go away with is a real experience with God.
Founded by David and Joyce Meyer, the Saint Louis Dream Center reaches out to the homeless.
Pastor Jeff Allensworth explains the purpose of the outreach.
“To make sure that people take everything that they can away from here that God wants them to have,” he said. “If that means that we need to give them a change of clothes, a meal, a shower, an encouraging word, a hug, a ride - whatever it is, that’s what we do.”
The center attends to their spiritual needs as well through Bible study and prayer support.
The Dream Center brings people in about 9 a.m. and showers, breakfast - all of that begins. Anybody who wants a shower can get one. They also offer hair cuts every day so people can come, and in addition to getting a shower, they can get a fresh hair cut.
Plus they give clothing to all who need it.
In the meantime, the Dream Center has volunteers in the clothing boutique that fill out essentially an order of their sizes and put together an outfit for everybody who needs one.
They don’t put anything in there that’s ripped, stained, torn. One member said that he wouldn’t put anything in the clothing boutique that he wouldn’t wear himself.
Volunteer Deshalle Beene was homeless; the Dream Center helped her turn her life around.
“I am not homeless any more. I’m not on drugs anymore. I don’t use alcohol anymore. This ministry has delivered me from so many things,” Deshalle said.
Pastor Tony Ayala says that the Dream Center does more than just provide a few necessities; they’re giving people hope for a future.
“Before, all they were satisfied with was just being on the streets; there’s no hope, Pastor Ayala said. “Coming here, they’re realizing that there’s still life in them. They begin to get vision and purpose for their lives.”
For their massive outreach to the homeless in their area, The 700 Club honors St. Louis Dream Center - America’s Church Of The Week!
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