Dear (Church Members),
     There are many topics in the church that feel almost taboo to talk about, but are incredibly important to discuss with humility and empathy. This Wednesday I noticed one of said topics discussed with a lack of Grace, and I need to discuss it. This topic is homelessness. Homelessness is a problem all across the country, and is truly a problem worth discussing, but many people in the church, especially those who are older, view it from a misguided point of view. Members who normally embody goodness and work hard to be disciples talked about homelessness from an uninformed place, and an obvious lack of empathy. This is a problem shared across all churches, all denominations, but seeing it pop up in my own church spiked my urgency.

     The Methodist Church as a whole needs to address the issue of homelessness. Many people believe that this issue falls to the hands of the individual affected, but we as Christians should not be enforcing this belief– it comes from a place of ignorance. And while this statement may
be true under some circumstances, we should not be generalizing these ideals to all people affected by homelessness. Whether it be mental health, bad luck, or a bad home life, there are many small factors throughout a person’s life that could lead to them being homeless, and we
as a church should be responsible for informing our members of the facts behind pressing issues like this. It’s easy to quote bible verses preaching about helping the poor, but until every member is fully knowledgeable about the stories of the people around them in these positions,
there will always be prejudices holding us back as a church, and a lack of empathy holding us back as disciples.     

     It should be our responsibility to hold each other accountable, and the responsibility of the church to spread knowledge to its members. Topics like homelessness and panhandling should not be taboo to talk about. Topics like this are the exact things we do need to be talking about.
There are so many stories from those in poverty dictating how they ended up there, and those stories need to be heard– meaning members must be willing to listen. We as a church need to discuss topics like this with a higher level of empathy, and not let topics like this become one of
ignorance. I know that good people make mistakes, so I know that those who have this problem are not doing it to be bad. They speak the way they do because they do not understand the severity of homelessness. They have not experienced it in their lives, so they have no firm foundation of knowledge on the topic. That, however, means that the only way to fix this problem is to address it at the root. Ignorance.

     As a church, there are so many things we can do to address poverty at the source. Write letters to legislation enforcing drug education and personal finance in public schools, work with single mothers to provide food and support, donate or assist in rehab centers, and so much more. All members should be recommended to volunteer at these places so they can see firsthand the problem they are neglecting. That is the solution to ignorance. Information and understanding.

     I pray that we as a church can hold each other accountable for our words and actions, and I know the Lord will lead us towards a much more mindful life. Thank you for listening to my concerns, I really appreciate it.
Best,
Brianna Rankin