Yreka Church member Ben Woodruff has been involved in ministry for unhoused people in his community. Through his work with area churches and agencies, it was only a matter of time before he got his home church involved.
Ben and the Yreka church members committed to taking one night per week to serve hot meals to the unhoused at a local church. According to Woodruff, “We soon realized that not many of them were coming to the church. To maximize our effectiveness, we started going out to their camps with food. That decision increased serving 2 to 4 meals in a building to serving 30 to 40 in the camps.”
As the collaborative town program ended with the season, the Yreka team didn’t see any lessening of the need. The church board then voted to keep assembling meals at Yreka church and delivering them to the camps.
According to Bob Mason, district pastor, “We called our new group Ministry of Mercy, and as the months turned warm, the number of meals rose to over seventy.”
Mason continued, “Through choosing this act of service, we now know many in the camps by name. We have made our outreach more relevant to the community and God has opened doors. As opportunities arise, the Ministry of Mercy team converses and prays with our new friends. One man has begun coming to church and has requested baptism. Praise God!”
Featured in Northern Lights, January 12, 2023
