"Team Jesus" Gathers to Combat Homelessness
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RALEIGH, N.C. - ncarol.com -- While Denver and other U.S. cities initiate sweeps of homeless encampments, one Raleigh church invites citizens to provide practical assistance, temporary shelter, and pathways to long-term housing stability.

Eddie Jones, a member of Team Jesus, points out that there are nearly five hundred thousand residents in the Raleigh area. "If one percent of Raleigh's residents became good Samaritans to those in need, we could help many individuals transition from living in shadows and tent camps into employment and a better life."

The estimated number of homeless in Raleigh varies from a low of 1,500 to 2,000, but Jones explains that is only a snapshot of the problem. "Many who stay in shelters, share rooms, or have an apartment are one lost job or medical crisis away from being on the street. In the story of the Good Samaritan, the kindness of one individual provided the grace necessary to get someone back on his feet."

Team Jesus meets in the park each Sunday to pass out food and listen to the needs of those who have nowhere else to turn.

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"The modern paraphrase of Job chapter twenty-four might read: 'They thrust the needy from the path, benches, and sidewalks, and force all the poor into hiding. Those in need go about foraging for food. Waste dumpsters provide food for their children. Lacking clothes, they have nothing to cover themselves in the cold. They are drenched by rain and lack of shelter. The child of the single mother is snatched away by child services; the infant of the poor is seized. The homeless carry all they own in bundles, but still go hungry.'"

Team Jesus offers simple ways others can help. Each week they make a list of requested clothing items and other larger needs and offer these opportunities on their church website and Facebook page.

"There is an economic benefit to helping the poor," Jones says. "'Give, and it will be given to you: a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap by others. With the measure you give, it will be given to you (Luke 6:38). When we give to the poor we are lending to the Lord, and our loan earns interest (Mark 4:24). When we give to those who ask, our work and everything we do is blessed. When we invest in the poor, we are making a deposit in heaven for our future needs (Matthew 6).

If you'd like to know how you can help move the homeless into homes instead of shadows, visit http://mooresquarechurch.org.