Dear Caldwell,
“Not now.”
Handily, my computer offers that option when it tries to interrupt what I am doing to upgrade
software or get my feedback on something. I’m glad I can hastily click on that option and keep
going, but that’s not how it works in real life.
David showed up Sunday afternoon. Kim Bohannon was sitting in the front lawn at church,
waiting for the Buddy/Mentor crew to return to campus. I stepped out from between Zoom
meetings to find them in conversation.
David traveled light with only a backpack and a knapsack. His neat appearance belied his truth
that he was on the streets and had been for some time. He spoke openly and honesty as he told
his story.
“I am looking for help but I don’t want cash,” he began. “I need to leave Charlotte. I am an addict
I need to get away from the people and the way of life that are too convenient and close by for
me here.”
It would have been easy to hit the “not now” button and refer him to an agency, and there are
many fine agencies that do great work for folks on the streets like David. But I asked him to
come back on Monday so he and I could talk more.
The next day, David said had a mid-week doctor’s appointment to get a prescription that helps him fight his addiction but he wanted
to leave as soon after that as possible.
“I am happy to work to earn money for my bus ticket,” and so he did. He came for two days and
took care of some light landscaping needs that were overdue. He only wanted enough cash to
buy a low-cost dinner but not enough to tempt his demons. He left Caldwell looking better than
before he had come.
We gave him his bus ticket, wished him well and thanked him for his honesty. I gave him my card and said we might have a place for him to live in a
couple of years, if he ever came back to Charlotte. Meanwhile, I placed calls to some church contacts in his new city to try help him when he steps off the bus.
“In as much as …,” Jesus said (Matthew 25), when he gave us those challenging and humbling words that tell us the pilgrim we are helping may just be Him.
“In as much as ….”
Sure, this story may trigger all sorts of alarms and concerns that this is not what the “experts”
say to do when someone in need shows up at the church door. At Caldwell, we do our best to
use and support the systems and processes in place for folks in situations like David’s.
We try to be smart and safe, often referring people to places better equipped to help. Through the
Missions and Justice Committee, your pledges support those agencies, including Crisis
Assistance Ministry, A Roof Above and Supportive Housing Communities/McCreesh Place and area food banks.
Did we (meaning mostly me, if blame is to be assigned) do the right thing or the wrong thing?
Should we have checked him out, validated his story, called the authorities or just hit the “not
now” button? We may never know how it turns out for David and whether we have helped or
hurt him. We act in faith.
What we do have is stories Jesus, tells like the one about the pilgrim, found by a kind
Samaritan, wounded on the roadside. Sometimes we can see the wounds, like the Samaritan’s
pilgrim. Sometimes we can’t. Sometimes, we just have to do our best, faithfully and even
joyfully.
On Sunday, Gail urged us to get on our knees. Maybe while you are down there, you might say
a prayer for David (God knows his real name).
In Christ,
John