Praying with a Homeless Jesus Joel Arndt - 5 Jul 2016

Joel is part of GOHOP, one of our 24-7 Communities based in Canada who are running 24-7 Prayer regularly in Hamilton... 

When over 200 Catholics and 120 Evangelicals spend 14 days praying, together, for the homeless - you know God is on the move…

With St. Patrick's Church sitting in the heart of Hamilton's homeless population, their community wanted a permanent reminder of the challenging words of Matthew 25: “Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me". And last year, an anonymous donor provided the cash to help them do so.

Since its installation, “The Homeless Jesus” statue has definitely turned heads (with some passers by even calling the paramedics in the dead of winter, concerned about a man on a bench in the cold with only a blanket).

And now, it’s brought the church in Hamilton together…

The leadership team of St Patrick’s approached our team at the Greater Ontario House of Prayer (GOHOP) about doing a prayer vigil. So, together with the pastoral staff at the church, we organised prayer times and created materials for people to use during their hour with the statue.

At the beginning of May, we held a prayer vigil at the statue in front of St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church in Hamilton, Ontario. From 7am to 6pm every day, there was at least one person sitting with the statue, praying for the homeless and marginalized in our city, on one of the busiest street corners in the city.

In spite of the traffic, the weather, the attention from strangers, we prayed. We were there for a purpose. We were there to intercede on behalf of those living on the streets. We prayed the ministry to the homeless, for leadership of our city; that God would guide their hearts to bring relief to poverty. And as churches, elementary schools, high schools and ministries were being brought together, we prayed for each other as we sat with the statue.

As we poured out prayer, we received joy, perspective, and gratitude.

One woman explained it this way: "I felt the paradox of the cross at that statue - sorrow and joy - there in downtown Hamilton. Intellectually, that's nothing new. But I got to experience it in such an extraordinary way!"

Another saw the community respond in a meaningful way: "On my shift, a couple came up and wiped Jesus' face with folded bandanas (it was raining). They touched the bandanas to their own foreheads. I don't think they spoke English. Another man came up and gently touched Jesus, then crossed himself, and left without saying anything."

The experience, shared as a community, marked us deeply. The Lord is uniting our hearts and leading as one body - we're excited to see what else God wants to do through these deepening relationships.