Day 20 : Anglicans on the Streets | Advocate Befrienders

The second law of thermodynamics is often used to describe the natural deterioration of the state of our world. Things tend towards disorder and greater randomness. We age, and our bodies break down. Relationships can drift. Our homes and neighborhoods age and lose vitality.

"Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more." – H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

As followers of Christ we are called to contend for shalom in these contexts of brokenness. Today, many of our parishes in the ACNA have chosen urban settings and to not pull back from suffering, to live parish life in neighborhoods, for example, alongside unhoused neighbors. For them “location, location, location” does not mean places of greatest visibility or easy access to the affluent. It means a missiology focused on loving “the least of these” – not just on Sundays, but as neighbors, every day of the week.

"It’s criminal to ignore a neighbor in need, but compassion for the poor - what a blessing!" – Proverbs 14:21 MSG

As we understand the story of scripture, the world began falling apart in Genesis 3. Shalom was cracked, and we live under the weight of individual and generational choices that have led to a society that feels like it is always falling apart.

My name is Matt Lindell, and I am the Grant Director for the Matthew 25i Initiative. Recently, I traveled to Austin, TX, and stayed in the downtown area, a few blocks from Christ Church Anglican. Part of my assignment was to interview Assoc. Rector Matt Dampier, who has been a present and loving advocate for those “sleeping rough” in the parish community. Without a car, and too close to order an Uber, I walked the streets to the church. Blocks of makeshift tents, loud music, conversations, foul language, trash, and pain. These are the neighbors and friends of Fr. Matt and the ministry team from the church which has had a long standing story of faithful service and love for those experiencing homelessness.

Nearly 100 chronically homeless neighbors live within a three-block radius of Christ Church Austin. For the past three years, Fr. Matt has led a team of about 20 people called "Advocate Befrienders" into friendship with those on the streets. The goal has been to walk with people from street life into Jesus-centered community and housing, through friendship. They are a ministry of proximity and presence. It’s been said that “attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity” (Simone Weil), and this group engages their neighbors through friendship and interest. As friends would do, they then walk with, advocate for, and help.

Christ Church partners with two strong non-profits that offer both worship under I35 highway bridge and another one that provides housing and community for friends who once struggled to survive on the streets of Austin. "Advocate Befrienders" do the work bridging the space between these non-profits to build a team of a handful of parishioners who companion one person experiencing homelessness towards getting their paperwork in order, helping them reconnect with biological family, and supporting them if they had mental health and medical needs. Most of all, the significant factor that offers the greatest change is welcoming them into the community of Christ Church Anglican where they are seen, prayed for, receive the Eucharist, and where their stories can be known and held in love.

What does it look like for us as Christ-followers to engage and befriend our unhoused neighbors?

What does it look like for our parishes to intentionally walk with and alongside the marginalized and unseen? While there are few easy answers to the tensions we feel, we can engage and love those we see. But to see we have to be near enough for our hearts to be formed and resistances to be removed as the suffering of others becomes our own in incarnational love.

Visit Advocate Befrienders on our website to learn more.

Home, by Amber Eldredge