I’m honored to write about my long time friend Moe, during this Easter Resurrection Season!
I first met Moe when I worked in Pasadena as the pastor of Community Outreach at Lake Ave. Church.
We started a small meal outreach and bible study on Sunday evenings at the church for people experiencing homelessness. The meal quickly grew to 300 people each Sunday. A faithful few attended the bible study.
Moe was one of the precious people who attended the meal. Moe and others in Pasadena still call me Pastor Andy even as I’ve worked in downtown LA at Union Rescue Mission for the last 8 years.
I received a call about Moe nearly 2 years ago. Friends of URM from a local church, San Gabriel Community Church, were concerned about a man on the corner who was experiencing homelessness and asking for money and assistance. It was indeed Moe.
I told our friends that giving Moe money to feed his addiction would not help. Even helping him find a job and renting an apartment for him would not help Moe for long. His addiction would cause him to lose his job and his apartment. He didn’t need change out of someone’s pocket, Moe needed real change through a recovery program like the intense one year life transformation program at Union Rescue Mission. I was so proud of this group of friends who listened to our our advice, became true friends of Moe, invited him to their church, and encouraged him to enroll in URM’s recovery program.
More than that, they stayed alongside Moe on each step of the journey. This kind of friendship is one of the most effective ways to end homelessness one person at a time. Real change is what is often needed. I hope you will join us in our Easter Restoration Campaign and help bring that real change to other precious people like Moe. Take time to watch Moe’s story and take action today.
Blessings,
Rev. Andy Bales