Open Your Mouth... and Your Heart

“We do not know what tender sympathies we possess until we try to dry the widow’s tears and soothe the orphan’s grief.” – C.H. Spurgeon

In my 42-year ministry career, I have had the privilege of ministering to the elderly for 11 years as the recreation director at a continuing care retirement community, to prisoners for 35 years as founder/executive director of The Saints Prison Ministry and founder/president of Risk Takers for Christ, and to at-risk youth for the past 12 years through our Living H2O Initiative. I have also had the joy of pastoring a small church plant in south Vero Beach for the past 3.5 years.

All of the above experiences have been extremely humbling and extremely satisfying.

In addition to my regular ministry responsibilities, I have had two other opportunities to minister to people that were “outside the box” for me. The first was on a mission trip I organized back in 2014 through Risk Takers to Christ. We took two pastors, two power lifters, and a high-ranking prison official and ministered in 10 different correctional institutions in western Kenya. Altogether, we shared the gospel with more than 5,000 inmates, including 800 men at the Kakamega Main Prison, one of only two maximum-security facilities on the African continent.

While there, we also ministered in an institution for women, which was an eye-opening experience because if a mother goes to prison in Kenya and she has children under the age of four, her kids are incarcerated right alongside her. And so, we brought gospel literature, food, and toiletries for the women… and candy, powdered milk, and diapers for the children.

Our mission team also visited an orphanage in Kakamega, a city of almost 2 million people that is teeming with street children. Once again, we distributed bags of American candy along with gospel literature to those precious kids who have so few possessions and so little hope.

Back home in the States, I frequently speak to a group of homeless people that gathers at a local church for a hot meal and a gospel message. Last week, there were 40 people packed into a small room, hungry for food… hungry for hope… and hungry for love. Apparently, they were also hungry for Jesus, because when I got done my message, several of them prayed aloud to trust Him as their Savior.

My friend, whenever and wherever God gives you the opportunity, be sure to open your mouth – and your heart – to the hurting people around you who need Jesus.

“Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27 (BSB)

- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President