Lubbock, Texas
by Dee Ann Loving-Tackitt
“Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?”
James 2:15-16
On any given night in Lubbock, an estimated 500 to 700 of our neighbors experience homelessness. Behind each number is a story: a veteran struggling to find stability, a family displaced by financial hardship, a person battling addiction, a young adult aging out of support systems, or someone carrying wounds that few can see. These neighbors matter deeply to God, and their needs rightly move our hearts.
Yet there is another set of numbers in our city that deserves equal attention. Lubbock is home to approximately 250 churches and more than 100,000 Christian adherents. Every Sunday, tens of thousands of believers gather across our city to worship Christ, study Scripture, pray, serve, and give. We possess a remarkable network of congregations, ministries, volunteers, facilities, financial resources, and spiritual gifts. In many ways, Lubbock is one of the most church-rich communities in America.
The generosity of these churches is evident in countless ways. Year after year, congregations support missionaries, fund humanitarian aid, provide meals, sponsor ministries, teach children, disciple believers, and respond to crises both near and far. Recently, churches throughout the Lubbock area joined together to send nearly 12,000 Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes to children around the world. Those shoeboxes represented more than gifts. They represented compassion, sacrifice, coordination, and a willingness to unite around a common purpose. They demonstrated what becomes possible when the Church shares a vision.
When viewed from the street, homelessness can appear overwhelming. When viewed from the Church, however, a different picture emerges. The number of believers far exceeds the number of homeless individuals. The number of churches far exceeds the scale of the challenge. The resources already present within the Body of Christ are substantial. Suddenly the question shifts. Instead of asking whether the problem is too large, we begin to ask what might happen if the Church recognized the strength already residing within its walls.
“Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”
Romans 12:13
Imagine what could happen if every church embraced only two people. Not as projects to complete or statistics to improve, but as neighbors to know, serve, and disciple. A congregation might help someone secure identification, receive medical care, connect with counseling, prepare for employment, find housing, rebuild relationships, or discover a faith community. Another church might provide mentoring, transportation, recovery support, or simply consistent friendship. None of these actions would solve homelessness alone, but together they could create an extraordinary network of restoration woven throughout the city.
“Now all who believed were together and held all things in common… and they distributed to each as anyone had need.”
Acts 2:44-45
This is not primarily a vision of social services. It is a vision of discipleship. Jesus’ ministry was profoundly personal. He saw individuals where others saw crowds. He knew names where others saw categories. He restored dignity where others saw brokenness. The Church is at its best when it follows His example, drawing near enough to know someone’s story and remaining present long enough to become part of it.
What makes this vision so compelling is not merely the math, although the math is striking. Hundreds of churches serving hundreds of people is entirely conceivable. What stirs the imagination is the possibility of what God might do through a unified Church. We have witnessed that unity in global missions, disaster response, food distribution, and community outreach. We know how to mobilize compassion when we share a common purpose.
“Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”
1 John 3:18
Perhaps the most remarkable truth is that the answer may already be sitting in our pews. The teachers, counselors, nurses, contractors, business owners, retirees, students, pastors, and prayer warriors needed for such a mission are already present throughout the congregations of Lubbock. The gifts are here. The buildings are here. The generosity is here. The Gospel is here.
The question is not whether Lubbock’s churches possess the capacity to make a difference. The question is what might happen if the thousands of believers who worship each Sunday began to see the homeless men and women of their city not as strangers on the margins, but as neighbors whom Christ is calling His Church to love.
If nearly 12,000 shoeboxes can be placed into the hands of children around the world through the shared efforts of local congregations, one cannot help but wonder what God might accomplish if those same congregations united around the lives of a few hundred neighbors here at home. Perhaps the greatest testimony would not be found in what the Church gives away, but in the people it welcomes in, walks alongside, and helps restore. In such a vision, the story is no longer about homelessness. It becomes a story about the living power of discipleship, the unity of the Body of Christ, and the extraordinary things God can accomplish through ordinary believers who simply decide to join hands.