When was the last time you sat at a table for lunch with a man who told you he had just been released from prison that morning after serving eight years for armed robbery and he needed help getting situated until he could get his driver's license? Or, Have you ever cultivated a friendship with a retired Army officer of the Viet Nam era who lived at the mission so his $2,100 a month pension could be used to keep his 91 year old mother in a nursing home? And did he show you the scar running around his torso from navel to spine where the rotor of his helicopter cut through him when they were shot down? And confess when asked about becoming a drug addict that "it's easy to get into drugs, the hard part is getting out"? And, when asked if he was saved, he could not say for sure, only that "I think I am"?
Were you ever sitting at a table preparing a Bible lesson when a man approached you and asked will you step outside and pray with me? Upon replying "let's pray here, God can hear us where ever we are," the man became extremely angry saying, "You Christians are all alike. You never give me what I need, but the Devil always gives me what I need."
Have you ever seen a man you have known for several years come limping up to your table and explain that he missed lunch because he was at the clinic being treated for shotgun wounds to both legs suffered the previous night at the hands of drive-by-shooters? Oh, by the way, the fellow he was with was shot in the chest and might not pull through? Yeah, and the guy you are talking to is the same one who told you a month ago that he was the one who had just discovered the body of a murdered homeless man under a pile of carpeting? The murder victim was someone you had seen around frequently?
And, when was the last time you stood in a bedroom closet with three people of other races, held their hands and cried as you prayed with them for Jesus to save them and come in and change their lives?
These and similar things may never have happened to you, or have happened very infrequently. However, at 700 Ewing they are the normal experiences of life.
So, what is 700 Ewing? It is part of Two Rivers Lifelines Outreach ministries. It is also the full time home of Gatherings Corporate Catering and Meals on Wheels. It is located in the heart of Nashville's homelessness, despair, poverty and evil. Most of the building is used for the food service businesses, but the front 500 or so square feet serve a dual purpose, ministry and meals on wheels assembly area. Both ministry and assembly happen every day.
The front door remains unlocked during daylight hours. At any time someone might wander in off the street needing something. They may need water, food, clothing, first aid, directions or just to use the restroom. They could even ask to use the washer and dryer to do their laundry. Whatever the request, someone is there to respond.
On Thursdays, this front area is transformed into the Oatmeal Chapel, a continuous ministry for the past six years. Usually, between 30 and 40 men and women attend this service. They receive a salvation message and what many say is the best lunch in Nashville. The purpose of all this is to see lives changed through the saving grace of our Lord Jesus.
On Sunday mornings, 700 Ewing becomes the home of Set Free Church. With an average of 35 attendees, they approach Bible study with a question and answer format. It is amazing how much inaccurate information and heretical teaching these people have received in their lifetimes. God is using this ministry to set these people on the right track with correct knowledge and a right relationship with Jesus Christ.
So, what does all this have to do with you? "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." The Nashville inner city is the Lord's harvest field. If He is calling you to work then answer His call. It will change your life. More importantly, it will change the lives of those you touch with His message.
