A California megachurch pastor is putting his faith to work by getting to know the often-forgotten members of his city.
The Rev. Rick Cole, of Capital Christian Center, is spending two weeks sleeping on the streets of Sacramento and has raised more than $100,000 for a winter shelter program.
Armed with a backpack, a change of clothes, his driver’s license, and $60 in cash, Cole has slept in alleyways and shelters, eating meals and chatting with the homeless to get a better understanding of what they need.
“It’s really quite difficult for someone to pick themselves up,” Cole told the Huffington Post on day 10 of his journey. “People need community, people need each other. The most spiritual thing we can do is reach out to a hurting person.”
He’s the first to admit that his experience hasn’t been completely authentic -- he has friends sleep near him at night to make sure he’s safe and Cole knows he has a comfortable home waiting for him when his adventure is done.
Still, as someone who has spent years rallying Sacramento’s faith community around the issue of homelessness, Cole says seeing the world from a homeless individual’s perspective has been invaluable.
He now knows what it’s like to have someone walk by you and pretend you don’t exist. As senior pastor of his 4,000-member megachurch, Cole is used to commanding attention. But as the days passed, the pastor’s beard grew scruffy and he began to look and smell as if he lived on the street, Sacbee reports.
Then, people started avoiding eye contact and walking quickly by.
Cole only got a glimpse of what that feels like in his few days on the street, but says he can understand now the kind of damage this treatment can have on people’s self-esteem.
“It starts getting to your head and makes you feel less valuable,” Cole said. “That’s a lot of wear and tear on a person and people get to the degree of being paralyzed and unable to help themselves.”
At least 501 men, women, and children have died homeless in Sacramento over the past 11 years, according to SacBee. About 38% of these individuals died outdoors.
Cole heads the board of directors for Sacramento Steps Forward, a non-profit group that coordinates homeless outreach in the city. Winter Sanctuary, a shelter program run by the group, invites the faith community in Sacramento to open its doors to the homeless during the cold winter months. Around 100 single men and women are offered buses to area churches and temples, where they are fed a warm meal, offered counseling, and given a secure place to sleep.
It costs about $300,000 for the non-profit to fund this outreach effort during the winter.
Cole was planning to return home after raising his personal goal of $100,000. Although he met his mark within one short week, the pastor plans to stay on the street for the full two weeks.
He said he’s learning too much about the community and about himself to call it quits just yet.
For example, as he tries to navigate the resources available to the homeless, he’s realizing that social service agencies need to put more of an emphasis on coordination. He’s also going to focus his ministry on reaching out to the homeless where they are.
“I think I’m going to come to them more, rather than asking them to come to me,” Cole said.
And then, there are the changes he said are happening to his soul.
“I’m having conversation after conversation that just moves my heart.” Cole said. “It makes me wonder, will I have the same care for these people when I’m driving by them in my car as I do right now when I’m walking with them every day? I hope this will burrow so deep inside of me that I will be a different person at the end.”
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.