Preparing to Serve

Being around and serving people who might appear to be different than you can be intimidating. Before you serve, for the first time or the fortieth, take a few minutes to read and thinking through the information below.

What does the Bible say about serving the poor?

In scripture it's clear that God's heart tips towards the marginalized. The poor are continually mentioned throughout the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Jesus teaches that how we treat the poor is a reflection of our regard for him (Matthew 25). The words of scripture point us towards being kind to the poor (Proverbs 19:17), treating them justly and fairly (Proverbs 29:7, Psalm 82:3), helping provide for them (Deuteronomy 15:7-11), and treating them impartially (Leviticus 19). Therefore, the Intersect Project strives to set up opportunities for people to serve others as a reflection of God's heart.

Why do we focus on children at risk and people in or near homelessness?

• According to the Brookings Institution, in 2006 Atlanta's child poverty rate was nearly 50 percent, which is one of the highest child poverty rates for a major city, if not the highest in the country. Since then, our child poverty rate had decreased approximately 15 percentage points before the recession.
• Atlanta is one of ten cities with the fastest growing suburban poverty rates in the country, with poverty increases particularly high in the southern and eastern suburbs of the city. Usually, child poverty rates grow at a faster rate than overall poverty. In Atlanta, we have the fourth fastest-growing suburban child poverty rate in the country.

• In Fulton and DeKalb counties, approximately 21,000 people experienced homelessness sometime during 2009.
• For homeless individuals in Atlanta, 12 percent were once in foster care, 22 percent are veterans, 28 percent have been the victims of violent attacks, and 58 percent report job losses or unemployment as the top reason for their homelessness.
• About 23 percent of Atlanta's homeless are chronically homeless.

What should I be mindful of while serving?

A poor person's description of poverty differs from how a non-poor person might define it. To the non-poor, poverty is an issue of material scarcity-lack of food, housing, medicine, money, water-while to the poor it is a sociological and psychological matter. The poor describe poverty in terms of

Therefore, working to restore self-worth and dignity is one of the most beneficial ways to interact with the poor. Through words, actions, and listening, compassion is best expressed in a way that results in the recipient feeling valued.

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