Cover Story

Hospitality to the Homeless

Steve oversees the preparation of five to six hundred meals a day at the Union Gospel Mission. At six-feet and 258 solid pounds, his presence is authoritative, but his demeanor is surprisingly gentle. Hospitality to the homeless is an interesting career choice for a man whose life -- until a few years ago -- was characterized by violent hostility.

At 18, Steve went to prison for beating a man with a miniature baseball bat until his jaw was pulverized. Five years and eight months later, he got out, angrier than ever, and stayed angry for an entire decade –- barely escaping violent death twice, once looking down into his own freshly dug grave.

“My worst day now is better than my best day back then,” says Steve. “It was all about riding dirt bikes and having cars, women and drugs.  It’s not about that anymore. I don’t have everything in the world, but I’ve got everything I need.  I’ve got my sanity.  I’ve got my life, my ministries, my children. I’ve got God in my life.”

Today, Steve extends the grace he’s received as he patiently works in the kitchen with a revolving staff of Mission residents.  “The kitchen is a place where people congregate and talk, so it’s cool to be able to use that to break down barriers. A lot of these guys will never talk to anybody,” says Steve, “but I’ll start working with them, and they see that I genuinely care, that I want to help, that I’m willing to come alongside them -- and they’ll really open up.”