A common daily habit for many — a hot shower — is a tremendous luxury and gospel tool in southwest Missouri.
Freeway Ministries in Springfield recently began offering Get Clean, a shower trailer that serves those without access to regular hygiene.
“Get Clean is an opportunity for unsheltered and underserved people in our community to take a hot shower,” John Stroup, executive director and co-founder of Freeway Ministries, explained.
‘Overlooked need’
“When you live on the streets, a shower is an overlooked need,” he noted. “We often hear people say, ‘Clean up and get a job.’ But where does that happen if you don’t have access to showers?
“A shower restores dignity. A shower gives hope. We are then able to share the hope that comes from having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
“We tell them about how a shower can make them physically clean,” Stroup added, “but the blood of Jesus can clean them from the inside out.”
Census information from last November documented more than 2,500 individuals in the greater Springfield area who meet the federal government’s definition of being homeless, Stroup said.
“The need is greater than we knew. We have people that walk in off the streets to take a hot shower, and we send out buses to bring in people from the local day shelters and homeless camps to shower.”
Many return weekly.
“We’ve seen four times more men than women come to our outreach,” Stroup noted, “but adults of all ages come.”
The shower uses a generator and onboard water tank for mobile use, though it currently is located at Freeway’s headquarters. The unit is available on Tuesdays and the second and fourth Saturdays of the month, and showers are free.
A Get Clean shower is just part of the services offered by Freeway Ministries.
“From the minute they walk in the door, we start to form relationships with people that we would never sit down and talk about life with,” Stroup said.
Each receives a list of resources and items including clothing, toiletries, socks or new underwear. They get help finding shelter, getting food, escaping trafficking, receiving childcare, finding transportation, leaving abusive relationships, etc.
Every week the organization feeds some 600 individuals, and Freeway hosts 11 transitional discipleship houses in southwest Missouri that serve as alternatives to prison and offer individual services.
Each house offers a yearlong program teaching individuals how God can change their lives from hopelessness and addiction to being a productive member of society.
Hot meals and more
All the locations serve hot meals and provide free clothing, transportation and childcare.
They also host weekly meetings similar to church services.
“At our outreach service you will see the widow, the single mother, the retired judge, church families, the homeless, the farmer, the addict, the doctor … people from all walks of life, coming together to worship the same God,” Stroup said.
Freeway gets no government funding but is supported by businesses, churches and individuals.
“We have built relationships with organizations and businesses that donate the majority of our food,” Stroup said. “These food donations then enable us to give to smaller outreach ministries to help them in their work.”
‘One broken life at a time’
Stroup helped found Freeway Ministries to reach the difficult-to-reach with the Gospel of Jesus Christ “one broken life at a time.”
“We hear people tell us that they want to help the homeless but don’t know how. We bridge the gap.”
Once homeless himself and addicted to drugs, Stroup describes in his book, “From The Pit To The Pulpit,” his journey from being a drug dealer, to incarceration where he found Christ in a prison cell, to beginning a ministry that helps others find Jesus.
His second book, “Stop Loving Your Kids To Death,” provides biblical help to families trying to assist their addicted children. Both are available at Amazon.
For more information about Stroup and Freeway Ministries visit www.freeway-ministries.com.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Michael Smith and originally published by the Pathway.
