Our Purpose
Living Water of Washington DC Inc. is a nonprofit organization devoted to seeing lives changed by the power of the Holy Spirit through love and the proclamation of the Good News of the free gift of salvation and eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord, ultimately to bring glory to God, which is the chief end of all humankind. LWWDC prayerfully fulfills its purpose through various outreach ministries, most of which serve the homeless population in accordance with Jesus' teaching to invite "the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind" (Luke 14:13) to the Great Banquet in Heaven.
Background
LWWDC believes that Christians have been called to meet the homeless where they are, particularly in our nation's inner cities, and to preach Christ's Gospel of renewal and salvation. Moreover, LWWDC knows that sharing God and His precepts with the homeless is the most effective path to profoundly changing their lives. By doing this, we witness to the homeless of the free gift of eternal salvation that is found in none other than Christ Jesus, while fulfilling the second of the two greatest commandments, which is to love one's neighbor as one's self. Many of the homeless claim to know the Lord. But because of want of hope, discipline, or help, they struggle on the streets. It is estimated that in the United States each night over three-quarters of a million people are without a home. In Washington DC, the number of homeless is estimated to be 9000 to 13,000.
Nationwide, thousands of organizations aimed at helping the homeless offer a variety of goods and services: food, shelter, medical care, drug rehabilitation, and even job training. Many of these organizations are located in Washington, DC. While these organizations are surely driven by compassion for the homeless population, LWWDC believes that, in general, they only provide for the immediate physical needs of individuals, instead of addressing their eternal spiritual needs and the root causes of troubles that afflict them. LWWDC believes that the training of the homeless in the construction trades, with a firm foundation in the eternal Truth, will help the homeless into careers through which they can permanently escape poverty, physical and spiritual.
LWWDC believes that in Jeremiah 2:13 the Bible sums up the difference between our approach to rehabilitation from that of many secular organizations: "They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns -- broken cisterns that can hold no water" (NKJV). We seek nourishment and sustenance in our work for the homeless from God's "cistern", from which comes the living water that leads to productivity and fruit in this life as well as salvation for the everlasting life to come, rather than from the man-made cisterns of the world that cannot hold such water.
The Bible says that if anyone will not work, then let him not eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10). The Bible also says that if a person does not provide for his family, he has disowned the faith and is worse than an unbeliever (1 Timothy 5:8). The homeless ministry of LWWDC is committed to making men into disciples of Jesus Christ in addition to providing them with the knowledge and training for them to earn a living for themselves and their families. We are dedicated to providing programs that incorporate on-the-job training, classroom training, and mentoring, whereby individuals can obtain the necessary vocational and spiritual foundation for, God willing, significant positive change in their lives. LWWDC is committed to doing what it can to ensure that all people, particularly the indigent, fulfill the purpose for which they were created, namely, to glorify God through service, fruit, and worship.
"Then the King will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to Me.'"
- Matthew 25:34-40 RSV
Our volunteers go out regularly on Sunday afternoons to McPherson Square in NW Washington DC and offer hot meals and clothes to the homeless population there. There are routinely over one hundred homeless individuals who gather there in need of food and clothing. In addition to providing these necessities, with God's continued provision and direction we preach His Word to those there assembled. By sharing the Good News of the Gospel, we invite the homeless into the Body of Christ and into eternal life with their heavenly Father. We pray for them and ask God for His blessing. We pray for their eternal salvation, for their overcoming of addictions, for healing, and for earthly needs to be met by God's grace in their lives.
The Lord has permanently changed the lives of many persons whom He has touched through us. The Almighty God has heard their prayers as well as ours, and has provided for them food, clothing, shelter, and employment. We share with them the Good News that they are loved, and that it is the Lord who provides for them. They have turned their hearts to God, and have seen His power working in their own lives.
"Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet."
- Matthew 22:9 NRSV
We share the Good News of salvation in Christ Jesus with all who will listen. In Matthew 22, Jesus tells a parable that is commonly referred to as "The Parable of the Wedding Feast". In it, Jesus describes a king who, three times, sends out his servants to invite guests to the feast of the wedding of his son. But each time, invitees refuse to come. So the king then tells his servants to go out to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone they can find. The servants do so, and the wedding hall is filled with guests. The wedding feast represents the union of Christ and His Bride the Church in Heaven, but the reference to the street corners in the parable is exactly as described: the Lord invites everyone to attend His feast, even if they are called at ordinary street corners.
People now more than ever are growing up without having God's Truth explained to them. For example, many of our schools discourage open and honest discussion of God, let alone freedom to worship Him. But our Lord gave us clearly our great commission:
"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world."
- Matthew 28:19-20 KJV
We want to share the Gospel with all nations, beginning in our own backyard. Our pastors preach the Gospel at McPherson Square in Washington DC every Sunday as part of our regular ministry and evangelism to the homeless.
If you plan on being a volunteer, or would like more details about our regular Homeless Outreach , including directions to McPherson Square in Washington DC, click here. There are also many other ways that you can help in this important effort. Reach us to learn how. Or make a tax-deductible donation to this important cause. Read highlights from the journal of our Street Homeless Ministry here: The Living Water Minute.
Construction Training Ministry
Through the Construction Training Ministry, homeless men will be rehabilitated into productive members of society through a combination of Christian discipleship and vocational training.
The vocational training would begin with training in the various construction trades through the use of classrooms, warehouse space, and on-the-job activities. The classroom and warehouse training would take place in a building to be acquired in Washington DC near public transportation, accessible by the homeless men and the urban community. The on-the-job training would be carried out through residential construction services, to be offered for charity in the form of disaster relief, home building and church planting in poor and distressed areas, or for below-market remuneration, in order to provide an avenue for the application and practice of the skills that the homeless men will learn in the classrooms and warehouse.
Christian discipleship will take place through worship, preaching, teaching, fellowship and mentorship founded on Biblical principals both within and outside of the training facility on a continuous basis during all activities ranging from the meals to classroom instruction to on-the-job training to weekly group worship. Bible studies will be interspersed among all activities. Christian discipleship will give the homeless men eternal hope as they come to a firm grasp of the Truth that Jesus Christ died a criminal's death on a cross for their sake and for the sake of all who believe, so that they may be acquitted of their many crimes against God and have entrance into the kingdom of Heaven. The eternal hope that will be instilled in the homeless men will translate to productivity in their daily lives, as they are overcome by the Spirit-led desire to serve and proclaim their Redeemer. Upon this foundation, this ministry will cultivate and hone the God-given vocational skills that each man has and harness the power of the Gospel in each of their lives for their benefit, the benefit of their surrounding communities and, ultimately, for the glory of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Homeless men will be selected on the basis of referrals from local homeless shelters and on the basis of the relationships that are formed through LWWDC's Street Homeless Ministry. The homeless men will not have to pay to gain entrance into this ministry, rather, operating funds will be provided by donations from surrounding churches, grant-making foundations, government institutions, individuals, and revenues that may be gleaned from on-the-job training activities.
Men will exit the program when God has enabled them to provide for themselves and their families for the foreseeable future. However, it is envisioned that a small percentage of the men may become full-time employees of LWWDC as leaders, instructors, and/or administrators.
God willing, LWWDC plans to provide emergency relief to victims of disaster, sharing God's Light and church planting along with construction, food, and emergency medical relief.
Many organizations provide disaster relief but few of these share the most important message that disaster victims could ever hear: that God loves them and that He will not abandon them; that He gave His Son to die on the cross to take away the sins of those that believe, and that His Son now sits in glory at His right hand; that He provides to His flock comfort, solace, and peace; that the hardships, troubles, and tragedies of this life can scarcely take away from the everlasting joy, peace, and glory that is theirs for the asking. Providing disaster relief services bears witness to the heart of Jesus Christ in and among members of the LWWDC team, and answers the immediate needs of those in crisis. But this evangelism also serves a deeper purpose, by harvesting fruit for the kingdom of God from these fertile grounds.
Homeless persons and others who will be involved in disaster relief services benefit from exposure to real calamity, showing them fellow brothers, sisters, and neighbors in need, catalyzing what God has been working in their hearts, namely, the process by which an individual becomes a true servant of Christ through action and outreach in His name. Many people come back from mission trips with strengthened walks with God. It is our prayer that one- or two-week trips to disaster sites will serve as "missions" for the homeless persons enrolled in the Construction Training Ministry, yielding better and more compassionate character within them, making them valued contributors to the community, and ultimately, faithful witnesses to the glory of God. All of this would be accomplished by God, through the staff and volunteers of LWWDC.
Of the disaster relief mission field, we point to what Jesus said:
"The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest."
- Matthew 9:37 KJV
Church Planting and Ministry Replication
Should the LWWDC vision reach fruition by God's hand, LWWDC will seek to teach existing churches and organizations to start similar ministries. We believe that the establishment of ministries on the firm foundation of God and the Bible can combat head-on the problem of homelessness and destitution, no matter where it occurs. Our Lord Jesus Christ said:
"'Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation.' "
- Mark 16:15 RSV
Our ministry is volunteer-based. Primary sources of volunteers include local churches and other faith-based organizations. Sermons are Christ-centered and make use of apologetics when helpful to address intellectual obstacles to accepting Christ. By volunteering or making a donation to LWWDC, you will help to equip us to cast God's Light into areas where His Light is most needed. He transforms the lives of those who accept Him and His Word.
LWWDC is a nonprofit organization funded primarily through private donations from individuals. LWWDC is a 501(c)(3) organization. Donations are tax-deductible. Donations are used to purchase food, utensils, clothing, Bibles, Christian tracts, and, eventually, to start and operate the Construction Training Ministry and other ministries of LWWDC. The food, clothing, Bibles, and tracts are distributed by our volunteers, who also impart God's Message to recipients. Together, your donations and our volunteers reveal to the homeless the love and grace of the Good Shepherd who faithfully feeds and cares for His flock. If you live in the Washington DC area, you can volunteer for our Homeless Ministry. You can also make a tax-deductible donation to our ministry even if you do not live in the Washington DC area.
"God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them."
- Hebrews 6:10 NIV
Please share your comments with us. Reach us and let us know your thoughts, or write to us at:
Living Water of Washington DC, Inc.
P.O. Box 721
Haymarket, VA 20168-0721