An inspirational force to believe in

Mac Childs helps those in need through the College Avenue Baptist Church in Fayetteville.

By David Lanier Special To The Daily Record

Posted: May 19, 2009 at 6 a.m.

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Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of stories exploring homelessness in northwest Arkansas. The stories are written by David Lanier, a former sports editor of The Benton County Daily Record, who has been homeless for the better part of the past five years.

Who was the most famous homeless person in the history of mankind? Jesus, who spent his adult life preaching and teaching in parables while roaming the countryside with no mode of transportation and no permanent address.

For Mac Childs, an inspirational force in aiding the homeless through the auspices of the College Avenue Baptist Church in Fayetteville, Jesus’ love-thy-neighbor philosophy is a credo he practices.

“Most people think all homeless people are like that because of drugs or alcohol and some are lazy,” said Brother Mac, as he’s known on Sunday mornings when the College Avenue Baptist Church serves breakfast for the street people who flock there for food and fellowship.

Some might wonder how one person can help the homeless. It’s not just serving a meal at Thanksgiving or Christmas at The Salvation Army that truly benefits homeless people, according to Childs.

“Some might gain satisfaction by donating one day of the year serving around the holidays,” Childs said. “But that’s not what (uprooted homeless folks) are looking for. You can’t help the homeless through The Salvation Army or Seven Hills. That’s just bureaucracy. It’s a setup like a Band-Aid and a joke. The real deal is individual people helping individual people.” Following his divorce seven years ago, Childs spent almost a year sleeping in his pickup truck in the woods. Occasionally, he’d crash on friends’ couches. What lessons can he impart about his homeless experiences? “Keep your bedroll dry,” Childs said. “The main thing I learned, though, was that God provides.” Eventually, while landscaping, a client provided Childs with a home. “It was a fixer upper,” Childs said. “Now, I even have running water and a wood stove.” According to Childs, the majority of homeless people aren’t seeking help, at least at first. “They’re hiding because life has wounded them,” Childs related. “They don’t want to parade where they are. They need someone to spend time with them and show them they really care about them.” Childs also knows the disparity of the legal system when judges mete out fines or punishment. “If someone has money and is relatively rich when they get in legal trouble, it’s no big deal,” Childs observed. “But if you’re homeless and you get in trouble, you’re almost guaranteed of doing jail time.”

The College Avenue Baptist Church provides a beacon of hope and helps the homeless cope with life’s travails.

“I’ve seen hundreds of bags of trash picked up by homeless who volunteer through our church. They want to do something good,” Childs said. “We also have a Garden Group which meets every other Saturday. They’ve planted at least 8,000 daffodils during the winter and helped clean up in neighborhoods which were eyesores.”

Some homeless people seek guidance by attending the weekly Sunday morning breakfast.

“I’ve met a beautiful young lady who had never heard the word of God until she came here,” Childs related. “Now, she says her church family is the only friends she’s had. God is using her.

“But I’ve also seen others destroy their lives and drown themselves, which ends in them losing their lives.”

It’s just a matter of caring and sharing.

“If you can show someone you care about them and they can discover that God loves them, then that can make all the difference,” Childs said.

Coming Wednesday: Because of David Lanier’s dire straits in the past few years, he has experienced homelessness from a personal viewpoint.

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