RMCNews with Kim Dallum – Arvada, Colorado … Arvada Adventist Church has two Street Beat programs aimed at ministering to homeless and getting them off the streets. One program prepares and serves food on the third Sabbath of the month at the Salvation Army men’s shelter.
Another weekly program serves those who have had to “shelter in place” due to the COVID pandemic. When asked about the efforts of the Street Beat ministry at Arvada Adventist Church, lead pastor Dr. Gordon Anic commented, “[These programs] are part of our church’s mission to alleviate suffering, both far and near.”
When the monthly Street Beat program was on hold due to the pandemic, donations began to pile up. Kim Dallum, head of the Street Beat programs at Arvada, started cooking on a weekly basis to avoid wasting those provisions. People soon joined her, and the Street Beat team has been cooking up a storm every Tuesday since. They began by visiting people in their temporary shelters, tents, etc. and giving them hot, homemade food and bottled water. The team also gave out clothes and blankets when they were available. They were able to expand to include the men’s shelter along with the people who were homeless.
With God firmly at the head of this committee, and as the Street Beat team talked about the programs in all areas of their lives, they were blessed to meet and partner with others in the community who shared their mission. They met a woman who wanted to feed people in Wheat Ridge but couldn’t do the cooking. The team made an extra 50 meals every week for her to collect and distribute to encampments to the west.
The team also received a call from a man who had heard about their program from “a friend of a friend.” He and his wife cook for and feed 75 people weekly on the streets of Lakewood from their own kitchen. They quickly began sharing resources and information with each other.
Kim recalled, just recently, God to two women’s shelters: one for women who are survivors of domestic violence and one for survivors of sexual trafficking. “The Street Beat team has opened their arms even wider to encompass them,” she explained.
Kim remarked, “So many people have touched me. What I remember the most is the number of people who have cried when I handed them something delicious. But there was one woman who approached us, looked very eagerly at what we had to offer and asked, ‘Can just anyone eat?’ I told her that this is God’s food and we’re just the servers. She cried when I handed her a plate, and I cry whenever I think about her and her question. Our group clings to Matthew 25: 35-40 and John 21: 15-17.”
“All God’s children are our brothers and sisters in need of love. The Arvada Street Beat team witnesses miracles every week and all agree that we receive so much more than we give. What a blessing to be His hands and feet,” Kim said.
—RMCNews and Kim Dallum. Kim Dallum heads the Street Beats and Medical ministries at Arvada Adventist Church. Photo by Pastor Gordon Anic.
