Missions Connection Center

Set Free and Brentwood Baptist Partner to Minister to Homeless

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In May 1993, Set Free began in a storefront building in Yucaipa, California. Led by Pastor Willie Dalgity and his wife, Marsha, they made it their mission to take the message of Jesus to the streets of their community, ministering to the homeless, hurting, addicted, hopeless, and desperate.

Sixteen years later, there are more than 60 Set Free daughter churches scattered throughout California and the United States. And this year, Set Free Skid Row, located in downtown Los Angeles, is one of our Hope for the World Missions Offering partners.

“We’re helping to sponsor Ron Thomas, pastor of Set Free Skid Row,” said Bob Carlton, our Church Planting Minister. “He’s in the heart of L.A. ministering to the homeless and addicted—and he’s pastoring a congregation in nearby Compton.”

Pastor Thomas also lived on the streets of Skid Row at one time. As a result of his encounter with Set Free Church, Jesus changed his life and his world was turned upside down. Using his testimony, he is now back in the same streets with his wife, Rhonda, ministering to those who are now living as he once did.

“They go into neighborhoods that most people are scared to go into and people start coming to Christ,” Bob said. “Then they take them to their discipleship ranch out in the desert. They do everything from detox to discipleship. But it’s not a program. It’s Jesus in the morning, Jesus at noontime, Jesus in the evening.”

Brentwood Baptist is working with Don Overstreet, a church planting strategist for the North American Mission Board, to plant a Set Free Church in Nashville. Bob said, “We want to help them put a discipleship ranch facility in the center of Tennessee. We’re thinking bigger than Nashville. We want to reach those who are hopeless and desperate throughout Middle Tennessee.”

“Set Free Skid Row has seen people who have gone from prisoners to prison guards and psychotic to psychologists, and their recidivism rate is one of the lowest. They are really seeing lives transformed. Brentwood Baptist has an opportunity to be a part of this movement of church planting that’s one of the most effective forms of urban ministry and evangelism anyone has ever seen.”

Below are some ways you can get involved:
• Give to our Hope for the World Missions Offering, which supports the Set Free Skid Row Church.
• If you attend Kairos, sign up for the upcoming mission journey in July to Skid Row in Los Angeles.
• This year, Set Free Skid Row will send several members to Nashville to network with local CEOs, non-profits, and our church members. For more information or to get involved, contact Bob Carlton at 324.6174 or bcarlton@brentwoodbaptist.com.

To learn more about Set Free Skid Row and its ministries or how you can get involved in our upcoming projects with them, go online to www.SetFreeSkidRowChurch.org.