Janet Silvera, Senior Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

A man with only six fingers; another with visible scars left by sulphuric acid; others living with years of filth, abuse and drug use made up Sold Out Ministries Street Church last Sunday afternoon.

Rejected by society, abandoned by their families, these are Montego Bay's homeless who find consolation and salvation on Sundays at Street Church, even if the other six days they are beaten, chopped, stabbed, burnt and fed drugs in lieu of food.

For years, I, too, have been guilty of walking on the opposite side of the road, afraid to have my path cross with theirs … afraid of the grime, the stench and the unpredictable mindset they are known for.

But last Sunday was a day of reckoning.

Some 30 vagrants, many of them showered and smelling clean, gave up their sidewalk homes, opting for a plastic chair and the Gospel according to Luke. Dressed in their Sunday best, they came equipped with offerings of $10 or a little bit more.

Incredibly shocking

For me, this was incredibly shocking. Even more alarming, was sitting in their midst. But for pastors Paul and Dorrett Blake, this was commonplace, having moved mountains in the three years since they knocked down the four walls around them and answered the Lord's call to minister on the streets.

"We don't have to be inside four walls. Church is anywhere you want it to be. The Lord said to us when he was sending us out, 'I have sent you to the unlovable, I have sent you to the abandoned'," ministered Dorrett Blake in her hair-raising message on shame or guilt - a weight that many people carry around with them daily.

When she touched on guilt, Blake gave the example of a man who would curse and 'bun' the church every Sunday. "He had cocaine for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but eventually, he joined us and two months ago, we were able to get him into rehabilitation at Teen Challenge in Ocho Rios," she ministered.

"Who are you? Why are you writing in your book?" the man with six fingers interjected as Pastor Blake preached.

"I am a journalist with The Gleaner," I responded. "Oh! Let me tell you my story," he said excitedly.

By now, Paul Thompson had stated his name. "I was sleeping on the streets for one year and six months after coming out of prison, but Sold Out Ministries found a house for me and gave me some phone cards to start a small business. I do a little farming once in a while, but it hard," the 60-year-old man told The Sunday Gleaner.

A look from Pastor Blake signalled the end to that conversation and the return to the Gospel. "When God send you, him mean seh him have a plan for you. God has hope for you. Do not hide what you are struggling with. Confront it!" she urged, directly addressing the few who were still slaves to drugs.

Blake's message ignited a confession from Bob Shaw, a man who had destroyed his livelihood and had lost his family as a result of his addiction to crack cocaine. Shaw has not yet accepted the Lord as his saviour, but is of the belief that through prayer, all things are possible.

For the last 20 years, Shaw has lived on the streets of Montego Bay. "Since I start coming to church, I am more settled. Some days I will take the drugs. And some days I pray and don't tek it. I never used to pray, but since mi start pray, mi hear from mi family in America."

Burnt while he slept

Seated next to Bob Shaw was Keith Gordona, a man who has acid-burn marks all over his chest. "I was burnt while I slept," he said.

His face and hands are sculpted by cuts received while living on the streets. However, when he smiles, there is a twinkle of hope in his eyes. "I started working three weeks ago at a wholesale in Charles Gordon Market," he said.

Paul and Dorrett Blake are struggling to strengthen the faith of Gordona, Shaw, Thompson and many men who live on the streets of Montego Bay.

Founded 12 years ago, the Blakes' outreach ministry has operated with very limited resources over the years and has kept its hand to the plough because of the conviction of a dedicated staff. The turnaround in the lives of young men and women in the prisons and inner-city communities, schools and colleges, has been worth the tremendous personal sacrifices made by them and their immediate family.

When Sold Out Ministries was founded, Dorrett Blake gave up her career in banking to obey the call of God on her life in 1997. She had no idea what it would cost, but her love for the Lord prevailed and catapulted her into obedience to serve in a full-time capacity.

Gave up job

Paul Blake also gave up his job as a top cabaret artiste in the hotel industry. As a secular singer, he led the popular group Paul Blake and the Blood Fire Posse. "When Paul was convicted to give up his cabaret performances, income from that source to run the ministry and take care of the family was terminated. The following years, sheer faith in God and a strong conviction kept us working on the streets, in the hospital, the AIDS hospice and the local prison," revealed Pastor Dorrett Blake.

"We were so short on income that we ended up in court for not paying our rent, along with other challenges, but the call to serve was stronger than our comfort zone and sense of security. We trusted God that changes would come."

A number of changes have come for Paul and Dorrett Blake. God has been faithful and has provided 'manna' and has given and sustained the passion for the mandate of reaching, rescuing and mentoring the rejected, abandoned, neglected in the streets, schools and communities and local prison.

But the work the Blakes are doing is constantly in need of financial support. They are inviting corporate Jamaica and individuals to partner with them to effectively transform communities and ultimately, the nation.

"Our primary target group is our youth. Together we can achieve more. The benefits are immeasurable," said Pastor Blake.