LaDonna Brendle was working as an accountant and teaching Sunday School at Frazer United Methodist Church in 2006 when she felt the call to full-time ministry, and then two things happened.
In a New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary extension class, Brendle said she gained a focus on personal evangelism. And later, on a tour of Israel, she realized the call to serve the homeless, both in Israel and at home in Montgomery.
What began with sharing sandwiches with the homeless who gathered behind a dumpster in a vacant Montgomery lot has now grown into a full-fledged outreach effort — Reality & Truth Ministries, which serves up Bible truths and home-cooked meals to the hungry in downtown Montgomery.
“I learned so much,” said Brendle, president of Reality & Truth. “There were so many stumbling blocks for people to get things they needed. I had a heart’s desire to make a difference, so I started bringing them dinners and [the ministry] grew from there.”
The people who come for help have all kinds of stories, Brendle noted. Some were sold into prostitution by their parents; many suffered abuse, neglect or abandonment.
Serving the broken
But others lived normal, productive lives until tragedy struck and they lost the ability to cope.
“We serve very broken people, and whether they are homeless or incarcerated, God has called us to them,” Brendle said. “These adults are orphans. They need someone to walk alongside them and guide them to what’s next for them, which for some may be mental health counseling, addictions treatment or help getting a job. Others just need someone to disciple them or listen to them share their story.”
The ministry’s mission is based on Isaiah 61:1–3 — serving and glorifying God “according to the work of Christ by promoting the one source of Truth amidst everyday realities, through encouraging, teaching, loving and gifting others.”
Recognizing humanity
One man Brendle encountered wanted to get a job but had no way to prepare for an interview. His plight helped her see the need for a place where the homeless could clean up and perhaps feel a little more human.
“They needed to be able to shower, wash their clothes and get a haircut,” Brendle explained. “They needed a place where people could love on them, where they could see the love of Jesus.”
Additionally, clothing and personal advocacy services as well as financial management and connections to other social services are available.
Ministry volunteers also serve women at Julia Tutwiler Prison in Wetumpka through Bible teaching, prayer and discipleship.
Along with humanitarian services, Reality & Truth produces life application Bible teaching, aired on the ministry website and on WFRZ-TV through “Let’s Talk Truth.”
Brendle said the broadcasts have inspired invitations, and through the Beautiful Feet Mission, ministry leaders visit churches, teaching and helping implement local mission efforts.
Brendle also leads a semi-annual mission trip to Tel Aviv under the ministry arm, Israel Love Mission, ministering to the homeless and women involved in sex trafficking.
In Montgomery, The Well Mission will soon offer free housing, life skills training and discipleship for women re-entering society, equipping them for successful living after release from prison.
The ministry’s humanitarian arm, One Church Mission, is operating in a temporary location while renovating what will be a permanent location on Montgomery Street.
Once completed, the ministry site will offer showers, a laundry room, computer stations, a hair salon, a game area, plus a living room and dining space.
Reality & Truth Ministries offers families, churches, businesses and Bible study groups an opportunity to help provide and serve daily meals and deliver devotionals to those who gather to eat.
Opportunities to help
The ministry also needs help to finish renovations to their building, as well as volunteers willing to help with discipleship and mentoring and other ministry activities.
“We are looking for God to send people with their spiritual gifting and their natural gifting to help with different aspects of the ministry,” Brendle explained. “We are also praying for someone who is called to serve full-time as director of One Church Mission.”
It’s all part of reaching “the least of these,” Brendle said.
“We serve broken people who need the touch of Jesus. The stories are endless, but these are souls that need to be delivered, to be healed, to be redeemed or nurtured and equipped. They are the ones He came for.”
Share with others: