HISTORY OF LIVING WORD OUTREACH

We have always shared a deep concern for the poor. While working at a local church, we began to reach out to society's outcasts; the working poor, the addicted, the homeless and the elderly. With clear direction from God, and with increasing federal and state welfare program cutbacks we decided it was time to become more ardently involved. A mobile soup kitchen was developed and coat and clothing drives were held. Throughout this period, and until the present day,we began to take people into our home; people who had no place to stay. It was obvious that there were many Christian men and women in the church searching for a greater committment to God, and longing for activities that would appropriatley demonstrate the love of Christ to the world. So, after much prayer, being called of God in March, 1993, we left our church to start Living Word Outreach (LWO), a ministry geared to society's so-called "throw away" people. On December 19, 1994, LWO was incorporated as an Illinois not-for-profit corporation. Then, on February 14, 1995 LWO was chartered with the Pentecostal Church of God of Joplin, Missouri.

Seeing that many local families were going hungry, groceries were purchased for the working poor in our area. The groceries were delivered to their homes and whenever possible, the Gospel message was shared with them. It was appalling that in our own community, people were living under horrible conditions and extreme poverty. We began to distribute shoes and clothing also. By word of mouth the demand for groceries kept increasing, challenging the stamina of our volunteers. For five years, LWO volunteers cooked and served hot meals at a Waukegan soup kitchen, regularly held Sunday morning worship service at a local nursing home, wrote and performed contemporary Christian music, held weekly in-depth Bible studies and evangelized monthly in the county prison. Through these efforts and experiences, the volunteers were both tested and strengthened. LWO feels the best way to show God's concern for the poor and needy is through action; not just words. Ministering to them the love and compassion of Jesus Christ. It was only natural that our home-based ministry would have to establish itself publically in the community, so in September of 1998, five and one half years after our project began, LWO opens it outreach center in Round Lake Park, Illinois!

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