Teens Opposing Poverty

05/28/2026

05/26/2026

The World in a Backpack
When you're homeless, chances are you carry all of your worldly possessions in a backpack. If you're lucky, you have a place to store or stash some extra things. All too often, everything you own gets stolen, ruined by foul weather, or thrown away by city or park employees.

After over 37 years in ministry, I never cease to be affected by the gratitude of the people we serve when we give them the simplest of things. When was the last time you were really grateful for a clean pair of underwear, dry socks, a warm coat, shoes with no holes in them, a book bag or a blanket?

I have probably seen this tremendous gratitude for such small things over 1,000 times, but it still makes me think about the material things I really NEED in this life; clothes on my back, food on my table, a roof over my head, and the tools I need to help support my family. Everything else is a WANT.

Our youth and adult volunteers learn this lesson as well. One of the things teens take away from their involvement with TOP is an appreciation of their material blessings. For some, the experience of dealing with people who have so little is life-changing. They develop a thankful heart. And a thankful heart often becomes a generous heart.
by Steve Jennings

05/19/2026

What It's All About
The youth group from a Methodist Church in Forest, Virginia served about 50 homeless and low income people at Miller Park in Lynchburg. It was a beautiful afternoon. Little did I know it would become a day I’ll never forget.

We served Bethany (name changed) almost every time we had done ministry. She was a young, single mother who came out of an abusive relationship. Child Protective Services took her three children and placed them in foster care. She had a number of issues to deal with but was working to meet the requirements get her children out of foster care.

My heart broke as she shared her heartache over not having her kids. But her biggest concern was for her kids. They were separated and frequently moved to new homes. Her oldest son had to move five times in less than a year.

I asked her if we could pray for her. She eagerly accepted. The church’s youth pastor and three of their youth joined me. We stood in a circle, held hands and began to pray. Often youth aren’t comfortable praying with people, but one of them, Caitlyn, said “Hey, God, it’s me” and lifted up Bethany in a heart-felt prayer that moved us all.

By the time Caitlyn finished, Bethany was sobbing. Caitlyn hugged her and began to comfort her as the tears continued to flow for several minutes afterward. The whole time, Caitlyn held her and softly spoke comfort to her. After a while, smiles and a joyful conversation replaced the tears.

The two of them sat together for over a half hour, building a bond of friendship and touching each other’s lives in a very special way. Bethany later told me how much Caitlyn’s comfort helped her. Sometimes she despaired of ever getting her children back, but her time with Caitlyn refreshed her.

This sort of connection doesn’t happen on every trip, but it happens enough that I get to see how we can make a difference. I think more than anything else that I do with TOP, being able to see these wonderful connections is what makes me eager to get to work each day.
by Steve Jennings

05/14/2026

05/12/2026

Forever Changed
Reggie, William, David & Lisa, Robert, Betty & Steve, Linwood, Amy & her 2 daughters, Peanut, Sherry, Ben, Peggy, Charlie, Bob, Andre’, Oliver, Gerald, Tom, Denise & Lavelle, Peter, James, George, Robert & Melissa, Garland, and Donna. These are just some of the people TOP has been able to help with a transformation in their lives. Their stories are both heartbreaking and uplifting. They are examples of why we should never give up hope. This transformational help has either come from us directly or through our groups of volunteers.

Sometimes our contribution has been small. Andre’ had been clean and sober for 6 months when he told us that he got a new job. We celebrated with him, and asked if there was anything he needed to help him get started. He told us his job was at a bagel bakery and he had to get up at 3:30 in the morning. He asked for an alarm clock. Three months later he was off the street. The last time he saw us he said that alarm clock was a job saver and a life saver for him.

In other cases, all we offered was encouragement. Because of a series of tragic events in his life, Reggie had quit trying to make it in mainstream society. But the encouragement of young people over the course of 2 months gave him the desire to try again. Just 6 months later, he had his own place and his own car.

And there were times where we did something big. Through Impact the Valley, we took part in rebuilding the downstairs of Donna’s house. She had to use the money she planned for the renovation to survive after being diagnosed with MS and discovering she could no longer work.

I’m not saying this to boast about what TOP has done, but to give some examples of how all of us can make a difference in the lives of others. The process is simple, but not always easy. There are setbacks and disappointments. People we help may keep pushing their “self-destruct buttons” or we may suffer the greater pain of letting somebody down when they really need us.

And, yes, I could also post here a longer list of names where the outcomes have not been so positive.

Is it worth the risk of our time, resources and emotions? Absolutely! Every success refuels us to persevere through the trials and struggles of ministry with the poor.

And it’s not just the people we serve who are transformed. Our volunteers experience their own transformations. People who began as the objects of our desire to serve have become our friends. Sometimes friends for a season and other times friends for life.
by Steve Jennings

05/05/2026

And Yet

I enjoyed the drive to DC on that seasonably cold December night in 2006. I didn’t have to fight traffic, and the Christmas lights were a joy to see. I went there to take some winter clothes to the guys who stayed around New York Avenue Presbyterian Church.

I was able to park right next to the small plaza beside the church and gave out what I had for them. I intended to drop the stuff off and go straight home, but ended up staying for a while to chat. Everybody was in a good mood despite their living conditions.

My friend, Bob, had set up a cardboard wall in front of an alcove on the side of the building. It gave him some privacy and protected him from the wind. As he showed me how he built his “room” a HUGE rat ran out from a gap under the cardboard. I must have jumped back five feet and screamed, “Did you see the size of that thing?!” Everybody laughed, and Bob said, “Oh, that’s just Fred. I have to evict him almost every night before I turn in.”

Bob was one of the nicest people you would ever want to meet, but he had battled an alcohol addiction for nearly 30 years. He lost count of how many times he quit only to succumb to the temptation and end up on the street. But, despite the setbacks, he never gave up hope. When a giant rat is your roommate, it could be easy to give in to despair. And yet Bob held onto the belief that, eventually, he would prevail. Little did he know that night that a miracle awaited him in the spring.

Fast forward to May. Bob and seven of his friends could only afford a six pack of beer between them. To solve the problem, one of them would open a beer, take a sip, and pass it to the next guy. When the first beer got to Bob, he got his miracle. He looked at it and passed it to the next guy without taking a sip. On that day, Bob was delivered from his addiction. By December, he had a good job and a place to live. He is still sober and has been off the streets for 18 years.

One of the things Bob attributed his miracle to was his friendship with Esther, one of our youth volunteers. She gave him friendship, encouragement, and prayers for over five years. I have shared their story more times than I can count, because it is one of the best examples of those times God has used TOP to change lives.

Perhaps the biggest lesson I’ve learned over the last 37+ years with TOP is that despair easily overtakes people trapped in poverty. And yet even a glimmer of hope gives them the power to try again until they find their miracles.
by Steve Jennings

04/28/2026

Fire Through My Fingers
During a week-long mission camp in 2014, I led a team that served at Shockoe Hill Apartments, a subsidized housing complex for seniors. Our Senior Ministry was just one year old at the time.

On our first day we saw a man, who appeared to be around 80, slowly push his walker to the area where we were serving. When he came in, the other residents greeted him as Deacon Davis. We helped him gather the few things he said he needed, and he headed back to his room.

After he left, the other residents told us that he started a prayer chapel for them and functioned as their pastor, even though he wasn’t ordained. I was surprised when they told me he was 95, not 80 as I had guessed. I got a chance to chat with him when he came back downstairs. What a passion for Jesus! I was humbled.

Deacon Davis and 10 others were waiting for us when we arrived the next day. The teens impressed me by the way they turned their entire focus onto the people they served. The time passed too quickly.

It was getting close to our time to leave, so I asked Deacon Davis to pray for the youth before we left. We gathered around in a circle and held hands. The Deacon had to lean on his walker, so the youth on either side of him placed their hands on his.

Then he began to pray. It was one of those prayers that makes the earth shake and sends chills up your spine. God’s presence descended on us like the fog covering a mountaintop. I don’t remember his words, just the power behind them. When he finished, I looked around to see if the others were as impacted as I was. They were all rubbing their arms. Several of them said “Wow!” One said, “That was awesome!” Deacon Davis just gave us a gentle, toothless smile.

At worship that evening, the young volunteers got to share their “God sightings.” Cody, a bright-eyed, gregarious 7th grader, was one of the first to raise his hand. He told about Deacon Davis’ prayer and said, “When he was praying it was like fire shot through my fingers.”

I know our young volunteers blessed the residents of Shockoe Hill Apartments through their provision of food and other needed items as well as through their presence and company. But I think most of them would tell you that, on that day, they received a lot more than they gave.
by Steve Jennings