06/05/2026
Every person has a story—and every story has the power to inspire change. FIRST FOLKS is a series celebrating the people of First Baptist who are bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to Richmond and beyond (KOH2RVA).
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CREDIT: Erich Bridges
It’s a typically crowded, noisy Monday at Community Missions in the basement of Richmond's First Baptist Church. Unhoused and needy people wait for showers, fill out food pantry sheets, visit the clothes closet, drop off laundry to be washed, drink coffee and talk.
Amid the hubbub, a smiling Beth Poe appears, holding a checklist and looking for her next client. Beth is a new addition to the volunteer team downstairs. She helps people struggling with housing insecurity to find resources beyond the basics RFBC provides.
"I get some people who are looking for jobs, but mainly housing. That usually consists of different churches [including RFBC] going together to help," Beth says. "If they qualify, I help them and tell them what the requirements are." Older clients often get Social Security benefits, but still lack the money to pay for a place—or even a room— to live.
Take Charlie, for instance. He was short $400 on rent for May, but Beth was able to help him apply for one-time assistance. Now he'll be able to help others—a common occurrence.
"He's well-known," Beth explains. "He will share what he knows with other people to help them get through this struggle of being on the streets. He touched me. He's a recovering alcoholic and he's been there, done that. He's just a sweet, sweet man. I can introduce him to somebody else here who he can help."
Beth also counsels needy folks who call RFBC's Compassion Ministry phone hotline, serves in the Community Service Outreach van and helps out in the clothes closet at Pine Street Baptist (one of RFBC's ministry partners). After retiring from Bon Secours, Beth says, "all I wanted to do was help people." She and her husband, Ed (to be featured in a future "First Folks"), weren't part of a church family, but they had watched RFBC worship services on TV for years. So they decided to join—and Beth found plenty of ways to help people.
Whether through RFBC or Pine Street, Beth says she likes to "just walk around and give hugs and tell people how much I care about them. I like them to know that someone cares and I'm listening to them. Sometimes they say, 'Thank you for listening to me,' and that brings tears to my eyes, to know that I'm helping them that day. To know that someone's listening and paying attention means the world. I might give them a whole list of [resource] numbers, but I think my time with them is what they value."
To those who question the value of spending time with street people, Beth says this: "Until you're in their shoes, you don't know their story. No one wants to be out there like that. Some people have mental conditions, substance abuse. They don't want to be like that, but they are. And they're human beings, just like you and me, who need to be treated with respect."
