“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of My brothers and sisters, you were doing it to Me!’” (Matthew 25:40, NLT)
As many of you know, Regeneration Outreach Community (which operates at Grace United Church in downtown Brampton) has a long history of supporting vulnerable, underhoused, and underemployed individuals and families in Brampton. Each day, they serve almost 200 individuals by providing hot meals, clothing, and a place to gather for shelter, among other services. The work that they do is truly remarkable, and a core way that Grace United puts the words of Matthew 25 into practice.
Of course, this leads to many side effects that people may consider undesirable. There is loitering and garbage left around the building, disputes can turn violent, and there are concerns about illicit drug use. In response to concerns raised by the local neighbours, City Hall has made certain demands of Regeneration and Grace United Church, which can be read about in the links below
As followers of Jesus, we believe that more should be done to support the most vulnerable members of our population. Criminalizing their situation (which is often a complex intersection of mental health, privilege, and societal pressures, to name a few) is not the solution. While politicians and government may seek quick fixes to these issues, we understand that it is only through treating the vulnerable in our community with the same dignity and respect we would treat Jesus that these issues can be properly resolved.
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- Brampton threatens legal action against church and community outreach program. (The Brampton Guardian, 28 July 2025)
- Brampton threatens legal action against outreach group for vulnerable people. It says it needs more support. (CBC, 29 July 2025)
(Photo byNina Strehl onUnsplash)