A Simple Idea For Christian Ministry To The Poor In Lubbock

In 2010, the Lubbock County Detention Center moved from its central downtown location to its current location near the air port on North Holly.  For those unfamiliar, that location is north of the city about two miles from outside the loop and well off the Citibus route.

Couple this bit of information with the rather obvious reality that by far most of the people locked up in jail are poor, and you know without even verifying it that people getting out of jail, and their family and friends going to visit them, need rides.

Yes, I have been to the jail many times over the years, and I don’t think there has been even once that I did not encounter needy people needing a ride to or from there every day.

In fact, I could imagine that if a church wanted to make a difference in the lives of the poor and needy of Lubbock, they could run a church van from the jail to the Citibus depot downtown at regularly scheduled intervals probably four times a day, and would facilitate visits between family and loved ones that find themselves priced out of that option more often than not.

And I would easily imagine that as the ministers driving this van do so regularly over time that relationships will be birthed and grown.  And since these needy people are obviously paying the price for their own sins and the sins of loved ones, I would imagine that a graceful touch of Jesus in their lives, facilitated in this way, could prove healing over time for those individuals involved, and collectively that might make a spiritual impact on the legal system in our community over all.

But I am just spit-ballin’ and probably wrong about that.  Just ask my critics.