Giving Back: An Interview with Jimmy Moore, Founder of Fountain of Life Rescue Mission, and Some Thoughts on Faith and Good and Works

     Since the Protestant Reformation, Christians have struggled to find a balance between faith and works. The Roman Church leading up to the Reformation in the 16th Century placed huge amounts of emphasis on works and taught that works contributed toward personal salvation. Protestants, as the name implies, protested such ideas and sought to place the focus, not on human deeds, but on Christ's sacrificial, complete and saving work. However, a type of counter argument arose among this new Christian movement and it goes something like this: why should I do anything if Christ has done all things for me? Why should I continue to do good things if it doesn't affect my salvation at all? To come against this type of thinking, protestant theologians worked to defend the importance of one's good works, but with a protestant twist. My personal favorite example of this comes from an old German catechism dated around 1563 called The Heidelberg Catechism.

     The catechism is divided into three sections: Misery, Deliverance and Gratitude. In the final part on gratitude, the catechism introduces a way of understanding how good works relate to our faith without problematic false teaching. Here's the first question and answer from that section: (Q.) We have been delivered from our misery by God's grace alone through Christ and not because we have earned it: why then must we still do good? (A.) To be sure, Christ has redeemed us by his blood. But we do good because Christ by his Spirit is also renewing us to be like himself, so that in all our living we may show that we are thankful to God for all he has done for us, and so that he may be praised through us. And we do good so that we may be assured of our faith by its fruits, and so that by our godly living our neighbors may be won over to Christ.

      

     Isn't that powerful? We do good because, firstly, the Holy Spirit is making us more like Christ as we follow and, secondly, because good works are a way to express our thanks to God. The catechism points to a theology that leads us to action in our world. Doing good, according to the catechism, is not a way to gain salvation, but a way to say "thanks" to God for it. However, I've noticed we don't use the word "gratitude" very often. It sounds a little formal. A way that I've heard this sentiment expressed recently is through the phrase, "giving back". Now, maybe you have never come to a personal, existential crisis as you tried to figure out how to balance good works and faith in your own life, but many of us feel the need to give back to God because of what he has accomplished on our behalf.

     This week I had the privilege to interview Jimmy Moore, founder of Fountain of Life Rescue Mission here in Thomasville. Fountain of Life is a new shelter that may open as soon as next week. Jimmy is a great example of someone who desires to give back to God in gratitude for what God has done for him. I hope you find his story and the information on homelessness inspiring.

     (*in order to make this interview work best in blog form I had to summarize some of Jimmy's answers)

     Jimmy, you have an amazing story, but before we get into that, for those who don’t know, what is Fountain of Life Rescue Mission?

     Fountain of Life is a homeless shelter, initiative and ministry to help those who are way less fortunate than us. It reaches out to those who are disregarded and treated like trash in society. We do this to show God's love and feel that it’s like the actions in Jesus’ ministry. Our first shelter here on E Clay St. can hold 9 people (men and women). We have plans to eventually start a new shelter somewhere near W Jackson St. and that will be able to hold about 80 people.

     What are your long-term goals with Fountain of Life?

     We want to help those we can. We hope some will find long-term housing once they have some needs met through Fountain of Life. We want to bring safety to those who need it. Some people may remain homeless and it’s a part of their lifestyle. Maybe due to mental illness some can’t trust others, which can cause them to live in perpetual homelessness. At the end of the day, we want to help people in vulnerable situations be safe and make Thomasville a safer place for everyone in the long run.

   

     How many people are homeless in Thomasville?

     Well, the Homeless Coalition of Thomasville tries to count almost every year. This number I'm about to give isn’t exact, but I'd say around 135 people. Mostly men, but some women. Homelessness in Thomasville is mostly due to economic reasons, like when someone loses a job or business and to mental health issues. There’s not a whole lot of addiction problems here in Thomasville with the homeless, that I’ve seen, but I’m sure there’s some.

     What is your background and how did you become interested in starting a shelter?

     I was homeless. I have a degree in clinical psychology and worked in a psychiatric hospital for 18 years in Miami. I eventually got occupational burnout. I was very depressed and angry at work. The hospital I worked for decided to let me go in hopes I’d find something better. After I was let go, due to my low state, I got involved in drugs and alcohol and found myself homeless for 4-5 years. Through the grace of God and Christ I found myself at a Salvation Army rehab in Miami. There, I recognized I was at my end and reached out to Christ because I knew I couldn’t keep living the way I was. God changed me, but not in an overnight way. God helped me see the problem I had. After becoming sober, I got a job and even got married. Around 15 years ago, my wife was murdered in a home invasion robbery, I was shot too and came close to dying. After that, I rededicated myself to God, but I didn’t know I would want to work with homeless people. I eventually moved up to Thomasville pursuing a relationship with a woman I met in Miami who was from around here. As I volunteered here and there, especially through the Thomas County Food Bank and Halcyon Home, I became more aware of homelessness in Thomasville. It shocked me that there was no shelter available for homeless folks. This was around 2010. You know, I’m 64 now and I want to leave a legacy of loving God and others. I feel I didn’t really make a splash my first half of life, and I want to give back and make an impact now.

          How would you respond if someone accused you, or Fountain of Life, of enabling the homeless people in Thomasville? I look at this way: in a way I am. But out of all those people I help, some will come to be in a better a better place through it. When I was homeless in Miami, I would beg for money to buy drugs. A guy used to give me money named Monty. Monty told me that I would never forget him, and that God had a plan for me. I never forgot Monty and he made an impact in my life. Sometimes we do enable people, but we hope that through relationships and guidance we can help some to reach a better place in life. Sister Douglas at Rescue Mission Ministries here in Thomasville has a great saying: “I help the needy and the greedy”. It’s not up to us to judge.

     What is something we can all do to help those who are homeless here in Thomasville?

     The biggest thing is being a part of the solution. You can pray, you can give money to Fountain of Life, or other organizations like us. If you have extra furniture or clothes laying around you can bring it to us and if we can’t use it, we can try to sell it to benefit the mission financially.

     Thanks so much for your time, Jimmy!

If you'd like to get in touch with Jimmy: 229-413-4601