In her work with unhoused people in Wilmington, Pastor Jamie Thompson runs into all kinds of situations. An individual with duct-taped shoes is highly anxious about an overnight temperature drop. Or, a fight looms between one person, whose belongings were stolen, and another, who stole them.
The immediate needs must be tackled — new shoes or a de-escalation of tensions. But addressing poverty and housing insecurity requires far more than that immediate triage, Thompson said. And that’s why her work focuses not just on getting people what they need but helping them build on their existing talents to create stable lives. Churches are uniquely positioned to do this work, she said. Free from the bureaucracy of government agencies, they can work more quickly and creatively on the complex issues of poverty and homelessness.
“The end goal isn’t a kumbaya circle. The end goal is justice and peace and wholeness for everyone … And the way that we get there is by connecting more deeply with one another.”
Jamie Thompson
Even as a kid, Thompson noticed the social stratification based on race and class in Kinston, her hometown. After earning graduate degrees from Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Va., she returned to Eastern North Carolina to give back to a place she loves and help heal some of those divides.
Thompson served churches in the tiny communities of Maury and Lizzie and, later, New Bern and Pink Hill. Today, she’s pastor of The Anchor United Methodist Church, which gathers outdoors on Wilmington’s river walk and primarily serves those experiencing homelessness. She is also associate pastor of community engagement at Wilmington’s Grace United Methodist Church, a storied congregation established in 1797, where she works to connect the church with the neighborhood.
For Thompson, focusing on uncovering and nurturing all people’s talents means entering into conversations with an open mind and building connections for individuals. On a recent day, for example, her to-do list involved linking a member of Grace UMC who is a former restaurant owner with a local chef who has just recently gotten off the street after being homeless and wants to give back.
“I’m trying not to be a ‘service provider,’” she said. “I’m trying to figure out what does it look like to get folks to a somewhat stable spot, so that we can actually think about not what this person is lacking … I want to tap into their wealth.”
While serving at a church in Pink Hill several years ago, it meant asking people, particularly those who don’t usually have a voice, what they needed and wanted and what their gifts are. That work was made possible through the N.C. Rural Center’s Connect Church program, which provides a grant, coaching and resources to rural churches. Church members have since built a thriving local ministry.
“The roots and the foundation of that group is very much about being in tune to people and where they are and not making assumptions about what people need,” said Thompson, who also is a graduate of the Rural Center’s Homegrown Leaders program.
To other church leaders grappling with issues of poverty and homelessness, Thompson recommends taking a walk in your neighborhood, striking up a conversation with people and discovering the wealth around you.
“Find out what they love to do, find out what they’re so good at (that they can) teach it to someone else,” she said. “The answers to those questions start to piece together this fabric and this tapestry that we haven’t even thought to imagine.”