Sally Palmer, LCM missionary at Webber Street, and Mike Sohn, pastor at LCM church partner, Reality Church, demonstrate why it’s vital to show consistent care to people experiencing homelessness.

A familiar face at Webber Street, John* was known and loved by many. With the help of the team there, he came to know that Jesus loved him too. He joined a church. Then he was baptised. It looked like he had found not only faith but family.

Then John disappeared.

One week he was missing from church, then two, then more. Friends grew concerned – not just for his spiritual well-being, but for his life. He wasn’t at Webber Street or any of his usual spots. Quietly and worryingly, he had slipped away.

Sally and Mike, who had walked with John through his early journey to baptism, decided they would try to find him.

They searched for him, prayed for him, and eventually found him again – isolated, facing eviction, and overwhelmed.

They made the choice not to give up on him.

“In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus explains that God is like a shepherd with 100 sheep who will leave the 99, safe in their pen, to find the lost one. He is not willing to see anyone perish,” says Mike.

“The parable reveals something about God’s heart for lost people. Those who have wandered away from him.”

Week after week, Sally and Mike knocked on John’s door. They walked him to church, stopping to feed birds along the way.

Over time, John returned – not just to church, but to a community. He joined a small group, attended a church weekend away, and began to let others into his life. His faith grew. He learned to pray for others.

He began to believe Jesus’ words:

“The first will be last, and the last will be first.”

The journey hasn’t been easy. It’s been slow, messy, and at times painful.

“However, this also reflects God’s heart that doesn’t abandon the one who wanders. Journeying with John over the past few years has taught me that God really is the good shepherd. That he knows his sheep and they know his voice,” says Sally.

“As Christians, we must not give up on people who stray and be ready to seek the lost. But we also need to remember that God is their shepherd and saviour, that we are not leading them back to ourselves or even to our churches, but to their maker who can look after them and lead them perfectly.”

*Name changed