Prodigal Ministries, a local endeavor that helps homeless men get a fresh start, recently received a 12-passenger bus from the Great Bend campus of CrossPoint Church.
Mark Williams, president of the non-profit organization, said Prodigal Ministries has grown since it started in 2004. “The need was there for a bigger vehicle,” he said.  “CrossPoint Church saw the need.”
The bus will be used to transport men who stay at the Prodigal Son Home to various appointments and events. The home has never been empty since the ministry began, Williams said.
“Oftentimes people don’t really see the homeless,” he said, but they are all around us. Some live under bridges – and their numbers are growing.
Stereotypes about the homeless persist, he said, adding many working individuals are one paycheck away from homelessness. “With the economy today, we find a lot of families that are struggling. We help them find work and get reestablished. It’s providing a hand up to men in the community who are homeless or have experienced difficulties in their families.”
CrossPoint is affiliated with the Southern Baptist denomination and has campuses in Sterling and several other cities, said Clay Boepple, pastor of the Great Bend church. This congregation will hold its last service at the former Roosevelt Junior High School, 2100 Broadway, at 10:30 this morning. This week CrossPoint is moving to 57 SE 20 Road, which is at Hart’s Corner and U.S. 281, the former Landmark Missionary Baptist Church.
Prodigal Ministries is faith-based but non-denominational, and receives support from several churches and individuals, Williams said. It receives no government funding. Anyone interested in helping may call the office, 620-793-5175.