Skid Row Lot Becomes a Cathedral for the Homeless

From blocks away on any Sunday afternoon, hundreds of homeless people, many waking from street corners or community shelters, move in a solemn line toward a parking lot at Fourth and Crocker streets on skid row.

On the lot, a blue tent shelters the Korean choir from the sweltering sun as they lead their congregation with a bass and tambourine in singing praises to Jesus.

And among them is 74-year-old Pauline Jackson, sitting in the front row, happy to be alive after a life of addiction and abuse, singing the loudest.

“I’ve been coming here every Sunday for about a year, and each time I get stronger and stronger,” said Jackson, who lives in a nearby hotel. “It just fills my heart. I don’t know what to tell you except, I feel good.”

In this hardscrabble niche of downtown Los Angeles mired in poverty and sin, Young-Nak Presbyterian Church of Los Angeles has set up a sanctuary for the homeless. Every Sunday, about 500 homeless people converge on the parking lot to listen to the Scriptures and receive what may be their only meal of the day. While their needs are great, many homeless people who congregate at Crocker Street say they come religiously to the 3:30 p.m. service to fill a greater void.

One man who is known around skid row as “Seven” said he is drawn by the sincerity of the Korean pastors and volunteers who treat him with dignity.

“You can see them. They’re right there talking to people, laughing with them. They don’t wear gloves when they give us the food like some people do,” Seven said. “It’s not so much the food. It’s the conviction that comes from within. That stays with me when I leave here to do my own thing.”

At a time when major cities are sweeping homeless people out of public places, Young-Nak Church remains devoted to bringing God to the streets. The church, at the edge of Chinatown, is the largest Korean American church in Southern California, with about 8,000 members, and has been ministering to homeless on skid row for seven years.

The Rev. Paul Kang, pastor of Young-Nak missions, said dealing with racial tensions between the Korean church members and the largely black and Latino homeless people was a struggle at first.

“They were mocking us in the beginning. They weren’t sure why we were doing this,” he said. “But, we don’t have an agenda. We just want to help.”

Hee Kim, an elder with the church, added: “As God loves us, we have to love them.”

Still, some remain skeptical about the ministry and its intent.

“It’s a cool spot,” said one man who identified himself only as Randy. “But, I wonder what’s the real purpose? I mean, would these people still be scared when I walk into their store? Would they ever invite me to their house?”

Sung Kim, another pastor with the church, said one of the more frustrating parts of the ministry is when homeless people are moved by the service and ask if there is a church where they can worship.

While Kim said the congregation would welcome homeless to its regular Sunday services, the church is three miles away from skid row--near the Chinatown and Lincoln Heights border--a long trek for a homeless person.

“We always worry. After this, where do they go? We have people who say they want to go to church. But, churches don’t want to accept them,” he said. “I have tried several churches and all the pastors have said no.”

John Trent, who listened to the Sunday service, said rejection of homeless people by mainstream churches makes the Young-Nak ministry necessary.

“They don’t feel condemned here. They feel free. Ain’t no walls here, so they’re more in God’s eyesight,” he said.

Pauline Jackson even claims that one of the members, Anthony Kim, performed a miracle.

“You see Pastor Anthony over there,” she said. “I had him pray for my cataracts. He lay his hands on my eyes and when I went to the hospital, the doctor said I didn’t need the surgery. Can you believe that? He’s a healer and he doesn’t know it.”

Kim, 32, felt uncomfortable taking credit for Jackson’s eyes. But like most of the other Young-Nak members, Kim said the homeless people are the ones performing the miracles.

Jackson “has been though so much. She inspires us all. It’s strange because we’re so removed from these people in many ways. Different culture, different environment, different economic status. And the thing that links us is God. That blows us away,” Kim said.

Dennis Williams, who has been attending the services of the past five years, said it’s the dedication of the Young-Nak church that keeps him going.