TOO OFTEN, we Christians are terrible ambassadors for our king. We prefer that those with the greatest needs clean themselves up a bit before admitting them into our congregations.

David and Tonya Holt have been on the outside looking in—dealing with various issues like drugs, abuse, and homelessness, which can open to the door for other problems of a spiritual nature. They discuss their ministry, Church Without Walls in Oildale, an impoverished area of Bakersfield, California, what led them to this work, and what it’s like doing church for the hungry, homeless, and abused in a place that literally has no walls.

You can follow the work of Opal Singleton-Hendershot at MillionKids.org.