Jesus Loves Everybody Ministry

Jesus Loves Everybody: Where the coffee and the spirit are strong

Christian Shawn Garrett, left, founder of Jesus Loves Everybody Ministry, and volunteer Timothy O'Gwinn discuss the ministry, which began in January in El Dorado.
Christian Shawn Garrett, left, founder of Jesus Loves Everybody Ministry, and volunteer Timothy O'Gwinn discuss the ministry, which began in January in El Dorado.

— EL DORADO — The doctrine of Jesus Loves Everybody Ministry is simple — Jesus loves every one of us.

God's love is available to everyone, no matter who we are or what our circumstances may be, says Timothy O'Gwinn, a volunteer at Jesus Loves Everybody Ministry.

“I grew up here, in these streets,” O'Gwinn says. “I've done some bad things, but now I know that God loves me, and I want to help all my brothers understand that God loves them too.”

O'Gwinn is one of a handful of volunteers gathered on Tuesday at the Jesus Loves Everybody Ministry's sanctuary on East Main Street in El Dorado.

“I'm 51 years old, and I may not have much time left, but I want to make up to God for the things I've done,” O'Gwinn says.

Jesus Loves Everybody Ministry was started by Christian Shawn Garrett, a former Salvation Army employee who saw a need for a safe space for Union County's homeless population.

“We have a place for them to stay and rest during the daytime, and we have a morning prayer service each morning,” Garrett says. “It is a place for people to come in from the street and just be themselves.”

About 25 to 35 homeless people come through the ministry on any given day, Garrett says, and there is a donation room full of clothing that is given freely to anyone in need.

“We are really more of a day sanctuary than a church,” Garrett explains. “We are a place for people to come get help, and to get away from the streets.”

The ministry, which opened in January, offers a place for homeless people so they aren't congregating in front of businesses or in parks, where they might come into conflict with law enforcement.

The sanctuary is also a place for those with addictions to come and be surrounded by positive people, said Brittany Williams, another volunteer with the ministry who is also a recovering addict.

“I have had my ups and downs, but now it is all straight up,” Williams said.

She found Jesus Loves Everybody Ministry after the Camden Police brought her back to her hometown of El Dorado.

“I went to the police and told them what I had been doing,” Williams said. “The mayor and the chief of police brought me back to El Dorado.”

Williams said she had dreamed of starting a ministry for those struggling with addiction, and when she found Jesus Loves Everybody, she dove in and started learning all aspects of the ministry.

“I'm not a pastor, or a minister,” Garrett says. “I'm the bouncer and DJ.”

The ministry's building is old, but Garrett and his volunteers have cleaned up the property and are installing a community garden behind the sanctuary.

Wes Owens, a homeless veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan who hails from Washington state, volunteers in the community garden.

He came to El Dorado to be near his mother, who is in a nursing home. He found Garrett's ministry and became a volunteer.

“Outdoor work isn't for women,” he says simply. When asked if he has a place to live now, he smiles shyly and says, “sort of.”

“I was a full-time employee with the Salvation Army for two years, so I saw there was a need for this ministry,” Garrett said. “There is a lot bigger homeless population here than most people would believe.”

Many of the homeless are passing through, but they are here, and often at night, the Salvation Army cannot provide beds to everyone who needs one.

Also, typically people who stay overnight at the Salvation Army shelter have to leave during the daytime, and often have no where else to go, Garrett said.

Jesus Loves Everybody provides a place for the homeless to be during those daytime hours so they aren't out on the streets or in the parks, where they can run into trouble.

The sanctuary is also a drug-free zone, which can keep the homeless who are also addicted from relapsing on the streets.

“I know what goes on in these streets,” O'Gwinn says, “and it's our thinking that kills us. We have to change our thinking. And by being here, with positive people and God's love, you can change your thinking, change your heart.”

Williams wondered why she had been so taken by Jesus Loves Everybody Ministry, until Garrett suffered a heart attack in March. Then she knew God had put her in the right place at the right time.

“I died twice that day,” Garrett says, “but I pulled through. We're all recovering from something.”

The ministry is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and operates entirely on donations. The sanctuary is closed on Sundays so people can attend their church.

“We are multi-denominational,” Garrett says. “We have people here from every church, Methodists, Baptists, Catholics.”

The ministry exists entirely on donations and volunteer efforts, and the overhead is low — Garrett said it costs $400 a month to keep the doors open. “That is our rent and utilities cost,” he said.

“We ask people to donate directly to our rent or utilities,” Garrett said, “So they will know that the money goes 100 percent to operation expenses.”

The ministry also accepts donations of clothing and food, although there is no kitchen facility and they are not in the position to prepare meals, they do have a cook out twice a month, with the next cookout set for early June.

“We usually have about 30 people come to the cookouts,” Garrett said.

Garrett said the ministry also works with local landlords to place homeless people into local homes.

“Those houses behind us were empty, but we just had a family move into that house,” Garrett said, pointing at a wood-framed home.

“The thing with the homeless is, a lot of them get checks, but they can't manage to get into an apartment,” he said. Coming up with the security deposit, first month's rent, then utility deposits often costs more than their monthly check is worth, keeping them stuck on the street.

Garrett's ministry works with landlords to help make those initial payments affordable.

There is also a building near the sanctuary that Garrett hopes to one day open as a homeless shelter.

“Right now there is a great need in our community for a shelter,” Garrett said. “We have the Salvation Army, and the women's shelter, but that is it.”

“I'm so thankful for what they have done for me,” said O'Gwinn of the ministry. “I needed a place to go and get myself together.”

The mission of Jesus Loves Everybody Ministry is pretty straightforward, O'Gwinn says.

“We want to help our brothers, and give them something to hold on to,” he said. “I want to tell them what I've been through, and let them know that if I can change, they can change, too.”

How To Help

Donations are accepted between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday at the sanctuary, located at 720 E. Main St. in El Dorado. Volunteers are welcome to come by.

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