Crazy Faith

Crazy Faith, based in Olympia, the Washington state capital, gives out free food to anyone who stops by the parking lot where they have set up shop. The organization was started by Ben and Denise Charles, who, as Denise puts it in the video below, want to “take God out of the box.” The organization ministers to homeless folks and other people in the community, traveling to folks they have “adopted” as part of their family.

They’re a casual crowd: sweatshirts, soul patches, ponytails. They pray over folks and “lay hands” on them in that inspired, evangelical style–but their mission isn’t to save people. Their message is overwhelmingly one of love and acceptance of all. These folks don’t talk about helping people; they talk about transforming themselves.

I’m hoping to talk more in-depth with Crazy Faith, in part because reading about them in Real Change inspired me to start writing about other organizations and people who break the cookie-cutter images we have of Christians as either prim church ladies or Bible thumpers.

In the meantime, here’s a video from their site about how they got started and what they do. Enjoy the variety of facial hair.