A place to lay their heads: Ministry to the homeless struggles during these times.

They are the cautionary tales, lost souls destroyed by drugs, mental illness, abandonment and hopelessness.They are the ones we cross the street to avoid, their hands outstretched and pleading, their eyes hollow, their clothes tattered, their appearance unsettling. It is because of them that we count our blessings.In passing and with a sharp twinge of guilt, we want to help, "if only we could."
Seth Murphy understands that feeling, but rather than walking by, he's doing something about it.

In July 2003, Murphy was working at a homeless shelter in Blue Mountain when it changed its focus and became a drug rehabilitation center. Many of those living at the shelter were once more put back on the streets.Murphy, along with a friend he'd been working alongside, took two of the men they had come to know and trust to stay temporarily at his mother's house in Oxford, where they slept on the back porch.

"That's how it all got started … kind of by accident," says Murphy, 36. "By the end of the week, we had seven homeless guys sleeping out on her porch. We were just supplying them with the basic needs — food, clothing and a place to lay their head."
Out of those humble beginnings, a ministry was born. Servant of Jesus Church and Shelter offers a second chance to men, women and children who are looking for a way to survive by getting off the streets and back on their feet.
"The homeless are really our brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers. They are our children," Murphy says. "All they want are their lives back, and maybe a little respect along the way."

Tim Skinner met Murphy a few years ago while trying to find a suitable shelter for an estranged relative battling drug addiction. Everywhere he looked, Skinner found only dead ends. That was until he heard about Servant of Jesus Church.
"Seth will take the people no one else will," Skinner says. "He's just got a heart and a passion for helping people."Those include "several" veterans, the mentally ill, those battling drug addiction, the unemployed and several who are waiting on disability claims from the state.

In 2004, Murphy and his wife, Leigh, with the help of donations from friends, family and private entities as well as assistance from the Salvation Army, Center of Hope and Word Alive, moved the growing ministry into two buildings along McCoy Avenue in Blue Mountain — one for men, another for women and children. The ministry also has a third building along the same street that serves as a church, where everyone gathers for meals and weekly worship services."We've pretty much taken over the whole street," Murphy says with a slight laugh. "I'd like to see its name changed from McCoy Avenue to Jesus Way."
But times are tough and getting tougher.Relying heavily on donations from "regular working folks" who, because of the recent economic shift are finding it harder to give, maintaining Servant of Jesus has grown increasingly difficult. Those who live in the shelters are having trouble finding work, thus they can't give back. Meanwhile, the bills are piling up, and sometimes it's a struggle just keeping the electricity on. "But we're still here, doing whatever it takes," Murphy says.

Providing shelter for the homeless isn't Murphy's lone battle. He also has kidney problems and is on dialysis three times a week. During one of his visits to Dr. V.M. Reddy, who practices internal medicine at the Anniston Wellness Center, Murphy started talking about the shelter and its many needs. Reddy, who is from India, was intrigued. "This is our community now," Reddy says. "(The homeless) are part of our familym and I wanted to help any way that I can."

After viewing a video Murphy compiled about his ministry, Reddy made a donation that was instrumental in helping Murphy open one of the buildings he rents on McCoy. Several of Murphy's residents have since become patients of Reddy's."Seth's doing the best he can," Reddy says. "The community needs to also step forward. Seth's doing the hard work. It's easy to give money, but to actually go out and help these people … that's impressive, and should be rewarded."