Community Homeless Alliance Ministry (CHAM),
San Jose, California 

Community Homeless Alliance Ministry (CHAM) is a non-denominational ministry affiliated with and supported by First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in San Jose, California. We have been actively advocating for affordable housing for the poor in San Jose for over twelve years. Last summer, together with Women’s Economic Agenda Project from Oakland, we participated in an eight-day March and Caravan to Save the Soul of America.  From Story Road in East San Jose to the hot, impoverished streets of North Richmond, our journey carried the same message:  

“Our sense of the sacredness of life calls us to action: to commit ourselves to the kingdom of God through acts of justice. This means ensuring economic human rights for all as guaranteed in Articles 23, 25, and 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” 

The central victory of the march was the unity it expressed between the spiritual and political --  the unity of vision and morality with practical program. Pastor Scott Wagers called it the full gospel, the Jesus agenda.  Some political activists spend all their time changing the world and never look into their own hearts, never practice personal spiritual healing and transformation. This is not the way of Jesus. Others offer only prayer, healing, and salvation for individual souls. This too is not the way of Jesus. True happiness only comes from harmony between our thoughts, our words, and our actions, and harmony between our individual healing and the healing of our society. 

Jesus went from town to town, just like the marchers and caravanners today. Everywhere he went, he sought out the poor and the outcast and held them up. He lifted them up materially as well as spiritually. He healed them. But he also joined them in confronting the wicked and powerful. He turned over the tables of the money changers.  That was why the Romans killed him. Jesus was implacable in his pursuit of what we today call economic human rights. 

The unity of the spiritual and political was expressed by the unity of this gospel vision with the practical political solutions - affordable housing, Just Healthcare, and a living wage - projected by the Labor Party. It was also expressed by the unity of the poor and people of conscience who made up our caravan. Everywhere we went, we found others striving for this kind of unity. 

In many areas, we found people of conscience who were torn between justice ministry and services for the poor. Since the repression of Martin Luther King’s Poor Peoples Campaign, powerful government incentives have been established to limit our work to acts of charity and “managing poverty”. It is not wrong to provide services. That is not the issue. The question is how to serve one another and at the same time involve the poor in confronting the system and holding it accountable for its violations of economic human rights.  

In their political activity, CHAM and WEAP both operate from an organizing and educating model. We measure our success not so much by legislative actions or “tangible reforms” as by the unity, organization, consciousness, and inspiration of our people.  The unity of spiritual vision and practical action on this march and caravan made us come alive. Pastor John Wichman of Hayward said we were like the burning bush: on fire, but not consumed. He noted that most congregations had one preacher, but in our congregation all of us were preachers. 

CHAM held a meeting after the march where all the participants spoke emotionally about their experiences. For almost all of them, this was the first time they had joined in any kind of fight for economic justice.  Overwhelmingly they said their spontaneous response to the march was one of enthusiasm and deep love for one another. They stepped out in faith, they asked, and they received. “It made me mad to learn that my rights were being violated,” said Susan Duncan. “Someone tried to stop me from marching, but I would not stop. I was marching for my economic human rights.” 

Debbie Boyd said, “I can’t wait to do it again. All during the march I felt God’s power there, opening eyes and opening doors. I am in awe of God. People even told me I helped them believe in God, because of the change they saw in me. The spirit brought me here to CHAM to fight for economic human rights. We can’t turn back now.” 

Sister Adrienne Lawton, Assistant Pastor of CHAM, summed it up. “The growth, the power, the moving forward of our spirit has been overwhelming. We have been obedient to the spirit. Each of us fights a battle every day between the best and the worst in ourselves. This march proved that we can choose the best in ourselves. Never forget that you are the most important gift that God has. You are God’s jewels, you are the hidden treasure that you have been looking for.”   This is how the soul of America is saved.

--Written by Sandy Perry 

Contact point:

Community Homeless Alliance Ministry
80 South Fifth Street
San Jose, CA   95112
Phone: 408-295-4463
Web: www.cham-ministry.org