When Favor is an Extra Pack of Juicy Fruit

When you stand under the bridge on a Sunday morning or walk into the Charlie Center with a Bag of Grace in your hand, something happens that is hard to explain. The ordinary becomes sacred. A simple smile, a word of thanks, or even a stick of gum can carry the message of Christ.

“When I’m at Church on the Bridge (CUB), I start crying…It’s so humbling when you see Christ in the faces of the people you hand these Bags to,” Co-Founder Rita shared about her recent visit to CUB.

Over time, the Neighbors we serve stop feeling like strangers and start feeling like friends. One man named Ray—known among us for his love of Juicy Fruit gum—reminds us of this truth. With striking blue eyes and a quick smile, he always mentions Juicy Fruit when he greets us.

Recently, as God would have it, a pack of gum surfaced in Rita’s car just before heading to the Charlie Center.

“When he saw me coming, he said something about Juicy Fruit, and I said, ‘God has one for you.’”

How could a pack of gum feel like divine appointment? But it did.

Moments like this remind us that the gospel message doesn’t get delivered from a stage or podium at big, organized events. It happens in the details. So often, God’s love shows up in unexpected ways.

When Rita handed Ray the gum that day, he responded, “I think I may have done too much for God to still love me.” Not only was the pack of gum a divine appointment, it provided a life-changing opportunity to share the gospel.

In that moment, Rita was able to respond with God’s truth, “He died for us on our worst day, not our best day. He knew what we were going to do, and He still took the nails for us.”

We can only pray Ray took that message to heart. We pray that he walked away with more than a pack of gum that day—that he also took hope with him.

An Invitation

It’s not easy to capture the stories of our Neighbors. Many have experienced catastrophic loss of family and community—the kind of loss that leaves a person without anyone to rally for them. We love our monthly assembly days, when dozens of volunteers gather to pack bags. But the real joy? Delivering them. Looking into the eyes of a Neighbor like Ray, hearing their stories, and walking away changed yourself.

As Rita says, “If you really want the complete joy of it—be there when the Bags are delivered. Man, I’m addicted to that.”

We need more people to experience this kind of joy. More hands to carry bags. More hearts to listen. More voices to remind our Neighbors they are not forgotten.

Will you join us?

Sign up to serve at Church on the Bridge or support Bags of Grace with a gift.

Together, let’s be the hands and feet of Christ—one Bag, one Neighbor at a time.