To preach good news to the poor it is not enough to just talk about what God has done.  Gateway Beyond is also concerned about fighting poverty and injustice. 

Some ask the question, “Why bother with meeting the practical needs of the poor when their souls are in peril?” The answer is found in the words of Jesus,

I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.'

'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’ Matthew 25:35-36 &40 (The Message)

People discover how much God loves them when they experience love in action. Words are often inadequate on their own to communicate the truth of God’s love and mercy.

In Kenya, Anna Cuthel helps Immanuel Afrika Boys home for street boys who have been abandoned and rejected by their family, shunned by society, and starved of loving community. There are 125,000 street children in Kenya and 60,000 in Nairobi alone, and they are among the world’s most vulnerable children. Hungry, abused and alone, most quickly become addicted to drugs, and many are conscripted into violent gangs who use them in criminal activities.

Immanuel Afrika aims to take street boys out of this hopeless situation, providing detox, shelter, food, clothing, schooling and Christian family. Immanuel Afrika gives street boys a second shot at a safe and productive life, with hope for the future. Started during the post-election violence crisis in 2008, the centre is home to more than 40 boys between 5 and 18 years old.

Jesus showed us that he cared about the whole person, that every ONE matters, and that every ONE of us has a part to play in his Kingdom. GATEWAY BEYOND is committed to living out the example and calling of Jesus to not only speak about eternal life, but to speak out for justice.

Speak up for the people who have no voice, for the rights of all the down-and-outers. Speak out for justice! Stand up for the poor and destitute! Proverbs 31:8 (The Message)

To fight poverty and injustice means to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

As State Executive Director of Prison Fellowship Queensland, Dave Way is involved in bringing hope to prisoners and their families.

A 16 year old Pacific Islander boy had been extremely violent and had been placed in a unit where he was restricted from interacting with most other prisoners. However his father, also an inmate at the prison, asked Prison Fellowship visitors to go and visit his son.  They were able to spend time talking and praying with this young man. 

The following week a message of personal thanks from the General Manager of the Prison was waiting for our prison visitors.  Such was the dramatic transformation in his behaviour and attitude that many prison staff had noticed...even the manager of the Prison.  He was transferred out of the isolation unit and his father has not been able to stop thanking the Prison Fellowship volunteers involved.

What a great privilege it is to be involved with a ministry where real life transformation is taking place.

Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. Psalm 82: 3-4 (NIV)

Every ONE matters to him!