God miraculously put me in touch with people attending charismatic prayer meetings at Loyola University in New Orleans in 1972. There I experienced a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit. God’s love flooded my parched soul and enabled me to recover a child-like faith and communion with Jesus that I remembered having at Confirmation. Baptism in the Holy Spirit put God’s heart into my heart. I was given a living faith and a knowing that God wants to intervene at every invitation I choose to give him. Every time I asked for a word, I got it. I received it because I needed it and I was his child. I began to go out to help street people. I visited prisoners. God drew me closer to the poor. I offered hospitality to the homeless. God was giving me a vision for full-time ministry with the poor, along with living intentional community with brothers and sisters in the Lord who could hold me accountable in my journey with Jesus. Although I searched for a religious order that would meet these criteria, a priest advised me that “if God was calling me to live in community and love the poor, then just go live that way!”

I joined an inner-city New Orleans ministry called “Hope House” and there, met Beverly, with whom I shared a love for the poor and a desire for community. Married in 1974, we were soon led by the Spirit to move to Cajun country to begin an outreach for the Diocese of Lafayette. We started a prayer meeting and made healing prayer a centerpiece of the ministry. After five years and four children, we heard about the Alleluia Community in Augusta, Georgia, and moved in December of 1981.

Soon a member of the community introduced me to a citizens’ committee in Augusta seeking to secure food for the poor. When I was offered the job as founding executive director of the Food Bank, I said, “God, let me know if you are in this or not!” Immediately words sprang into my mind, “I am raising up this Food Bank to be a wake-up call to my church to share the good news of my Son with the poor. My church thinks it is rich in its buildings, money in the bank and attendance at services. But its riches lie in the Good News of my Son, and I will use the Food Bank to spur my Church into action.” That word from God was enough, and I said yes to beginning the Food Bank.

Fast forward to 2008. We needed a new building for the soup kitchen. Our design cost was $1.5 million! It was 2008, I was desperate, and prayed, “Lord, I’m too weak! I need a scripture to hang my faith on, if I’m to raise this money!” Immediately a vision came flooding into my spiritual sight. I was standing about fifty feet behind Jesus. He was earnestly preaching to a large crowd seated below him. It was dusk and Jesus showed no sign of stopping. I saw his disciples talking together on the side. They looked tired. They’d heard these words before. It was getting late. They were getting hungry. One of them went over to Jesus and tugged on his sleeve. Jesus stopped in mid-sentence and the disciple said, “Master, it’s getting late! Send the people home to get something to eat or they’ll faint on the way!” Jesus calmly replied, “Give them something to eat YOURSELVES.”

The vision ended abruptly, and I had my word. I could tell every group I asked for money that they need not look at the economy or their own financial situation. Look at Jesus, and build a place fit for Jesus himself to dine! We raised the $1.5 million!

Without operating in gifts of knowledge, prophecy, discernment of spirits, the prayer of faith and all the other gifts that the Holy Spirit wants to pour out upon his Children, my mission with the poor would have been a failure, and I would have quickly burned-out. But now, full of vigor, I can shout to all, “ Thanks be to God for his indescribable gifts!” (2 Cor 9:15).

Mike FirmanMichael Firmin began ministry with the poor in his native Louisiana, helping to start three faith-based non-profits before moving to Augusta in 1981 to join The Alleluia Community. Mike founded and guided Golden Harvest Food Bank, a regional charity to feed the hungry, until his retirement in 2013. Mike now serves many men as a spiritual director, and co-directs the Alleluia School of Spiritual Direction with his wife, Beverly. He and his wife have nine children and eleven grandchildren.