Through the simple act of providing showers, Chris and Missy Padgett have found a meaningful path to share Christ’s love with the homeless.
Showers of Grace: How Compassion and Clean Water Open Doors to the Gospel
In the heart of Indianapolis, a humble shower trailer is doing more than washing away dirt—it’s washing away despair, restoring dignity, and opening hearts to the gospel. Chris and Missy Padgett, AG U.S. Missions Gospel Outreach associates, have discovered that the simple offer of a free shower can become a powerful doorway to transformation.
💧 A Ministry of Mercy
For over 15 years, the Padgetts have led Urban Outreach Ministry, serving the homeless community with compassion and consistency. Partnering with AGUSM missionary Jay Covert for the past four years, they’ve brought hope to some of the city’s most marginalized people. Their ministry includes a small house church in Fisher, Indiana, and a mobile shower trailer equipped with tankless water heaters and a 125-gallon tank—ready to serve whether or not water hookups are available.
“We can provide 25 ten-minute showers,” Chris explains. “Or if there’s a water spigot, we can offer unlimited showers.”
But it’s not just about hygiene. As people wait their turn, anticipation builds, walls come down, and conversations begin. “I truly love getting out there and serving these people,” Missy shares. “People walk by them every day without seeing them. We want them to know that God sees them—and that they are worth something.”
🧼 Blessing Bags and Gospel Seeds
Alongside showers, the Padgetts distribute Blessing Bags—gallon-sized packs filled with hygiene items and protein-based snacks. From the beginning, they felt the Lord impress upon them: “You clean the bodies, and I’ll clean the hearts.”
They offer prayer and share the gospel with every person who comes. Remarkably, about 90% of those served are willing to share prayer requests and receive prayer. “They identify Chris and Missy as their pastors,” Covert notes. “They’re humble and deeply trusted.”
🔥 Facing the Challenges
Ministering to the homeless isn’t easy. Camps are territorial, tight-knit, and often wary of outsiders. Many individuals are homeless by choice, viewing their lifestyle as freedom. Others battle addiction, mental illness, and spiritual oppression.
“There’s a lot of demonic possession and drug use,” Chris says. “But just a shower—and it’s amazing how God moves.”
Missy works closely with women in the camps, many of whom face heartbreaking cycles of co-dependency and exploitation. “Change is scary,” she says. “Even when we offer safe places like Adult & Teen Challenge, many aren’t ready to leave everything they know.”
🌱 Planting and Praying
Still, the Padgetts remain faithful. They’ve seen real impact—like the four men who used the shower trailer before job interviews and were all hired. They’ve built relationships through listening, praying, and remembering names and stories.
One woman, initially silent and standoffish, emerged from her shower with a radiant smile. Weeks later, she returned, worried for her “shower friends” and ready to defend them. From mistrust to loyalty—God working through soap and grace.
🚿 Looking Ahead
Chris hopes to expand the ministry with a second shower trailer and is actively encouraging churches across Indiana to adopt similar outreach models. Interest is growing, with pastors and congregations reaching out to get involved.
“You have to build rapport,” Chris says. “But when they realize we remember them—their names, their prayers—it brings tears. To much of the world, they’re invisible.”
Missy adds, “Maybe I won’t see hundreds come to Christ, but we’ll keep planting seeds in faith. Because every person is worth it.”
