Rajeev and Bonnie Rambob decided to find a way to become more involved with their community. They had worked with homeless people when they lived in Washington, D.C., and they thought that it would be good to work with them again. When the Rambobs went to contact the local homeless shelter, they realized that one did not exist. “We looked in the phone book and found that there was no homeless shelter in El Dorado County,” said Rambob. “My wife told me that we needed to do something.”
Rambob, formerly a principal of El Dorado Adventist School, took the idea of opening a homeless shelter to his contacts in the community, including some Adventist pastors, and the planning began. In March 2005, the Rambobs realized their vision when the Grace Place opened its doors and received its first six guests.
The Grace Place ministers to its guests in a unique manner. “We have found that most shelters place demands, like listening to sermons, on the homeless before they offer help,” said Craig Klatt, pastor of the Camino Adventist Church. “We do not demand anything of them; we simply offer interaction with them on a friendship level.” Rambob also emphasized the fact that neither the Grace Place nor the United Outreach of El Dorado County, the nonprofit organization behind the shelter, seek to combine religious ambitions with their purpose of service. “We serve those in need, because it is the right thing to do,” said Rambob.
While the Grace Place’s charter only emphasizes friendship, not evangelism, relational evangelism does occur. This method of sharing has led to many guests attending the Camino church at least once, with some attending regularly, and one preparing for baptism.
The initial plans did not intend for the shelter to be in a permanent location, or have the leadership solely consist of Adventists; seven entities in the community were to house and be responsible for the Grace Place one night per week. When the Grace Place started, it was located in the Camino church’s gymnasium, was only open Friday nights, and was supported by people from EAS and the Camino and Placerville churches. While it is still only in Camino’s gym, it is open five nights per week and is supported be several other organizations. “Friday nights are taken care of by the Adventist groups,” said Klatt. “The rest of the nights, care is provided by other local churches in the community.”
The shelter operates in full partnership with the Green Valley Community Church, United Methodists, Presbyterians, Catholics, government agencies, business leaders and others not organizationally affiliated. “The whole community coming together to solve social issues is a critical part of United Outreach of El Dorado County,” said Rambob.
The Grace Place remains the only shelter in the county, and it continues to improve the lives of its guests in a tangible way. Two of the original guests, who are in the rehabilitation process, have become coordinators of the shelter. As each night brings different volunteers, the two men provide a continuity that assures guests they will be treated the same from day to day. Many other guests have been able to start new employment and begin the move back into mainstream society.
Not only has the Grace Place changed the lives of its guests, it has changed how the community perceives the Camino church. It has created an identity for the often overlooked, 50-year-old church; the shelter has made the church recognizable to the entire county. “We did not intend to use this ministry to raise the level of awareness,” said Klatt. “We started this shelter to simply help the homeless.”
The future plans for the Grace Place include expanding to seven partners, which are needed to operate the shelter every night, and getting the actual shelter moved to different locations during the week. “I’d like to see us come to the winter time where we would have facilities and volunteers ready to roll seven nights a week,” said Rambob. “But, I am quite satisfied with what has been accomplished so far.”
