Rudolph St. Clair Knight, a former homeless man who slept on the steps of a Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church in Frederiksted, St. Croix, for one and a half years, now celebrates the victory he has received since accepting the saving grace of God. “God is great and he provides all your needs. When you have Jesus you're contented, you don't need anything else. He works in his time and the more we acknowledge that is the more faith that we gain,” were the words of an excited and emotional Rudolph as he recounted his journey in life which has left him with no earthly possession except Jesus.
While growing up in New York, USA, Rudolph attended the Bronx SDA Church on Washington Avenue. After the death of his God-fearing mother, he succumbed to thirty years of drugs, achohol, and living on the streets, always seeking to make life better, as he expressed, “I was using the wrong method and all I tried . . . did not work.”
Rudolph re-connected with God through the ministry of a group of ladies from the Faith SDA Church, St. Croix, Virgin Islands (VI), where he slept for the more than a year. Under God’s leading, the ladies started a breakfast ministry, Hands Touching Hearts - One Beat at a Time, which delivers over 50 breakfast meals to the homeless community each Sabbath morning. The ministry is funded through the sacrifice of the team members and supporters. Sister Grant and Sister Joseph, team members, commented on the reaction from the homeless community, “There was reluctance on their part initially to accept us but evenutally they accepted our offer.”
Rudolph said he felt the love from the ladies and appreciated their commitment to service, “The Holy Spirit was working and none of them knew it. I finally gave in when I was invited to church by one of them [whom he now calls his second mother].” Since then he has never stopped attending the services of the SDA Church. Rudolph was baptized in February, 2017, during an evangelistic crusade, led by Dr. Clinton Lewis, President of the Grenada Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
Now, Brother Knight’s new-found faith is expressed in ministry. He enjoys witnessing of God’s mercy and shares Spirit-filled literature whenever the opportunity is presented, “The same place where I did drugs and begged, I am now standing giving tracts to people telling them about the saving grace of God. I want to help as much as I can. I’m very happy that I’m alive and happier than I ever dreamed possible. It gives me a lot of joy to be able to give to others. I am trying to be very faithful and put my trust and faith in God.” Rudolph St. Clair Knight has also become re-acquainted with some of his relatives. He considers his present dwelling a paradise and is amazed by the support from the pastor and members of the church.
The SDA community on St. Croix is an active body of believers which worships as 8 congregations; operates an accredited institution for students in elementary, junior high and high school; and, is engaged in neighborhood ministry to two language groups (English and Spanish) coordinated by the North Caribbean Conference.
