On a sunny morning in North Rapid City, South Dakota, a truck with an unusual trailer pulled into the parking lot at Knollwood Heights United Methodist Church. After some leveling, connecting to water and power, and setting up some tables, the mobile unit and clothing tables were ready. At another nearby table, a hair stylist and a church volunteer set up their tools for hair and nail care, all ready to shower people with hygiene, love and hope.

Folks who stopped by this hygiene pop-up could receive a warm shower, fresh clothes, a haircut from a professional stylist, and even have their nails done.

Gary Kreun maintained the mobile shower unit on a recent Thursday morning.

The Knollwood church is well-located to serve people in need. Pastor Sharla McCaskell sees lots of foot traffic right past the church. On Thursday morning, this free “hygiene pop-up” appeared in the church parking lot for the first time.

“It’s pretty humbling to watch, even though the numbers weren't what they were hoping,” said McCaskell. “I think next time they'll be a few more, if the word just gets out.”

The Connection

The Knollwood UMC mission team chooses a mission each month, and this was the first time they chose to support Showered with Hope, a mobile shower trailer started by a local couple. For the church, the investment was simple. The parking lot, plus electrical and water connections were already accessible, so Ted Hayward, who operates this simple ministry in Rapid City, could simply park his mobile two-stall shower trailer, and provide a basic hygiene service that’s lacking for many unhoused folks in Rapid City.

Diane Myers, the missions coordinator for the church, sets up a different mission project every month. She sets it up so that representatives come, “usually the first Sunday of the month, and tell the congregation about the organization and what they're doing. We want the church to know about the organization, so then they're supporting them.”

Diane Myers, missions coordinator at Knollwood Hts. UMC, snaps a picture.

On Diane’s invitation, Ted Hayward and his wife, Kara Nesbitt, addressed the Knollwood congregation on Sunday, July 6. They told the story of their struggle to make this happen, how they acquired the trailer, how the ministry was touching their own hearts, and recalled the relationships God had dropped into their laps. They were met with warm applause, and a congregation willing to love neighbors they might never meet again.

Diane has known Hayward for several years, and thought his ministry would be a good fit for the church, and fills a vital need for unhoused people in their neighborhood.
“What I see is a lot more people wandering the streets,” she shared. “I want to say ‘camping out’, but they're really just sleeping under a tree… I'll see a lot of that.”

The "Showerhouse"

Ted Hayward and Kara Nesbitt present their Showered With Hope ministry to the Knollwood Heights UMC congregation. Photos by Dave Stucke

People drop off donations for Ted’s mission, and clothes are sorted and prepped so folks can slip into clean clothes after they shower. Hayward himself was in need in 2013, when Jesus rescued him and gave him a sense of purpose.

“I was in a really, really bad place and felt I didn't need God,” recalled Hayward. “Jesus came and rescued me from me, and I started feeding people out of an old RV. We would ask them, ‘What do you need?’ And they'd always say, ‘Socks and a shower.’ So, we were able to help with socks a lot. We just couldn't help with showers at that time. So we [with spouse Kara Nesbitt, of Family Promise of the Black Hills] tried everything to retrofit a shower unit in it, and we couldn't find anything.”

Last year, an answer to prayer came when he found a gracious donor who owned a surplus mobile shower trailer. After the trailer was adapted to the needs (it now has a 300 gallon waste-water tank), Ted’s ministry dream became a reality.  “Here we are with this,” he humbly gestured. Since last year, they have given over 400 free showers.

Hayward now leads a team of volunteers, and seeks invitations to set up shop in various strategic locations in Rapid City, where those in need can simply walk up and receive this blessing. “We're all church-goers, but [the shower trailer] doesn't belong to any church,” said Ted. “It belongs to God. We just get to carry it around.”

Gary Kreun is a volunteer with Showered with Hope and helps Hayward manage the trailer on-site. When Kreun met Ted, he felt called to help.  “I said, ‘Something is telling me that I need to come and help you do this.’ It's rewarding to watch somebody come walking out of there and it just might be the brightest spot of their day.”

More than a shower

Lindsey Zimmerman, part of Home Ministries, is a local professional hair stylist, who began giving free haircuts to her friends during the pandemic, out of concern and relationships she’d built over the years. After she went back to her job, she realized that every time she charged someone for a haircut, someone else wasn’t getting one.

Lindsey Zimmerman gives Jamey a fresh haircut and beard trim.

“Every haircut that I was charging was one less haircut that I could do for free," Zimmerman shared during a break. “And I just couldn't do it anymore, you know, because when I was doing house calls during COVID, I wasn't charging people. It felt so good and so organic to just go to a friend's house and cut their hair… no expectations of payment or anything and it felt wonderful to me. That's why, when I got to do haircuts with Ted for the first time last July, I was like, ‘This is where it's at; this is what I want to do every day, all day long.’”

Another volunteer invited to this pop-up was Mary Wood, a member of Knollwood Heights UMC. Mary said, “They just asked me. They just asked me if I'd come do nails, and I said, ‘I'll do nails.’" So, if somebody wants them done, I'll paint their nails. That’s something I can do.”

Mary Wood of Knollwood Heights UMC offered nail care at the pop-up shower station.

Mary hopes her granddaughter will join her someday in this mission. She said, “I had told them that my granddaughter loves to do fingernails. She loves it. And so, I thought, well, I'm going to see if she would do it during the summer, but she was too intimidated to do it for someone that she didn't know.”

Mary continued, “So I brought my stash from home and some fingernail polish remover, if they happen to have some on. and just thought I'd give it a try and see how it goes and see what happens.”

Satisfied customers

Before the pop-up could close-up for the day, a returning client, Jamey, showed up in need of a shower. Gary helped him choose some new clothes, shared a homemade snack, and got him organized for the shower.

As he came out, Lindsey was waiting for him. She recognized him from a previous free haircut six weeks earlier and convinced him to get another now. He gently smiled and agreed to the kind offer. Jamey shared that he’d been sleeping outside and had been busy working his new job. Time was too tight for a haircut, but he had this morning off.

Lindsey sat him down and prepped him with a fresh white collar and purple cape (on a gravel parking lot no one worries about sweeping up trimmings). She commented on how her last haircut was still in good shape. Jamey recalled it was when the Showered With Hope trailer was set up at the local co-op food store, downtown, near Rapid Creek.

Jamey smiled as she started and his haircut took shape. He sat perfectly still while they chatted, and he even received a beard trim. When he was finished, he agreed to pose for a photo before walking away.

Ted Hayward offering showers and clean clothes at Knollwood Heights UMC.

Through this first partnership between Knollwood Heights UMC, Showered With Hope, Home Ministries, and Family Promise of the Black Hills, excitement is building, and God’s love is spreading. The folks sharing, donating, and supporting these ministries and others like them across our conference are living out Jesus’ most clear and direct calling. Reaching out, loving our neighbors boldly, serving them joyfully, and leading the way courageously is our vision for living out the gospel through our United Methodist connection.