Photo of teenager praying for homeless man goes viral

A photo of a teenage boy who prayed for a sleeping homeless man on the street has gone viral.

Police officer Eric Gaines posted a photo on Facebook of a Baltimore teenager, who stopped to pray for a homeless man, which has gone viral Eric Gaines/Facebook

A Baltimore police officer, Eric Gaines, shared the photo on Facebook when he noticed the boy praying on the pavement. In a caption, Gained wrote: "I watched as this young kid was walking pass, stopped and walked over to this sleeping homeless man; touched him and began praying over him... This was an amazing sight! I pray this kid becomes a leader amongst his peers, and continues on this path!! Not all Baltimore youth are lost!! I HAD to post this!!"

A week later, the post has gone viral, with over 35,000 shares.

"He walked over to him and just knelt down and put his hands down on his foot," Gaines told the Baltimore Sun, describing the event.

"I thought it was an amazing sight. I had to take a picture of it. It was extremely powerful."

The boy had been waiting for the bus, and if it hadn't been for his friends holding it up, he would have missed it because he stopped to pray. Despite the post going viral, his identity remains unknown. 

"He didn't do it for any accolades or any praise... I didn't get a chance to say anything. I wanted to say something to him," Gaines said. "But it was just as if he did what he had to do and left."

related articles
Five practical things you can do to help tackle homelessness
Five practical things you can do to help tackle homelessness

Five practical things you can do to help tackle homelessness

Christian homeless charities among more than 20 in campaign to help people off the streets
Christian homeless charities among more than 20 in campaign to help people off the streets

Christian homeless charities among more than 20 in campaign to help people off the streets

Not fit for purpose? Just imagine society without the Church
Not fit for purpose? Just imagine society without the Church

Not fit for purpose? Just imagine society without the Church

Former homeless and ex-drug addicts lead new Church of England prayer campaign
Former homeless and ex-drug addicts lead new Church of England prayer campaign

Former homeless and ex-drug addicts lead new Church of England prayer campaign

Have we missed the point of the Parable of the Good Samaritan?

Have we missed the point of the Parable of the Good Samaritan?

News
Fire severely damages historic Amsterdam church on New Year’s Day
Fire severely damages historic Amsterdam church on New Year’s Day

A major fire tore through one of Amsterdam’s best-known historic buildings in the early hours of New Year’s Day, seriously damaging the property and forcing people to leave nearby homes.

Rwanda’s president on the defensive over church closures
Rwanda’s president on the defensive over church closures

Rwandan President Paul Kagame defended the government's forced closure of Evangelical churches, accusing them of being a “den of bandits” led by deceptive relics of colonialism. 

We are the story still being written
We are the story still being written

The story of Christ continues in the lives of those who take up His calling.

Christians harassed, attacked all over India at Christmas
Christians harassed, attacked all over India at Christmas

International Christian Concern reported more than 80 incidents in India, some of them violent, over Christmas.