My church is one of many in Ramsey County (MN) that provides homeless shelter for an entire month. I say “entire” like that’s some big deal, but it is an undertaking and has become a tradition for the church I serve during the month of December. We can house approx. 22 guests. They stay with us after they eat a community meal at another facility (after school, and work/ job training is done for the day). They hang out from about 5:30-8:30 playing games in our gym, watching tv, getting some homework help, you know ~ the kind of stuff your family does after dinner. Then they sleep on cots with fresh bedding that volunteers wash for them during the day. And we have volunteers who stay in the building overnight to be their hosts, making sure they have a personal wake-up, sometimes as early as 5 a.m. and definitely by 6 so they can have a breakfast and be on a bus to work/school by 6:30ish.
I understand there’s a lot of historical-critical debate about Jesus’ birth: the timeline, the whereabouts, the journey to Egypt (if there was in fact such a thing, which is doubtful), a donkey that i don’t think is mentioned in the scriptures, magi, okay, you get the point. But there’s still something incredibly theological and poetic about a church community being a place where there is “Room in the Inn” with the star shining high above us.
Today’s #rethinkchurch Photo-A-Day challenge had the word “peace.” So i snapped a pic of one of the rooms where families can come and hang out. You know, I don’t think they are going to probably think back on this time of temporary homelessness as peaceful. What a freaking nightmare. I can’t imagine. I can’t imagine having babies or young children or teens and have to be removed from your home for whatever reason. But today, Peace is my prayer for them and the countless numbers like them who didn’t have the resources to find a place to stay tonight. Forgive us, Lord for not being that place of peace always.
daringbelief 