At church on Sunday, a homeless fellow came in midway during our service. I had snuck off to use the men's room just after the sermon. As I was returning from the church basement, this fellow opened the church doors. He had been sleeping outside all night, "sleeping" in sub-freezing temperatures. His coat was more of a jacket and certainly was not adequate for a walk on a cold evening, let alone sleeping outside all night.
I welcomed him inside. Helped him to a bench in the back of the church. Covered him with a few of the used coats that we had in a box and which the church is collecting for the needy. I stood with him as he prayed. Eventually, he warmed enough to join the rest of the congregation. After services, one of our church members took the fellow to a truck stop to get a hot shower. Someone else bought him some clean clothes at Goodwill.
As I am typing this tonight, I sit in a warm house. My wife is in the other room watching TV. My cat and dog are lounging lazily. I can hear the freezing rain outside and am wondering:
where our homeless friend is bedded down for the night.
And he is just one. According to a Kalamazoo Gazette report from July 18, 2009, "Kalamazoo County's homeless population jumped more than 40 percent from 2007 to 2008 at the same time that Michigan's homeless count remained virtually unchanged, according to a federal report." And that is just Kalamazoo. SW Michigan encompasses Benton Harbor, Battle Creek, Niles, Allegan, Sturgis, and many other communities.
It is all rather overwhelming.
So, I needed some encouragement. And I think I found it in the message of this young African American pastor in a Twitter message that I got this evening from Bread for the World:
Amen.
Monday, November 29, 2010
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