"Fears of the unknown" by Brenda Blake
It’s almost that time again...
In just a few short weeks from now (February 22 through March 8) our Interfaith Shelter guests will be arriving on our campus for a two week stay. I am so pleased that our Congregation has participated in this ministry for most of the 29 years of the program’s existence.
As we begin preparing for our guest’s arrival there is much work to be done. As you might imagine, it takes many volunteers to help get everything in place to ensure that our guests are comfortable and well cared for during their visit with us. When I put my signup sheets out looking for volunteers to prepare an evening meal and for overnight hosting I am always excited to see how quickly the sheets fill up for the meals. Time and again I have the privilege of listening to volunteers talk about the dishes they will loving prepare and serve our guests. Many worry about making sure they are not duplicating dishes, or asking how the food can be kept hot while waiting to be served or how much they should make.
I was inspired this week when one of our church members signed up to make three pots of Chicken Taco Stew the day after she gets back from a one week work trip out of town and the day before she goes back to school! I ask her if she was sure she wanted to do this and without hesitation she commented, “Absolutely!”
The overnight hosting list fills up less quickly. Often volunteers express some fears of the unknown. Who are these people we are hosting? Where do they come from? Do they come in right off of the street? These are great questions to ask and I hope I can help provide a little insight into the process our guests undertake before being admitted to the shelter.
Shelter guests are only sent to congregations in the Network after being screened by an area Social Service agency to assure there will be no active drug, alcohol, or mental health issues. Each guest is working closely with the referring social service agency to resolve the problems leading to their homelessness.
I am always filled with joy when an overnight host, who may have had some discomfort about staying overnight, tells me how awesome the experience was and yes, please sign me up again!
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