Faith Works 11-9-19

Faith Works 11-9-19

Jeff Gill

 

Warmth and shelter and other human needs

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As you all have no doubt noticed, it's getting cold again. And that means a number of us in Newark and Licking County have been thinking about what to do for persons who are among the unsheltered homeless. The Newark Homeless Outreach crew has been at work every Saturday right on along, God bless them, and we just passed the one year mark for Vertical 196 on South Fifth Street as a weekday meal and hospitality ministry of the Licking County Jail Ministry.

 

And a group has been meeting literally since a few weeks after the last warming shelter effort was made last March to debrief doing overnight shelter for those not served by the current emergency shelter programs. The Licking County Foundation has hosted, our county Emergency Management Agency has taken a leadership role, and we have the county Health Department, Red Cross, Humane Society, Licking Memorial Hospital, the Transit Board, and many faith groups all at the table.

 

The Salvation Army has stepped up and offered to be a leader in this effort, as they long have been in emergency shelter services -- and one of our challenges in the last two years has been their 60-bed shelter on the east side of their building is full with families for pretty much the entire year, let alone in the wintertime. But they have started doing breakfast as much for warming as for the food Mondays through Saturdays, in their dining hall area where the weekday soup kitchen/lunches are served, and the weekend evening dinners.

 

But until all the Christmas gifts are allocated and relocated from the Toy Run that was this past weekend, and the start of the Angel Tree program, which so many of you reading this help support, they don't have room to do an overnight warming shelter. Newark Central Christian the back-up plan, through Thanksgiving. After Dec. 1, the primary location will be at the Salvation Army, which works out logistically and practically in many ways. But until then, with some transportation help from Newark Naz and the county Transit Board, if we have a series of nights forecast for below 10 degrees, the Warming Center effort will be looking to Newark Central to host.

 

Beyond Thanksgiving, if we need to provide emergency warming shelter space for those who aren't in our regular shelters (Salvation Army east-end, St. Vincent Haven, New Beginnings), the dining hall and adjoining area of the Salvation Army can host, but we will still need volunteers. This is where you have an opportunity, which is this Wednesday night.

 

There will be a training for Warming Center volunteers on Nov. 13, at 6:00 pm to about 8:00 pm or so, in the chapel at the front of the Salvation Army post on E. Main St. If you attend, you are not obligated to volunteer -- you might decide you can help in a different fashion after hearing out the training information, and that's just fine. But if you'd like to be better equipped to assist with a warming center night this winter, this training can answer your questions and help your understanding of homelessness and unsheltered persons in the wintertime.

 

You do not need to sign up in advance, but they'd love to know how many to prepare for. You can contact them directly at 740-345-8120, or let us know at the church office and we'll pass the word along. I know many churches have a Wednesday night program or Bible study (we do at my church), but if you are led to learn more about serving those who have no where else and no one else to turn to, you won't go wrong attending this training.

 

Thank you for your prayerful support of the work of service in Christ's name that we did last winter, and will be part of again in the coming months!

 

Jeff Gill is a writer, storyteller, and pastor in Licking County; he's gotten to know lots of new sisters and brothers on the streets and in the meetings around this issue in the last year. Tell him what you hope to see happen in 2020 at knapsack77@gmail.com, or follow @Knapsack on Twitter.