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Perhaps you recall the front page Gazette article of February ’09 (Nathan Corrick, Staff Writer) which centered on a 40 year old homeless man living in the woods off of Veirs Mill Road.
He was found dead of exposure on frozen mud following a bitter cold night. This tragedy occurred less than a mile from St. John’s Church!
Fortunately, many destitute folks avoid this fate by choosing to live in shelters and are involved in services and rehabilitative programs with case workers sponsored by Interfaith Works (a non-profit formerly known as Community Ministries of Montgomery County).
As the Council liaison to the Service and Outreach Committee, I have researched an opportunity for St. John’s community to become involved in a tremendously enriching experience-participate with Interfaith Works to provide part of or an entire meal on a yearly, scheduled basis. In fact, Interfaith Works has just opened another shelter this month, in Silver Spring. St. John’s Service and Outreach Committee has made the decision to support this new venture and join other churches in this effort. We begin Wednesday, May 27th, by providing the evening main dish (we choose the menu) and setting out breakfast for 30 women at the Sophia House shelter, 12250 Wilkins Avenue, in Rockville, from 6:15 to7:30 PM.
Rockville is reportedly the richest city in Montgomery County, and yet we find the homeless living one mile outside city limits. On a given day, more than 1,500 are homeless in Montgomery County; in a year’s span, that number becomes more than 4,500 (data from the Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless).
For several years I assisted in preparing and serving meals to the homeless housed in the Fellowship Hall of a Methodist church. These times educated me, erased my indifference and further motivated me to keep the food comin’! These hungry folks are hugely appreciative; many have day jobs but lack sufficient income to afford room rental. Some have been abused; some have mental issues. Yet all come in from the cold, guided by shelter staff, to enjoy food, warmth and a caring atmosphere.
There are several areas of need. Look for the Service and Outreach’s Narthex display and volunteer your efforts on the sign up sheets. Though we start small, perhaps this first outreach will so touch our lives as to prompt us to be counted among those churches offering yearly congregational support. (St. John’s Dinner Club had taken on the dinner responsibility for Palm Sunday before the Service and Outreach Committee also finalized their details.)
I end with the story of The Good Samaritan. A lawyer asked Jesus “Who is my neighbor”? Jesus answered with a parable, and then questioned the lawyer, “Who was the neighbor to him who fell among thieves”? The man responded, “He who showed mercy to him”. Jesus replied, “Go and do likewise”. Let us do “likewise” for our “neighbors”!
Virginia Cameron
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