In the bleak mid-winter

Almighty and most merciful God, we remember before you
all poor and neglected persons whom it would be easy for us
to forget: the homeless and the destitute, the old and the sick,
and all who have none to care for them. Help us to heal those
who are broken in body or spirit, and to turn their sorrow
into joy. Grant this, Father, for the love of your Son, who for
our sake became poor, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
--Prayers for the Poor and Neglected, BCP, p.826

This morning, I opened the Tallahassee Democrat and read an article that should offend anyone who has a brain connected to a heart: there are homeless people sleeping outside in weather where the wind chill is 15 degrees while there are available beds at HOPE Community. Reason? Because HOPE Community doesn't have enough security to bring in folks who are left in the cold because of The Shelter's limited space.

Mel Eby, the director of The Shelter, has offered that he would make sure nobody with drugs or weapons are sent over to HOPE on W. Pensacola Street. But given that HOPE is supposed to be a transitional community for homeless people, this idea that they couldn't figure out what to do to house the homeless for these next few nights of cold weather is criminal.

Well, already this morning, the Democrat's website has offered an update that... thanks to an anonymous donor... HOPE now has the ability to open its doors from 7pm to 7am for the remaining homeless who have been sleeping outside The Shelter. Yay, journalism!

This idea that we, all of us, would leave our fellow humans to sleep outside right now has been deeply troubling to me. In my head, I hear the warning Christ gave to the seventy disciples he was dispatching:

Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, “Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.” I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town.--Luke 10:8-12

This morning's printed newspaper story made me think the paper should be called "The Sodom Gazette". The American Red Cross had opened shelters in Franklin County, an hour and a half from here, but in Leon County, the Red Cross was waiting for Emergency Management officials to give the order to open a shelter here.

Meanwhile, people are sleeping outside!

Following yesterday's noon-day service, Fr. Lee Graham and I were talking about the strategic position of St. John's as a downtown church, to offer temporary housing for those in such desperate straits. Probably, like HOPE community, our issue would be security. But churches, ours and others in the down town area, should be willing to make this outreach.

I'm very thankful that HOPE Community, through a generous donation, has what it feels it needs to open those 50 very-needed beds. Perhaps we should call the donor "Jonah", and praise HOPE for heeding the call to return to their purpose!