November, 2011
Clearly we have the resources in this country to ensure that no family or individual is forced into homelessness. Yet, hundreds of thousands of people living in the United States are homeless today, and over half of the homeless are women and children. The problem is systemic. The problem requires a change in our social system. The problem affects us all – directly or indirectly - and calls all of us to look for ways to help heal the system.
Homelessness is a choice we make as a society, just like torture, environmental destruction, child labor, or discrimination. It is time for us to rewrite the social contract that enables our society to make bad choices. It is time for us to make choices that help us come closer to the “beloved community.”
One way for our church to contribute to the rewriting of our social contract is to join with other Concord area faith communities in starting an affiliate of Family Promise. We would be one of over 170 Family Promise locations throughout the country. By uniting thirteen congregations, plus day centers and social service agencies, Family Promise can do what individuals alone cannot do.
As a host congregation, we would offer clean, safe, overnight lodging and nutritious meals for three to five families (up to fourteen guests) for one week, once every three months. In addition to providing homeless families with the basic needs of shelter, safety, and sustenance, we would get a chance to talk to our guests, listen to them, and treat them with warmth and respect. As the Family Promise brochure states: “Volunteers can be a source of hope, when hope has been lost.”
Our service on November 6th will explore in more detail our participation and leadership in the Family Promise program. Do we have the resources within the Concord area congregations to ensure that no family will remain homeless? Yes, we do, and I hope we get a chance to prove it.
~Thanks, Michael |
