November 23, 2010

Winter Shelter

I regularly commute by bike to work. The hour-long ride gives me a chance to see details of the city I’d otherwise miss: the older women practicing Tai Chi in a park; the amber sunrises seen as I pedal along the curves of the East River. Of course at this point in the year I am riding with gloves and a light jacket. It’s cold now and getting colder, and everywhere I see evidence of this seasonal shift.

One sign of winter is the appearance of folks in sleeping bags. They appear suddenly along my ride, here and there, zipped up and tucked into alcoves beneath bridges and tunnels or simply at the bases of pillars – anywhere, really, that provides cover from the wintry winds. As I ride by I try to think about what it would be like to spend my nights outside and give thanks for the kind souls – many of whom are Episcopalian – who extend warm welcomes to folks without shelter. In the harshest winter months this ministry literally saves lives.

Recently, I’ve been struck by the story of St. John’s Episcopal in Ross, Calif. whose proposal to provide winter shelter for 35 men has met with a surprising degree of resistance.

According to a series of articles in the Marin Independent Journal, St. John’s is seeking to join the Rotating Emergency Shelter Team (REST), a countywide program wherein from December through March congregations allow small groups of people who are homeless to sleep in their buildings one night a week. In part, this program is the result of overfull shelters in Marin County; local churches have stepped forward to try to alleviate this need. (You can read St. John’s proposal on their website).

Community resistance to the St. John’s proposal is rooted in the Church’s location across from a school. Yet as the Rev. Chris Rankin-Williams, the rector of St. John’s, has pointed out, the plan includes busing the guests to and from the St. Vincent de Paul Free Dining Room to St. John’s where they will stay from 6:00 pm through 6:00 am. “The goal is to promote a safe, dry, warm place for people to sleep,” said Rev. Rankin-Williams. ‘We felt the risks were as minimal as possible, and the rewards were as great as possible." 

St. John’s is now trying to build support within the Ross community prior to a December town council meeting that will decide whether St. John’s proposal goes forward. In the meanwhile, however, the nights continue to grow colder. 

This Thanksgiving, let’s give thanks for the many Episcopal churches that are providing winter shelter in these cold nights and let’s keep St. John’s and Ross, Calif. in our prayers as they discern how to care for those with nowhere to lay their heads.