March Herald.indd - Lake Union Conference

Church Provides Shelter for the Homeless
B Y N A N C Y L A R S O N
“I’m not in favor of this project,
but the church decided to do
it, so I am here to do my part,”
commented a Warren Church
volunteer helping in the Macomb
County Rotating Emergency Shelter
Team (MCREST) program that the
church participated in this past July.
MCREST is a group of
participating congregations that
have agreed to open their facilities
and their hearts to the homeless
community. MCREST seeks to
provide temporary emergency
shelter for homeless people, while
helping them find permanent
solutions to their situations.
Rudy Gomez, a Warren Church member, places
a sign on the Warren Church door welcoming
those who need shelter.
The church board discussed
many concerns—insurance,
criminal activity, safety of
the Warren Church children,
supervision, etc. But with guidance
from the MCREST staff, and after
looking at the history of other
churches in the area that have been
a part of the program since 1985, it
was voted to move ahead in faith.
Mattresses, linens, towels,
and a portable shower were
made available by MCREST. It
was our responsibility to pick up
the persons from the previous
church site and set up our shelter
in the gymnasium of the Warren
Adventist Junior Academy.
By Sunday evening, everything
was in place for the arrival of 25
guests. Each evening during the
check-in procedure, guests were
screened for alcohol, illegal drugs,
and medications. This was done
by church volunteers, under the
supervision of a MCREST staff
member. The guests would then sign
up for showers, transportation needs,
and sack lunches for the next day.
Each church provided three
meals a day (one being a sack
lunch), laundry service twice a
week for the guests’ personal items,
and washed the linens and towels
for the next church. Medications
were dispensed each evening and
morning as needed. Transportation
was provided by the church in the
form of bus tickets, gas vouchers,
and volunteer drivers who drove
guests to jobs not on the bus route.
During the evening, guests were
able to take advantage of a game
room where they could relax, play
games, watch TV, or just visit with
each other or the church volunteers.
Free hair cuts, dental hygiene,
and consultations with visiting
nurses and a counselor were made
available.
Bible study classes were offered,
and about a half dozen participated
each evening. The guests were
invited to attend Sabbath school
and church, and we had several
join us for worship and fellowship
dinner at the park following
services. It was encouraging to
see some of the guests taking an
interest in the spiritual life of the
church family and expressing a
desire to learn more of God’s will
for their lives.
For one week, the Warren Church invited the
homeless to sleep in their gym as a part of the
Macomb County Rotating Emergency Shelter
Team. Here Doris Schmid (left) and Elaine Erwin
bag up the linens in preparation for another day.
At the end of the week, we lost
contact with most of the men as they
moved on to the next location. One
gentleman now has a job and an
apartment of his own. He has been
attending church every Sabbath.
This was no small undertaking
for the Warren Church, but with
the support of about 75 volunteers
throughout the week it was a
blessing to the guests and to the
church family.
At the end of the week the
member who had reservations
about the program could be heard
saying, “I would do it again.”
We are on the schedule for
another week in July 2004.
Nancy Larsen is the Warren Church
Bible worker.
Visit our Web site at luc.adventist.org Lake Union Herald, March 2004 • 11