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A Success Story at Start Up
Maybe you can't eliminate homelessness or solve all the problems associated with being homeless, but you can help provide for people's basic needs. And it shouldn't surprise us, that having place to sleep and food to eat enables someone to get out of a mere survival mode so they can begin to get their life together.
Natalie came to Zion's stopgap shelter on Tuesday, the second night we were open. Staff at a psychiatric hospital outside the Lehigh Valley had put her on a bus for Allentown when she was discharged. An army vet who also got off the bus at the station at 3rd & Hamilton Sts. noticed Natalie appeared to be in distress. He helped her to the Rescue Mission, which then referred her to Zion's stopgap shelter. (Where would she have gone if we had not opened our doors? The city was not ready to open its warming station; the Salvation Army center was already overloaded!)
... click here to continue the story ...
Our New Coordinator for Jubilee Ministry
Virginia Schlegel, our new Jubilee Ministry Coordinator, has hit the ground running! She is on-site to coordinate breakfasts on Thursdays and Fridays every week. Members from St. John's UCC, as well as Zion's Brace family, will continue to anchor the Saturday meals.
Pastor Bob Stevens, who managed the program last season, is gradually turning over to Virginia the behind-the-scenes support work that goes into making sure we are ready to serve when the doors open. (You'll still see him occasionally at breakfasts, however he's looking forward to being able to have a cup of coffee with some of our guests.)
Virginia is a 2016 Moravian Seminary graduate, approved for ordination pending a call in the United Church of Christ. She comes with 20 years experience in retail customer service and shipping, as well as 12 years in social work. As a member of Jordan UCC, one of our partner churches, she is a "providential" choice for this breakfast ministry!
Why You Can Pray But You Can't Lead Prayer
Recently a volunteer from one of our church teams asked why we didn't begin our breakfast with a prayer. Good question! The short answer is, we don't want to force people to participate in a prayer in order to get food!
The longer answer is: (1) there is a wide diversity of religious belief among our guests, from Christian to Muslim to Jewish to atheist, and out of respect for each individual, we do not impose prayer; (2) we receive financial contributions from a similarly wide diversity of people in the community, and we are seeking grants from foundations, many of whom assume we will not use breakfast to proselytize people in any way; (3) we agree with the guidelines of the Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, religious creed, disability, age, political beliefs, in distributing food to people in need.
However, you certainly are free to pray your own prayers for those we serve, and if one of our guests asks for prayer, you also are free to step aside with them to pray. We also will be offering prayer request forms to our guests, and members of our church will be keeping them in prayer. And we soon will be offering an optional bible study after breakfast for any who choose to participate.
Thanks for asking!
Health Bureau Training Offered
In case you've ever wondered about the rules we follow in our kitchen, it's not only because "that's what Pastor Bob's mama taught him!" The Health Bureau has specific regulations we must follow, and if you'd like to learn more about them as well as the reasons behind the rules, you're welcome to participate on Wednesday, November 30 at 2:30 p.m. in Zion's Fellowship Hall, when a representative of the Health Bureau will be here to provide training to Virginia; or again on Monday, December 12th, 9:30 a.m. at the Health Bureau office, 245N.6th Street. Please RSVP to this email if you are interested!
And If You Haven't Contributed Financially Yet ...
We appreciate the many ways that people contribute to this ministry: through prayer, volunteer time, food items, recruiting others to serve, etc. Yet our financial needs are considerable. Last year, Zion's church essentially donated all of Pastor Bob's time to develop and coordinate this program. Because the Jubilee ministry has grown, it was necessary to hire a part-time coordinator. Without her, we really couldn't continue! So in addition to food costs, equipment, and utilities costs, we are seeking financial support for her ministry.
your contribution, payable to Zion's UCC marked "Jubilee" to 620 W. Hamilton Street, Allentown, PA 18101.
Thank you!
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