the saying on the T-shirt is...

"God Blesses me when I sleep in church". Referring to people who will go and spend the night in a strange environment, knowing they can expect to not sleep well. But willing to go none-the-less to stay with the group of people who are there because they have no where else to go. I've been-there-and-done-that-and-written about this periodic event previously, but here's the jist of the matter: 

The church I attend is a part of a group, at least a dozen different churches, of various denominations and sizes here in town provide housing, week to week, in support of the Valley Interfaith Program. The VIP is an organization, nationwide, dedicated to helping homeless families. They provide training, help with resume writing, an address to use for enrolling school age kids,, day-care for pre-schoolers, support and encouragement, guidance in finding suitable housing for families. I think most families can expect to be in the program for up to twelve weeks. I asked the director once about the success rate: how well families get through the program and find jobs that will allow them to sustain themselves in the community. And he said it is remarkably high- mostly due to the screening process. Only extremely motivated, and 'most likely to succeed' families are accepted.

Each church accepts responsibility for providing bedding (cots provided by VIP) and feeding the families for the week the church is hosting. I have cooked breakfast on a Saturday morning in the past. And eaten it with the families who have been sleeping in our church. But lately have been spending the night on a folding cot in a Sunday School room, one night during the week we've been the host church. The last time was back around Thanksgiving - and though I had signed on to get the blessing of sleeping in church, the families all wonderfully found housing and there was no need for pairs of people to spend the night.

Shelters that provide for the basic needs of the homeless population in our community will open their doors to men, or women with small children, but none will allow families to stay together. So intact families are sleeping in cars or vans. If sons are over the age of twelve, they are not allowed to stay with their families. And what mom would willingly put an adolescent son in a room full of strange men? So that little segment of the largely unseen, and under served population that consists of family units seem to fall through the cracks in many ways in our society. Thus the need for the VIP program. Sure it's easier for bigger churches with more resources, and a larger congregation, but any church willing to jump in the gap, make the commitment to service would make a difference to these families in their struggle to survive/stay together.

I spent the night at church, on that plastic covered mattress, on the unstable cot last night, but with the help of over-the-counter drugs, slept pretty good. I never did actually see the two families we were hosting for the week, but names and/or faces really don't matter. Most of the familes I have seen over the years have been single parents with a couple of kids, often lap babies and toddlers. But all in need of someone to reach out with a helping hand.  So I  will shower and go back to church to get the rest of my blessing for today.