For more information about the FM Sheltering Churches project contact me at vgandersen@gmail.com Follow this project on Facebook via the FM Sheltering Churches Facebook Page
If you are one of my Facebook friends or a friend in the Fargo Moorhead area, you’re probably getting sick of hearing about all the volunteer help we need for the Sheltering Churches project I’m helping out with. I’m sorry to keep badgering you. . . or maybe I’m not really . . . because it’s necessary and worth it. So, I guess I’m saying – get used to it. 
This work is really going to make a difference in a very impactful way, so I’m excited about that and trying to share that excitement and get people helping out, cause there is a BOAT LOAD of work to do to pull this off! That and the help that is needed just pulls at my heart strings. Every time I dash outside to get something from the car or to run into the grocery store, even with the great temps we’ve been having, I can’t help but imagine what it would be like to be spending nights OUTSIDE right now. It would just be TORTUROUS, if you ask me!
This year we have more homeless people than ever living in this “Worst Weather City”. Our shelters are already turning people away regularly which means they are already above capacity and the weather isn’t even bad yet. Seriously, no snow and temperatures in the 40’s in December, it’s been GLORIOUS so far. However, there’s no way these temps and lack of snow will last all winter. Soon, staying on the street through the night will potentially be a deadly encounter with just the weather conditions alone, not to mention the other dangers associated with trying to sleep on the streets.
Our city is doing all it can to give everyone a safe and warm place to sleep through the night– the Fargo-Moorhead Sheltering Churches project is addressing that need. Area churches are setting up emergency overflow shelters in their facilities for a week at a time and staffing the sites with volunteers. Our homeless guests will be screened by the shelters and then brought to the shelter church for a nice warm night’s rest. The designated overflow church site will rotate each week. If you ask me, it’s pretty awesome to get to be a part of serving people this way. We all know to some extent how quickly and unexpectedly hard times can fall upon us and in this economy lots of families have been hit pretty hard.
My church – Salem Evangelical Free Church is one of the churches that will be hosting guests each month. I will be volunteering each week we host in addition to helping with coordinating some communication efforts, but what I can do is hardly a drop in the bucket compared to all that needs to be done both at Salem and city-wide. If you can help, I’m sure we can find a way you could contribute in a way you would be comfortable with. Just speak up and I can get you involved.
Here’s some things I know Salem still needs help with:
- Volunteer coordinators (probably needs to be a Salem person)
- Facility coordinators (probably needs to be a Salem person)
- Prayer team
- Music ministry or similar?– Anyone was interested in coming in and playing some music for those who might be interested in listening or playing along a night or two. Other ideas to just spend time and offer comfort?
- Other ideas are always welcome, there’s lots to think of and great new ideas come up every day. Shoot me an e-mail!
Salem is also taking donations specifically for this effort. Here’s just a beginning list of some of the things we need. Donations can be brought to Salem or I can arrange to pick up even.
Great Items to Donate:
Guest Items:
- Washcloths & hand towels
- Small bars of soap
- Toothbrushes, travel-sized toothpaste
- Pairs of socks, men's and women's
Shelter supplies:
- Flashlights with extra batteries
- Nightlights with extra bulbs
- Latex gloves
Food Donations for snacks and the Blizzard Pantry
- Peanut butter (all-natural, please - it has more protein, less sugar...)
- Cans of fruit, apple sauce (not the single serving size)
- Tomato or chicken noodle soup (canned)
- Saltine crackers
- Sliced American cheese (we will freeze this)
- Coffee, tea, hot chocolate mix
Here’s some links to some of the area shelters with more information about the services provided in Fargo. They can always use your volunteer time and donations as well.
Churches United for the Homeless
1901 1st Avenue North
Moorhead, MN 56560
(218)236-0372
New Life Center
1902 3rd Avenue
Fargo, ND 58107
(701)235-4453
Dorothy Day House
714 8th Street South
Moorhead, Minnesota 56560
(218) 233-5763
YWCA - Women's Shelter YWCA FB Site
3000 S. University Drive
Fargo, ND 58103
(701) 232-3449
If nothing else, we covet your prayers for this monumental effort and for the homeless everywhere. I’ve been touched deeply by some very precious people that have spent some time homeless – those connections changed me for the better, I can tell you that.
I’ll wrap this LONG post up with two final great resources for you – I highly recommend reading Mike Yankoski's book Under the Overpass. Mike recently spoke at our church and his story is just amazing. While in college he chose to take a semester off and live homeless by choice as a test of his faith and to understand the plight of the homeless as well. The book tells the story – it’s fabulous. So fabulous they are making it into a movie. Mike led a similar effort in his hometown of Vancouver, BC to make use of Shelter Churches and Fargo Moorhead is making use of his methods in this effort.
Finally – a great story from not just a great teacher but also the Son of God - Emanuel – God WITH us - on this very subject from Matthew 25:
The Sheep and the Goats
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
I pray and believe that God in Heaven will bless the homeless people of Fargo-Moorhead through the work of our hands. We can make a difference.
How about you, will you join me?
Valerie
