Small Church Serves Poor and Homeless
by the Rev. Virginia McNeely
How can a small church serve the poor and the homeless? Through small programs, of course! All Saints’, Sacramento makes an effort to be open and hospitable to all.
We have a homeless friend named Bucky who sleeps on the church grounds. We would like to make him a parishioner, but he’s still a bit leery about becoming a member. He is treated with respect and dignity, and he reciprocates by keeping an eye on the property for us. More than once, he has scared off people at night who do not respect our grounds.
We also make food bags for people in need who drop by during the week. These bags contain nutritious food for 1-3 days. Marie Duff is pictured here preparing the bags. Marie is one of several parishioners who serve at the River City Food Bank, a charitable organization that All Saints’ supports with weekly donations of food that children bring to the altar during the Sunday Eucharist.
We are all called to ministry, and we can all serve in large and small ways.
Posted on Tue, April 1, 2014
by Elsa Dooling
filed under