Life Matters

The joy of a warm coat

Posted

The church to which I belong took up a hat, scarf and coat collection for the homeless who attend the church service at the Church Beyond the Walls, held in Burnside Park in Providence every Saturday at 2. Rain, sleet, freezing cold, or stormy weather have not hampered a single service in over six years. This amazing bunch of volunteers know that the homeless are still homeless in any type of weather.

Last weekend, with a car full of the donated warm weather gear, I made several trips from street to park to deliver the coats and other items, leaving them in a somewhat organized pile near where the church service was to be held. Underestimating the cold winds in that area, I was only wearing a sweatshirt, but still decided to stay to attend the service, choosing a cloth folding chairs to sit in. There were about 15 chairs placed there, but most of the people chose to sit farther back on the steps of the huge Burnside Park statue. (Forgive me, but they reminded me of the many pigeons atop the statue in the “Home Alone” movie.) It was an organic, down to earth, no frills service with a great deal of audience participation. We sang memorable songs such as “This Little Light of Mine” and all read the gospel together. When it came time for the offering, people were asked to give what they could, be it money, good will towards others, helping with the service, or silently praying for others. The “Peace be with you” portion of the service was especially moving when we were asked to give a sign of peace to each other. For many, this was the only positive touch from people that they would receive. It was very humbling to walk around and hug or shake hands with everyone, even people others may have avoided for whatever reasons.

When it came time for the “prayers of the people”, almost everyone came forth with a prayer, be it for others who were ill or in recovery or should be in recovery, but also for world concerns such as hunger in other countries and for people whose homes were ravaged by storms. This eclectic group of people who were homeless prayed for others and not themselves.

For communion, several people stepped forward to help, including one gentleman who obviously had not washed for quite a while. He was toothless and looked far older than his actual age. When he was chosen to pass out the little cups for the communion grape juice that would substitute for wine, a big, toothless grin spread across his unshaven face. His blue eyes gleamed as he passed out the cups. The two pastors walked around to give everyone a piece of unleavened bread, followed by an audience volunteer who poured the grape juice into the little cups. Then, all standing in a large circle, we took communion at the same time, a uniquely bonding experience that affected me more than I ever thought possible. At that point in time, we were all equals.

As the service was coming to a close, a homeless gentleman came up to me as I sat shivering in my sweatshirt. He put his hand on my back, smiled at me kindly, and said “Miss, can I get you a warm coat and hat?” I chuckled, of course, because I had brought them in the first place, yet there I sat freezing throughout the service. “That would be awesome!” I said as he led me over to the pile of coats to find one that fit. Wearing a warm coat and hand knit hat, I was finally warm. I thanked him and gave him a hug, just as they brought out the food that had been prepared for their hospitality hour. As he went to line up for the food, I snuck the coat back into the pile and left to get into my warm car, still smiling from the whole experience.

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here