Yesterday, St. Paul's hosted over 270 lunch guests and more than 30 volunteers as part of Homeward's 13th Winter Point-in-Time Count. The Point-in-Time Count, conducted by Greater Richmond region’s planning and coordinating agency for homeless services, is a twice yearly survey of the number of people experiencing homelessness on a single day.
As the central event site, service providers from around the region were also at St. Paul's offering free flu shots, blood pressure screenings, confidential HIV screenings, and hair cuts, as well as information about veterans services, offender aid and restoration, supportive housing, and more.
"Do you get treatment for mental illness? Do you have a problem with alcohol? Do you have a physical disability? Do you have debts? Were you homeless as a child? Knowing more about the approximately 1,000 homeless people in the Richmond region helps the agency and others who serve the homeless do their jobs more effectively, said Homeward Executive Director Kelly King Horne."
I hope you saw Kelly King Horne's column in this week's RTD, where she talks about the mission of Homeward, the organization she heads. As I say above, St. Paul's is honored to partner with Homeward; indeed, as I have said to Kelly, our partnership with Homeward is one we at St. Paul's hold especially dear.
The Project Homeless Connect, which took place yesterday, is just one example of the vital work that Homeward does, year in year out, day in day out. Thanks to the many St. Paul's parishioners who volunteered this year and to our Social Worker, Jenny Bliley, who helped coordinate volunteers for the day and who has coordinated haircuts for Project Homeless Connect in the past.
I encourage anyone reading this post to consider your part in ending homelessness in Richmond. It begins with prayer. And, as we often say, let us pray for the grace and strength and wisdom to work for those very same things for which we pray.
God bless, Kelly, and God bless Homeward.
St. Paul's & Homeward
Below is a video by Jaclyn O'Laughlin for her Richmond Economy Project that was posted earlier this year, highlighting our partnership with Homeward.
In the past week, St. Paul's Micah and Emmaus ministries, as well as our Tiffany windows have been featured in the local press. If you've been wondering whether volunteering for Micah or Emmaus is for you -- or, perhaps, you're considering the tour guide ministry -- please take a moment to read the following stories and get involved! Click on "Read More" below for an expanded version of this post with excerpts.
And, of course, this Christmas, tonight, and tomorrow, new memories are being made; a Carol sung, pure and exquisite; an old friend; warm, endearing words exchanged; a first Christmas for a new grandbaby; a candle lit, a face aglow, eyes agleam.
More than fifty times, in his published writings, Barth refers to the Grunewald image; and, indeed, usually, it is precisely in reference to John, and John’s relation to the figure of Christ; as he points.
Barth (and Grunewald before him) understood John’s sole purpose to be to serve as a pointer to Christ, a reference to Christ, a witness to Christ.
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