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Five Things I’m Learning from Individuals Experiencing Homelessness
Today I’m happy to host Ethel Gould as a guest blogger. During her seminary arts apprenticeship, she has served as a writer for a ministry to our neighbors experiencing homelessness. Here she passes on some of what she’s been learning: A panhandler’s presence on a street corner has always brought to my mind an old story about seminary students stepping over a homeless man on their way to a final exam about Jesus’s parable of the Good Samaritan. But still, before I reached for the change cup in my car, I'd worry that my cash might contribute to an addiction. Then I worked for a drop-in center that serves individuals…
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The Plight of the Refugee
You may be troubled as I have been when you see pictures and read stories of the Syrian refugees. What can one person do especially if you are so far removed geographically? What should our Christian response be to the plight of the refugee? Susie Hawkins, who serves on the board of a global humanitarian aid organization, recently returned from visiting the Syrian refugees in the Middle East. Here are her observations and suggestions of what can be done. “ I sat uncomfortably, cross legged on a thin mattress, watching her intently. Her hijab was tightly in place framing her face, her robe flowing over her legs and feet. She…
