Evangelicals to take on homelessness

I just received the following from an un-named source. It is almost certainly satirical, but it would be nice to imagine that it is true, wouldn’t it?

Evangelicals to take on homelessness

Mega churches in Minnesota could soon double as shelters, group says.

By Janice Potterman, Independent Ecumenical Press Association

MINNEAPOLIS - A network of large Christian churches in Minnesota’s Twin Cities has announced a multi-point plan to fight homelessness. The announcement of the “Twin Cities Open Door Campaign” comes in response to what leaders are calling a “crisis of conscience” and contains many bold measures, most notably, plans to make church building spaces available to overnight guests that will be bussed to and from city centers.

“There are thousands on the street in this town and we’ve got these big, beautiful buildings just sitting here most nights,” said Leith Anderson, Pastor of Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie. Anderson, who also heads the National Association of Evangelicals, acknowledged skepticism, “Oh, we know people will think this is a joke, but we’re quite serious. We hope we can provide a brand new model of how something like this might work for churches in other cities where shelters are overcrowded.”

Among the dozens of large and predominantly suburban congregations joining Wooddale are Grace Church (also in Eden Prairie), Eaglebrook Church, Church of the Open Door and Bethlehem Baptist.

“We’re in a unique situation because we’re already right [downtown Minneapolis],” said John Piper, Bethlehem’s pastor. “So, we plan to just open our doors, literally.” Bethlehem will also take busloads of people to their new campus in Mounds View, a Minneapolis suburb.

Keith Meyer, Executive Pastor at Church of the Open Door in Maple Grove, offered a glimpse of how a typical night might work once the plan is implemented. “Right around five or six in the evening we’ll all send buses and vans to pick up people from three or four central locations in Minneapolis and St. Paul. We’ll make as many trips as we have to and once they’re all out here, we’ll have showers, a hot meal and even personal and career counseling services available.”

Piper echoed Meyer’s enthusiasm, “We want to be comprehensive with this and we need to learn from and work with the shelters that have been doing this work for years. They’re the real pros, but they’re overcrowded and we’ve all got enough space to help.”

Participating churches and their members aren’t free from worry, though. Grace Church, for example, has been petitioned by a large group of its members who feel they weren’t consulted about a decision that will affect them.

“We’re here many times during the week and we’ve got young kids coming here, too,” said Ron Davidson, who has been a part of the large Eden Prairie congregation for three years and is concerned about possible risks. “I mean, you want to be a Good Samaritan, but there’s a line where it’s going beyond just helping people to being taken advantage of.”

Dave Gibson, Pastor of Missions and Outreach at Grace, understands the fears, “Oh, of course it’s scary. We won’t know much about the folks we’re welcoming into our spaces. We don’t know whether or not they believe in God or what sort of behavior they’ll demonstrate when they’re here. All we know is that they are hungry and they could use a good night’s rest. As long as we’ve got this building and the means to get them here, I think it’s our Christian responsibility to share the gifts we’ve been given, even if that means dealing with some necessary risk. We’re going into this with our eyes and hearts open.”

Anderson thinks his congregation is ready. “We’ve been talking for years about what it means to follow Jesus and live out the gospel. This is where the rubber will meet the road for us as a church. Are we serious about living for others, or are we serious about doing religion and staying safe?”

Anderson’s leadership of the Open Door Campaign has irked some of his colleagues at the NAE. A board member who asked to remain unnamed said, “One pastor making a rogue decision for his church and their budget is one thing, but this sort of coordinated plan without much consultation and debate is just plain reckless. Leith doesn’t just speak for his church or a few Minnesota churches. He’s supposed to be the voice for all Evangelicals. I wish he’d reconsider.”

Anderson again acknowledged critics of the plan, “As I said, there are those who probably hope we’re joking here. Is it reckless? Sure. It could cost us everything, I’ll admit that. But until our society is able to get at the root of poverty, we can’t keep calling ourselves followers of Jesus and then shut our doors to those in need.”

Leaders say the plan will be rolled out slowly over the next few months, but expect to be operating at full capacity by January 2008.

“We’ve gotta buy more buses and vans and of course thousands of storable cots, but we’re already working on that,” Piper said. “The real goal is that, once it gets cold next winter, our neighbors will be off the streets at night and into any number of our large, heated, comfortable buildings.”

Anderson, who became visibly emotional, added, “I can think of nothing more holy than making this happen by Christmas. We’re not going to have another Christmas where there’s no room in the inn. We want to be there, welcoming the Christ in each and every person that walks off those buses and through our doors.”

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