Micah 6:8 New International Version (NIV)
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
This has been one of my favorite scripture verses for a very long time. I suspect that it is a favorite verse of many people in our church family and I know that it near and dear to all the folks who serve on our Justice & Compassion Committee here.
I have been blessed to serve all over the United States to help survivors of natural disasters and have had this verse in my heart and mind while serving them many times, but never have I been so touched by the people I have served than here at church this past Monday.
Pastor George and Howard Herdman have been working on how we could open our shower ministry during this crucial time. So, with many precautions in place for our guests and Pastor George and myself, we reopened our shower ministry on Monday. At a time when the places that are normally available for homeless to shower are closed, we are now open. We are being the church that we are called by God to be.
When the first women arrived, they had tears in their eyes. This would be their first shower in about 2 weeks. They were so incredibly grateful that we were opened. The smiles that were on the faces when they came out the restroom brought me to tears. They felt human again. Every one of the 3 women and 4 men that were here were so very thankful and were filled with blessings for our church. They told me that we were the only church open to help and that it was getting increasingly difficult out there on the streets.
I am so blessed to be in ministry at a church who even during these difficult times is living into our call to be in ministry with those less fortunate than ourselves. What a humbling experience to be thanked profusely for letting someone shower here at church. It is during these times that we are called to put our faith into practice and to also realize how truly blessed we are.
May you all continued to keep connected with each other and stay safe.
Grace & Peace, Suzanne
