Welcome the Stranger: Warming Shelter Guests

You can sign up to volunteer on the Day by Day Warming Shelter website.

Or contact our Outreach Coordiantor Laurie Pollack at (920) 231-9782 or [email protected] to find out about how our parish is ministering to these guests.  

by Jane Angha - Ministry Blueprints

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing, some have entertained angels.”  Hebrews 13.2

A word we often hear in parishes is WELCOME. It might be something we put in our bulletin or on our social media platforms. But what do we really mean by it? What does it look like?

Hospitality has its foundation in the Scriptures. Jesus showed us just what it looks like. It is noticing the blind, the lame, the leper, children, women, sinners, the marginalized, the hungry, thirsty and lonely. The stories in Scripture have shaped us too – we know we are to be the Good Samaritan – to love those around us and offer what we can to any one in need and to graciously accept kindnesses and hospitality when offered to us. 

Most Blessed Sacrament has an incredible opportunity to really live the Gospel – to be missionary disciples with the warming shelter newly opened. Here we are, with a gift in our midst through which God is calling us to offer the kind of radical hospitality that Jesus did.

Be Intentional About Hospitality

The pandemic has made our lives a little more complicated today. It’s not easy to serve in ways we have in the past and everything - including hospitality - takes more thought, effort and planning.  We can follow Jesus' model to be more intentional and deliberate about our welcoming.  

Encounters with Jesus always left people with a profound sense of affirmation, acceptance, love and belonging. We can leave these warming shelter guests with this same sense if we plan and prepare to be intentional about it each time we may interact with them.

Notice People

The first thing Jesus did was notice people. He saw them, called them forth, recognized their need, fulfilled it and then called them to something greater.  We are called to model Jesus' hospitality at this moment.

We are offering a space to rest, food, drink, comfort, attention, and kindness – caring for the most basic of human needs. We do that because we believe in the dignity of each person. Those are just the basics though. 

Be Generous With Kindness

To offer radical hospitality is to go the extra mile. To uplift the dignity of each person who walks through the door means tending to their immediate needs, but it also means being generous with our time, energy, attention, and care.  It means listening, praying and making sure they know these guests know are loved before they leave your doors. 

As a parish, this is such an incredible chance to live out the joy of the Gospel by doing whatever we can do to be so welcoming, beautiful, generous, abundant, and memorable when we encounter these guests that we show them the hands, face, ears, and heart of Jesus.  
 

What is God asking of YOU?
What gifts can YOU bring to the warming shelter? 
How can YOU model Jesus' radical hospitality to the warming shelter guests when you see them at Mass, in the parking lot, or on the street?   

Pray about this and then be brave and bold to act on it. This time of pandemic can’t stop the work of the Holy Spirit or the people of God on fire with faith!