This weekend, we celebrate our third all encompassing children's service-kids will do the readings, bring up the offerings, stand with me at the altar, and, of course, hear the children's sermon-this month, offered by our Micah Project intern Paul Hartge. This will also be our last children's service for the summer, so please remember to bring your diaper donations. They are, of course, accepted at any time, but we won't be putting out the crib in July since our July 4th weekend service is outside.

This afternoon, a colleague and I met with the manager of the Home Suites Inn on Totten Pond Road. As you may know, the state of Massachusetts contracts with hotels to house families when shelter space is not available. Right here in Waltham, 85 families are housed at the Home Suites. The average stay is about 3 months, but some have been there for over a year waiting to be connected to permanent housing. Last Christmas, Christ Church collected presents for the kids staying there-at that time, there were 56. Now, there are 117.

Homelessness comes up in the news every once in a while, but most often, it's an issue we don't think about. In the wake of the sudden tornado in Western Massachusetts yesterday, and the destruction in the Midwest of recent weeks, we're reminded that losing a home is something that can happen to anyone. Homelessness doesn't just impact individuals-in Massachusetts, fully half (52%) the homeless are parents and children. From 2008 to 2009, there was a 37% increase in families needing shelter over the existing shelter system.

The good news is that policy makers are figuring out what works.Are you ready for this?

The solution to homelessness seems to be...homes! As Massachusetts State Representative Byron Rushing quoted his mother at a talk he gave last year (see my blog post on the forum, his family was poor growing up because they lacked money. The reason the homeless are homeless is that they lack permanent homes. It's just that simple. A new movement called "Housing First" is discovering that it's not just better for the individuals and families who are homeless, but also more cost effective, to first provide a home and then figure out how to empower people for financial and social independence.

Especially in times of tight budgets, there is a lot that we can do-politically as well as materially. In two weeks, several local organizations (including the Waltham Ministerial Association, which I co-chair) will be hosting a forum on what congregations and communities can do at First Presbyterian Church on Alder St (info below).

On the other side of the issue, one very simple thing we can offer homeless people is companionship. A colleague of mine and I are hoping to gather enough volunteers to offer a Games Hour at Home Suites this summer-when school is out, the 117 children staying there will not have a lot to do, and an hour of fun will help to lighten the load. Volunteers are invited in pairs or singles, who would be willing to help out for an hour twice over the summer. Games will be offered Tuesday afternoons from 2:30-3:30, starting July 5. Please let me know ASAP if you'd be interested in helping.

Blessings,

Sara+