Boots on the Ground

So much for great plans to write once a week and take you on at least a bi-weekly ministry journey with Shelter Church and the Shelter. ...

As I write this, it is the middle of the night. I am "last minute" working an overnight shift at the shelter. As the clock ticks...

While we never like to see families need the shelter, staff and volunteers usually love having kids around. Even most guests enjoy the...

I am spending what is likely my last summer weekend at the lake. It is a cool and quiet weekend, with the clouds hanging low and the...

This week, we moved our shelter offices out of the shelter and into a street level strip mall on the fringe of the downtown core. The...

We get lots of calls at the shelter. Many calls are asking about space and resources, but many people call asking if they can donate...

Sleeping Rough The first time I heard the phrase, it made me cringe. I don’t know why, but the semantics of it immediately made me...

This is the last week in the series on Hard to House. We hope that you have learned a little as we have shared some of the barriers our...

Have you ever made a poor choice? Gotten tangled up in a bad situation? Done something stupid and lived to regret it? For most of us,...

This is the first in a series on what can stand in the way of getting those experiencing homelessness housed. I have known ‘Ben’ for 10...

ALL are welcome Jolly, Princess, Bailey, Tala- these are the names of some of my favorite congregants. Upon meeting them, you might be a...

In this work, we say a lot of goodbyes. Goodbyes wrapped in mystery or confusion. Goodbyes that were full of celebration and the promise...

In the Still of the Night I happen to be working the overnight shift at the shelter tonight. It’s not something I usually do as one of...

(This post was originally posted as part of a series on The Parking Lot Pastors Blog) We preach dignity. We stake our deep belief on the...

(Blog originally posted as part of a series on the Parking Lot Pastors blog) One of the very first opportunities we get to sit down with...

(This post was originally posted as part of the Parking Lot Pastors Blog for Connections Shelter) Dignity. Webster defines it as “the...