From James Chambers

The Heart of God
Reaching Out to the Poor & Needy:

Report on the Cold Weather Shelter 2008

Coming into the CWS season, we had a three-fold hope. Our first was that we as believers would heed Christ’s command to help the poor and the needy. Our second hope was that the Lord would bring in those whom He was calling into His kingdom. And the third was to help our community to decrease the number of homeless on the streets of Whittier thru our participation in the Cold Weather Shelter.

Let me first start by sharing my early morning experience on morning of the 14th. I was anticipating our guest to arrive at 5:30 Monday evening however; I received a call, from the gentleman spearheading the CWS, on Monday morning at 7:00 am. He said that the mats for the residents had arrived and the driver did not know where to put them. I mentioned to him that I was not aware of this and he countered quickly with needing to get to work and not being able do it any other time. Anxious to be of service and get the shelter started I hustled down to WHBC. Upon arrival I was startled and amazed to see unfamiliar faces unloading mats, bags, suitcase, pillows, TV’s and various other items from several vehicles. The strange thing about the situation was that they knew where to go and proceeded to tell me how it was run. After I came to my senses, I realized that I was in charge and began to take the reigns, directing traffic, meeting new friends and being filled with compassion.

As the dust cleared and all were settled we were on our way to hosting 25 men, nine women and one child. I know that they [the guests] are all very thankful that we opened our doors to them. They all seem very happy that they continued to have a place to go at night and especially a place that showed genuine love and care; not only by word but by deed!

How did we help the poor and needy in our land by our deeds? The guests were provided with a bed and food during their stay. WHBC served unlimited meals, headed up by dedicated Dana Janney and her selfless crew who did a marvelous job. Our guests were treated to wonderful meals including egg casseroles, cold cereal, oatmeal, potato dishes, pastries, coffee, juice, tacos, enchiladas, pork roast, lasagna, pizza, barbequed chicken and steak and an assortment of homemade desserts. They were fed in a cozy dining room complete with fresh flowers and a fire in the fireplace.

Once at the shelter, guests were not allowed to leave and return to the premises, with the exception of smoking breaks in a supervised area. The guests were guarded and kept safe by a variety of noble men who gave up their late nights and early mornings to keep an eye on things. Our church was kept in tip-top shape for our guests by Jim Garbat and his cleaning brigade. They snuck in daily when no one was around to do a thankless job by keeping the place clean and sanitary. I even observed a WHBC mother vacuuming with a baby on her back!

While WHBC was closed to the guests during the day, many made gradual improvements toward being more successful. Some of the guests would go to their employment, others searched for work, others visited friends and family, some would hang out at the community center while a small remnant would find the local park.

At night the guests ate a healthy meal and mingled with those who sponsored the dinner. On Thursday night we had movie night in Maclintock’s and it was a hit. The majority of nights, the guests relaxed in their room, resting until their next move.

As I think about those whom God may be calling, I cannot get a clear picture but what I can rejoice in is that 10 guests visited our Sunday Worship service and three visited the Firm Foundations class.

For our final hope of getting the homeless off the streets of Whittier during this cold season, we accomplished this thru the generosity of our staff and volunteers. We were able to tangibly demonstrate the love of Christ to our guests by giving of our time, abilities, money, hard work, sleep, and hopefully by giving a little bit of ourselves to them. I’m sure most of our volunteers would agree that they were blessed tremendously by serving in the Cold Weather Shelter. I know for my family and me, that is the case.

As the final day arrived, I watched as our guests packed up their belongings only to be relocated to another church. While we were able to help them during a difficult time, we were only a band-aid on their problem. So it was with mixed feelings that I watched them leave. BUT, God is good! We have been able to help two people from the Cold Weather Shelter relocate from our church into a rehabilitation center and seven people moved into Come to Him Ministries. Three more are on a waiting list to move in as we get the room. We praise God for the chance to continue to be in contact with these men and women, to help them gain employment and hopefully move to the next step of being independent. We want to continue to be the hands and feet of Jesus in their lives and see what God has in store for them.

It was a blessing to be such an intricate part of Cold Weather Shelter. I was amazed at how it ran like a well oiled machine due to the past efforts of Jeremy McMillan and Scott Himes and the continued efforts of veterans Dana Janney and Jim Garbat. I am grateful for their patience with me as they helped navigate me through my first year overseeing the CWS.

One poignant moment I had with one of the residents seems to sum up what WHBC meant to this group. As this gentleman ate his dinner off of china, he remarked to me that “Because you serve us our meals on china instead of paper plates, you make us feel like we aren’t disposable.” But what did the Cold Weather Shelter mean to WHBC? I can’t help but share what my wife thought as she watched different groups of people joyfully serving and genuinely caring for our guests as if it was done regularly. Does Christ not have ways for us to serve in this capacity everyday? Our final hope is that our church, WHBC, will always be a church that serves our Lord everyday, with the same joy and enthusiasm as we had for the Cold Weather Shelter.

Submitted by James Chambers
January 21, 2008