"There was no room for them in the inn."
I thought of a ministry that could be created for the winter holidays. Please use this idea.
The name of it would be "The Inn Alternative" because it is a refuge on the holidays, like Mary and Joseph's refuge. It would exist for those who have no where to go, and this would run the gamut from those with no family to those who are visiting from out of state or out of country. There would be a dinner on both Thanksgiving and Christmas.
This would not just be in a church, as is often the case but would be advertised city-wide, and would take place in a restaurant open on the holidays. This would be like a support group.
After advertising the ministry, the people who want to attend would have a meeting place where they can decide if they want to spend the holidays with these people, discuss where to have the dinners, and how each one will pay for them. If someone doesn't have money it would be provided for them, perhaps through donations. Some kind of down payment should be made so the leaders know who is going to be there.
Is this a good idea, or is it already "covered" by churches that have free dinners? I got this idea from having a lot of depression and stress during past winter holidays, when I needed to be ministered to and have a substitute for family. The important thing is having the dinners take place on the actual day. New Year's eve and day could be added to the holidays that are celebrated.
The leaders should be prepared for crisis intervention, such as suicide counseling.
3 comments:
I think there are enough places that minister to the locals with issues such as homelessness, illness, poverty, etc. The part of this I think would be a unique opportunity is in regards to people visiting here from out of state. The focus is always so strong upon the needy, but the well-off and prosperous get depressed and need to hear the Gospel as well. It would be interesting to have a location set up and advertise it to business people or workers who are in town and have nowhere to go or companionship while they're here. It would most certainly need to be a nicer location than just a typical soup kitchen setting; but there must be some Christian restauranteurs who could accomodate this type of situation.
Thank you, Mr. Far Wright.
By the way, I agree. This would not be for down and outers but for displaced persons - a refuge for the lonely.
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