Two months out A night out in the cold
Youth group learns about homelessness S
leeping on the hard ground was uncomfortable and their feet were cold, but youth from Trinity Evangeli- cal Lutheran Church in Boonsboro, Md., are wasting
no time in signing up again for “Social Justice Night” in November. For the past several years, the youth group has slept out-
side in cardboard boxes in the church parking lot on a cold autumn night to raise awareness about homelessness. Again this year, about 10 middle- to high-school students are expected to participate, said Laura Iager, who runs the youth group with Jennifer Poffenberger. Iager, whose son participates, said a resident of the Fred-
erick Rescue Mission will again come to the event to discuss how he became homeless and turned his life around. Before constructing their cardboard and duct tape shel-
ters for the night, the youth will have a supper similar to what a homeless person might receive at a food ministry. Supper and breakfast will consist of soup, applesauce, pret- zels, juice, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and cereal. Evening activities also have included reading Old and
New Testament texts on poverty and discussing homeless- ness and the poor. A fire helps take the chill off. The youth can bring sleeping bags and warm clothes, but no technol- ogy or cellphones are allowed. After last year’s event, the young people reported that
sleeping in a cardboard box was “hard,” “cold” and their “toes felt frozen.” Other teens have said the experience gave them a new sense of respect for the homeless and that they shouldn’t take basic needs for granted. “The night taught me that understanding people’s situa-
tions is important in helping them to be successful,” partici- pant Zane Poffenberger said. “Helping people is an impor- tant part of what is expressed by our congregation and the justice night encouraged me to take opportunities to help those who experience homelessness and hunger.” Social Justice Night is just one of the ways that Trinity
reaches out to the community, said council member and parish nurse Susan Layos. The congregation also stocks food for Micah’s Backpacks, a ministry that provides bags filled with nutritious foods on Friday so students in need can have lunch on the weekend.
By Wendy Healy, a writer and member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Brewster, N.Y.
Send congregational stories—those for a specific month/holiday or your best timeless idea—to
julie.sevig@
thelutheran.org.
42
www.thelutheran.org
Peter Fauerbach, pastor, blesses children at University Lutheran Church, Gainesville, Fla.
Good one! Blessing backpacks—and kids
Blessing backpacks has become fairly com- mon in congregations, but for years University Lutheran Church in Gainesville, Fla., did some- thing slightly different: students themselves received a blessing.
University is a campus ministry congrega-
tion not exactly “bursting with young people,” said member Joan Anderson, so at the time she and other organizers didn’t know what kind of response they’d get. But a small announcement in the paper attracted newspaper reporters, a TV station and students. Youngsters (members and non-members from the neighborhood) brought their backpacks on the Sunday before the first day of school, and there was conversation about hopes and fears for the new academic year. Worshipers offered a litany and prayers for the children and those throughout the world. Then each child received an individual blessing from the pastor. The entire congregation was involved by bring-
ing book bags for the state’s Department of Chil- dren and Families and/or donating supplies for Lutheran World Relief school kits. One year this start-of-school ministry was expanded when several members who came from other countries presented a program called “Going to School Around the World.” College students also received a blessing dur- ing worship before leaving for a new semester. For more information contact
info@ulcgainesville.com.
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