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| 9 of 10 to-go dinners in progress, 4 dessert boxes not shown |
One in series of posts by Southern New England Conference delegates to the 34th General Synod of the United Church of Christ.
On the last day of General Synod 2023, we showed up to final worship 45 minutes late full of giggles and smiles (a pure manifestation of the holy spirit). For the last day of Synod, the Southern New England Conference planned a family style Italian dinner for their delegates and conference ministers. As dinner was served, it became very clear that there was going to be an abundance of leftover food. We wondered if instead of throwing the leftovers away, we could share the food with the unhoused people we had seen all week on the streets of Indianapolis. So, while we ate, and shared laughter with new friends, we packed 14 to-go containers of meals and desserts.
All it took was a couple trips around the block before we were able to share the blessing of this meal with members of the Indianapolis community.
Earlier, at the beginning of Plenary 6, Chantelle Armstead asked, “look down deep in your soul and answer this question: what is a prejudice or bias you have participated in as your old self?”. Individually, we both thought about our inconsistent personal efforts to support the unhoused, whether it be sharing cash we have on hand, or a smile, or conversation with a person affected by houselessness. We talked about working to suspend judgment and being kinder to the unhoused generally; we had no idea what the afternoon would bring.
In January 2020, a survey conducted in Indianapolis found that there were approximately 1,588 unhoused people living in the city. Throughout Synod, all of us have passed the many people affected by houselessness in the Indianapolis community. As guests in this community, and members of a church rooted in unwavering, unbiased love, we feel called to see the church beyond the walls of traditional worship. As we all know, homelessness is a pervasive issue in the US and something we have seen in all of our communities. The spirit moved us, and we hope and pray it will move you too.
Peace,
Meredith Mase and Megan Scarborough
On the last day of General Synod 2023, we showed up to final worship 45 minutes late full of giggles and smiles (a pure manifestation of the holy spirit). For the last day of Synod, the Southern New England Conference planned a family style Italian dinner for their delegates and conference ministers. As dinner was served, it became very clear that there was going to be an abundance of leftover food. We wondered if instead of throwing the leftovers away, we could share the food with the unhoused people we had seen all week on the streets of Indianapolis. So, while we ate, and shared laughter with new friends, we packed 14 to-go containers of meals and desserts.
All it took was a couple trips around the block before we were able to share the blessing of this meal with members of the Indianapolis community.
Earlier, at the beginning of Plenary 6, Chantelle Armstead asked, “look down deep in your soul and answer this question: what is a prejudice or bias you have participated in as your old self?”. Individually, we both thought about our inconsistent personal efforts to support the unhoused, whether it be sharing cash we have on hand, or a smile, or conversation with a person affected by houselessness. We talked about working to suspend judgment and being kinder to the unhoused generally; we had no idea what the afternoon would bring.
In January 2020, a survey conducted in Indianapolis found that there were approximately 1,588 unhoused people living in the city. Throughout Synod, all of us have passed the many people affected by houselessness in the Indianapolis community. As guests in this community, and members of a church rooted in unwavering, unbiased love, we feel called to see the church beyond the walls of traditional worship. As we all know, homelessness is a pervasive issue in the US and something we have seen in all of our communities. The spirit moved us, and we hope and pray it will move you too.
Peace,
Meredith Mase and Megan Scarborough
Authors
Meredith Mase
Meredith Mase is a member of The First Congregational Church of Southampton, UCC.
Megan Scarborough
Megan Scarborough is a member of Edgewood Congregational UCC, Cranston, RI.