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Parish Feature Diocese of Milwaukee Hospitality Center featured at 2011 Diocesan Convention
“I am come that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10)
The Diocese of Milwaukee Hospitality Center will be featured at this year’s diocesan convention on October 14-15. Convention takes place at the Racine Convention Center, just a block from St. Luke’s, Racine, home of the Hospitality Center. The center’s story will be shared with convention deputies in a major presentation.
Moving toward the end of the new millennium’s first decade, St. Luke’s, Racine faced the usual challenges of an urban parish with an aged building and a congregation no longer large or young. As John 10:10 counsels, however, the parish came to realize that they could choose to view their situation as a life of abundance . . . which should be shared. This realization eventually led to a desire to reach out to the homeless ‘street people’ in the parish’s neighborhood.
Peggy Bean, Bishop’s Deputy for Congregational Development, and Deacon Kevin Stewart met with parish leaders to help turn that desire into a plan and the plan into reality. While there are a number of overnight shelters that offer a place to sleep at night, Racine’s homeless had no place to go during the daytime hours. The planning group decided to start by simply offering them such a place . . . plus hospitality and simple refreshments. The Hospitality Center was born.
As they readied the center for ‘opening day’, there were concerns that nobody would come. Those concerns were rapidly replaced with concerns about keeping up with the ever growing numbers of homeless people visiting the center! In its first 14 weeks of operation, over 1,000 visits had been made to the center by the homeless of Racine.
From the start, the parish has involved homeless people in planning and in its day-to-day operations. They see this as one of the keys to the Hospitality Center's rapid growth.
As word of the Hospitality Center spread, they were approached by other parishes in the diocese who wanted to help. The same was true of churches from other denominations. Today, the center works with a number of partners who assist them financially and by providing volunteers and in-kind items. A recent donation from Thrivent Lutheran Bank has opened up a new level of service for the center: a grant of $3,500 used to purchase four computers and a printer/scanner (installed by a pair of coumputer professionals from St. Michael’s, Racine who volunteered their expertise). The computer equipment with internet access will allow the center’s visitors to look for jobs and complete applications electronically. Not all who use the center are in a place in their lives that makes going to work feasible. Some, however, are – and the computers will certainly enhance their chances of finding a job.
Despite the addition of computer services for their guests, the Hospitality Center’s primary goal is not to change the street people. Rather, they are welcomed into the center’s community as they are, wherever they may be in their life’s journey. There is no requirement of sobriety and a number of the center’s visitors are dealing with alcohol/drug issues. The only requirement is that visitors not behave disruptively; or, as Kevin Stewart puts it to those who come to the center, “Don’t do anything stupid.”
What does the center need? How can you help?
The center is now open three days a week (Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday) and has an urgent need for additional kitchen help, especially from 9AM – Noon. Kitchen helpers make coffee and sandwiches and keep bottled water and snacks available for participants. Deacon Kevin Stewart is always pleased to hear from parishes, organizations, or individuals interested in becoming involved with the center. He can be reached at kstewart20@wi.rr.com .
Finally, all who attend the Convention Eucharist on Friday evening, October 14 will have an opportunity to support the work of the Hospitality Center, as Bishop Miller has just announced that the collection taken at the Eucharist will be designated for the center.
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