Homeless Families Meeting

On Tuesday, November 14^th at 7:00 pm, at Asbury United Methodist Church (4001 E. University), Claus Ehlers of Family Promise, will discuss how congregations with lay (volunteer) persons can help to provide overnight accommodations and meals for homeless families.

At Diocesan Convention, Bishop Ohl charged us to value deeply that the Church is the only entity which exists for people outside its walls. He charged us to consider new avenues to tend to the homeless. Attending this meeting is a good first step.

If organized, the ministry will likely be called Family Promise of Odessa. In Lubbock, the same sources of information and organization have produced the Lubbock Interfaith Hospitality Network. Because of local Episcopal Churches' participation, the Lubbock homeless ministry to families received UTO monies.

Dr. Mark Waters, our Diocesan Jubilee Ministry Center Officer, announced at convention that a part of the Lubbock ministry had been named a Jubilee Center and received national Episcopal Church monies (beyond UTO) for it’s establishment.

The Odessa Ministerial Alliance (including Laura Deaderick, David Mossbarger, the Salvation Army and other rectors/pastors) is sponsoring this gathering. After discussions and information-gathering at the March and September meetings, we voted in October to support this meeting.

It takes 13 congregations with sufficient lay (volunteer) person to make the core step. Please come to hear about ways we can get involved.