Eucharistic

Groups that seem to come from different worlds, come together, they share resources, they bring what they have to the table giving of their very selves, when there is no table, they sit on the ground while breaking bread.

There is a place on the edge of the river wall, near the French Quarter where on several evenings each week meals are served to those to people experiencing homelessness and or hunger. Sometimes there are about 100 or more people who come, most of whom are living on the streets or in abandoned buildings. My office has decided that we will try to be present on these nights to do outreach.

On Thursday evening, I arrived at "the wall" as people were gathering and the group serving that night (I think a Baptist church but I'm not sure) was setting up. A group of traditionally dressed Mennonites, who I later learned were from Pennsylvania, of varied ages were starting to sing peaceful religious songs, setting a pleasant tone for the evening meal. The people who come to eat at the wall included chronically homeless individuals, new arrivals who came into town seeking work but could not find housing, young people who live on the street (sometimes referred to as "gutter punks,") and others who are impoverished in multiple ways. Different groups prepare and serve the warm meal on different nights of the week. Once a person is served he or she usually sits on the ground, sometimes leaning against the river wall while eating. Thursday was a "freeze night" which made our job a little easier because with extra shelter spaces open, we did not have to tell people that there were no options for them to get off of the street, which on non-freeze nights is now the norm, since shelters are typically full. Going to the wall is an effective way to do outreach because we encounter so many people in one place who may be able to benefit from our services. Yet, what impacted me the most was the reality that this meal brought together so many people of various backgrounds and circumstances: those serving, those singing, those of us doing outreach, and those eating a warm meal who otherwise would have gone hungry. The way those who come to eat, seem to help, support and care about one another is often beautiful.

During the end of this week, my office was involved with a conference given by one of our funding agencies (UMCOR affiliated with the United Methodist Church, which provided funding through Katrina Aid Today grants.) Case workers and supervisors both local and from all over the country came together. It was interesting to hear from people who are working in other states with those displaced because of the storm and the perspectives and challenges they face. I suspect that it was interesting for them to actually see the city where their clients have come from and witness first hand the lack of housing and other resources that are preventing their clients from being able to come home. The agencies that are all receiving money from UMCOR for hurricane survivors are themselves quite diverse. It is inspiring to me, that agencies associated with a variety of religious faiths and denominations are cooperating and even providing funding to one another, working toward a common goal, in the interest of the common good.

Sharing of resources, sharing of selves, sharing a meal,
is transformative, is Eucharistic.