“That’s God up there, isn’t it, right?”
Jordan Garcia pointed above a table covered with a hearty
dinner spread of salad, pasta, bread and chicken casserole.
The 7-year-old with large dark eyes stood gazing at the
crucifix for about 30 seconds before turning his attention
back to the meal he was about to eat.
Jordan and his mother and seven siblings are homeless, but at
that moment they were surrounded by shelter, food and
strangers-turned-friends at St. John Bosco Church in
Woodstock. There, parishioners hope God will be known not
only through a crucified Christ hanging in the parish hall,
but also by the love and hospitality they offered the large
family, who stayed at the small parish for about a week as
part of an ecumenical program new to the region.
Family Promise of
Shenandoah County is the 200th affiliate of a national
nonprofit that helps low-income and homeless families achieve
independence through support from faith-based communities.
Host churches house a homeless family for a week at a time
four times a year, and St. John Bosco was the first to open
its doors last week.
On Feb. 11, as her children, ages 6 months to 10 years old,
were held, chatted with and chased in a game of tag by
parishioners of all ages, single mother Alexandria
Pabón Rodriguez wore a tired smile. “I’m very
grateful, very happy to be here,” she said. A native of
Puerto Rico, Pabón Rodriguez has struggled for years
to maintain consistent housing and employment.
“We are not here to proselytize, we are not here to question
them about their past or ask why they are homeless; we are
here to show them the love of Christ,” said Deacon Steve
Clifford before parish volunteers arrived with the night’s
meal.
St. John Bosco parishioners, the deacon and Father Michael J.
Dobbins, pastor, joined with 12 other Christian churches to
bring Family Promise to Shenandoah County early this year.
The host churches provide families with a place to sleep,
breakfast, dinner and sack lunches, toiletries, clothing and
baby supplies. More than 20 support churches “fill in the
gaps when needed,” said Sherry Arey, executive director of
Family Promise of Shenandoah County.
Around 40 St. John Bosco parishioners donated time and
countless items in order to help the family of nine feel
comfortable. Hanley Hall was converted into part dining room,
part living room, and a religious education classroom was
transformed into a bedroom, complete with a parishioner-made
welcome sign. On one nightstand rested new toothbrushes; on
another a small image of Mary and the Christ Child next to an
alarm clock. In spite of cinderblock walls, the space was
homey and cheerful. Five-year-old Michael Garcia repeatedly
said, “Come, come see my room.”
“To hear that, that’s one of the reasons I’m doing this,”
said Eileen Simmons, assistant parish coordinator for Family
Promise. “These children haven’t had their own space to stay
in for a long time.”
Pax Christi Institute Sister Laura Nieves, parish director of
religious education, said the program has been a powerful
teaching tool for the entire parish, including the children.
It’s a “wonderful way to begin Lent and the Year of Mercy,”
she said. The students, whose religious education classes
were moved to the church to accommodate the family, “were
asking all sorts of questions about homelessness,” said
Sister Laura. We are called to feed the hungry, clothe the
naked, she said, “and we are showing what that looks like.”
Susan Tully and her husband were one of two families who
joined the homeless family for dinner. Other volunteers were
to arrive later to spend the night.
“It’s a great opportunity for the kids to learn to serve and
to see that homeless kids are just like them,” said Tully, a
mother of seven.
“This is a perfect way to come together with other Christian
churches in the community, and it’s a tangible and visible
expression of Gospel values,” added Father Dobbins.
After arriving at the parish two years ago, Father Dobbins
heard about Family Promise while having lunch with Rev.
George Bowers, pastor of Antioch Church of the Brethren, who
initiated the local affiliate.
Begun in New Jersey in 1986 as an interfaith network, Family
Promise became a national organization two years later, with
the belief that “communities and churches can find creative
solutions to homelessness,” Arey said. Family Promise of
Shenandoah County is the second affiliate in Virginia, with
the first based in Roanoke.
During the day, Family Promise participants either go to work
or attend the Family Center in Woodstock, where they are
connected with service agencies, set weekly goals for
employment and housing searches, and receive money management
guidance. The goal is to find permanent housing for the
family within six months; most secure it in just over two.
Eligibility requirements include a background check and drug
test. If employed, program participants must save 75 percent
of their income to put toward their first month’s rent.
After dinner last Thursday, one of the children was having a
tough time and found a spot under a bench to curl up. Father
Dobbins came over to him, sat down and spoke gently.
Reflecting later on his attempt to draw the little boy out of
his gloom, Father Dobbins said he knows that the parish
effort is just a “drop in the bucket” when it comes to
helping homeless families.
The children have psychological and spiritual needs that are
impossible to address in a week, he said. But the parish can
offer them shelter, food and something he hopes they can take
with them, even as they pack up their few belongings and move
on to the next church. “We hope to give them Jesus,” he said,
“pure and simple.”
Find out more
