Middletown News
Local Churches to Shed Light on Homelessness
1/9/2010
For many
people in Middlesex
County, January 30th will
be like any other winter night. They will eat a family dinner, relax in front
of the television and curl up in their own nice warm bed. But for ten United
Church of Christ churches, January 30th will be a night to sleep in solidarity
with the homeless who exist right here in our own backyard. Choosing to forgo
the comforts of home for a night, members of these ten area churches will sleep
in cardboard boxes in order to experience what it feels like to fall asleep on
frozen ground.
Homelessness is a
problem that exists throughout the world and Middlesex County is certainly not
exempt from the problem. On January 28th of last year, 4,154 people in
Connecticut had no
place to call home. In this economy, as area shelters have seen the ranks of
hungry and homeless increase, non-profits suffer to stay afloat, and area
churches seek to shed light on the plight of those who silently struggle
alongside us.
Participating area
churches include The Middlefield Federated Church, and The United Church of
Christ Churches in Chester, Clinton, Essex, Deep River, East Haddam, Higganum,
Old Saybrook, Killingworth, and Middletown, both First Church and South Church.
The evening will include a typical soup-kitchen meal, a Bible study and several
informative discussions about homelessness before we all crawl into our
makeshift shelters for the evening.
Please look for
members of our churches who will be sleeping outside of South
Church in Middletown, on the steps of
the United Church of Chester, on the front lawn of the First
Church in East Haddam or on the
front lawn of the Deep River Congregational Church. Participants will include
people of all ages, no matter their socio-economic status, gender, ethnicity,
faith background, or anything else. We are all brothers and sisters and when
one suffers we all suffer; when one celebrates we all celebrate. To show your
support for these brave souls, please help us to fill our donation boxes for
area shelters. We’ll be looking for toiletries, blankets, sheets, towels,
jackets, warm clothing and cash donations. All collected items will be
distributed to shelters within Middlesex County. For more
information please contact Rev. Sue Latourette at First Church of Christ:
860-346-6657, ext. 12.
Two thousand years
ago, on a cold and bitter night, a poor man and his wife were turned away from
hotel after hotel in Bethlehem. “I’m
sorry,” they were told, “but there’s simply no room for you here.” And after
searching for hours for a place to stay, they bedded down in a stable.
On January 30th, a
group of ten local churches will seek to remind the county that every person
living in Middlesex deserves our respect and support, regardless of their race,
their gender or their living situation. Please support our churches on this
worthy mission.
For more
information please contact Rev. Sue Latourette at
860-346-6657.
12/28/2009
North End Arts Rising Inc. The Buttonwood Tree Performing Arts & Cultural Center
 previous
1/20/2010
News from Haiti's Back Porch
next 
 |  Printable Version
|
