A juxtaposition of two very different experiences with the guests waiting in line for the Drop-In shelter. On Sunday afternoon at 4:00, a small group of people from Grace gathered to sing Christmas carols in the courtyard. Organized by Jon Augspurger, we had a roaring fire and hot cider.

They had tried this last year but couldn’t convince the guys that it was OK to break the rules and come into the courtyard early. This was one of those times where having a collar changes things. The fire and the cider were much appreciated, and  several joined us in singing.

Monday night, a vigil in memorial of those homeless men and women who died in the past year was organized by Madison-Area Urban Ministries. I didn’t participate, except to ring one of our bells for the occasion. One of those who did commented on the fact that most of those who came for the vigil remained quite apart from the shelter guests. Another participant commented on the same thing. The commentary is available here.

I suppose it’s because I encounter shelter guests daily and because it’s a rare Sunday service that doesn’t have at least one or two homeless men in attendance, I’m quick to engage them in conversation. Sometimes, it’s nothing more than a good morning, hope you had a good night, or wishing them well. But I’ll also stop and ask them how they’re doing, if they’ve got any complaints about the shelter.

Of course there are potential problems in such encounters. I’ve had some, but usually it’s with guys who are hanging out away from the shelter. My sense is that there’s safety in numbers–the presence of fifty men waiting in line makes it less likely that one or two will act out.