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Our Homeless Overnight Guests at Trinity Church

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Fr. Ron Pogue

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Galveston has a disproportionately large number of homeless men and women.  This is due in part to the presence of public hospital facilities and in part to our mild climate.  The number of homeless persons fluctuates throughout the year as the weather and job market changes.

For many ye100_1982_2ars, homeless women and men have slept nightly in the shelter of the Cloister of Trinity Church between Eaton Hall and the Sanctuary.  Our understanding has always been that all are welcome here as long as they help us take care of the place and exhibit appropriate behavior.  Sexton Linda Jenkins and her staff have established a relationship with them that will encourage as much order and cleanliness as possible.  We have asked that they not arrive earlier than ten o’clock in the evening and that they depart no later than six o’clock in the morning.  The custodial staff is always here by half past six in the morning to ensure their departure.  I’ve requested that they ask anyone engaging in illegal or disruptive behavior to leave and if they do not leave to summon the police.  Their respect for the church’s hospitality helps them to maintain order.  It is evident that most of those who come night after night look upon each other as friends.

Recently, as I was visiting with some of our overnight guests on the Cloister, I asked if there was anything we might be able to do to help them.  They were very grateful for the simple privilege of sleeping in a place where they are welcome and safe.  However, they did ask if it would be possible to have the use of the restroom that opens onto the Cloister.  I gave it some thought and concluded that it is a reasonable request and would be a compassionate gesture on the part of Trinity Church.  My only stipulation is that they help us take care of it, keep it clean, and not abuse the privilege.  Linda keeps cleaning supplies in the restroom and reports that the plan is working well thus far.

Of the eight persons I talked with on that recent evening, six were veterans.  Their presence heightens our awareness of the growing number of veterans among the homeless population.  They also remind us of Jesus’ summons to care for those in need.  We currently have three teams of parishioners who serve meals on three Thursday evenings a month at the Salvation Army.

In worship week after week, we sit beneath the magnificent Sealy Memorial Altar Window, at the bottom of which are inscribed Jesus’ words recorded in the Gospel According to St. Matthew, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”  I am grateful to God that we are able to do these small things that mean so much to these, our neighbors in need.  In serving them, we serve our Savior.

Ron Pogue+

Comments

5 responses to “Our Homeless Overnight Guests at Trinity Church”

  1. Li'l Ronny Avatar
    Li’l Ronny

    You Rock, Dad!
    Love,
    R2

    Reply
  2. Ronald D. Pogue Avatar
    Ronald D. Pogue

    And then…
    At the time I made the decision to allow our homeless guests to use the restroom during their overnight stays, I was operating under the assumption that everyone knew they had been there for years. The head of school knew. My staff knew. Members of our vestry knew. The teachers in our school knew. Even many of the students knew. It did not occur to me that providing a restroom when nobody else except our overnight guests were there would be particularly surprising and I certainly didn’t think it would increase risk.
    A few days later, I discovered that quite a few parents of our students and some of our parishioners did not know we had homeless overnight guests at Trinity. What is more, they were frightened by their presence and angry with me for making a decision they believed would encourage larger numbers of homeless people at night who would come back and threaten the safety of our students and others during the daytime.
    The homeless guests were allowed to rest in the shelter of our cloister from 10:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. Opening the restroom during those hours did not increase the number of overnight guests. They were able to have someplace other than the shrubbery to answer the “call of nature.” My maintenance staff reported that things were actually better. We felt we had experienced something of a breakthrough. Yet the fears we were hearing could not be ignored.
    We had a special meeting of the vestry so concerns could be aired and to see if we could find a win-win solution. At the end of that meeting the vestry passed three resolutions: one asking that I have the restrooms locked again at night, one asking that I discourage anyone from sleeping on parish property, and one asking that we develop a task force of church and school representatives who will look for meaningful ways Trinity Parish might respond to the needs of homeless persons.
    So, I reversed my decision and we are now locking the restrooms again. I expressed sadness that the restroom must remain locked and they may not sleep on church property because we have legal and liability concerns that we are not able to resolve at this time. I let them know that we will find some other ways to be of help to them.
    The homeless people sleeping at our gate remind me of the parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus. The sin of the rich man was that he did not even see the poor man who would have considered the table scraps from the rich man’s table a feast. One of our youth was with her dad, a member of our vestry, one evening when he stopped to speak with our guests. After the conversation, she asked her dad, “did you notice how they seemed to be trying to make themselves invisible?”
    We often draw fearful conclusions from the little that we know about homeless people and then we generalize those conclusions across the entire population. Like us, homeless men and women are individuals, persons of sacred worth, each of whom has a unique story. Many are veterans. Some are substance abusers. Others suffer from mental illness. Some have learning differences. There are those who have been betrayed by those who were supposed to protect them and love them. Some could live relatively normal lives if they had an affordable place to live where they had their privacy and felt secure.
    Even though our very passive response to their needs has been withdrawn, there is hope in the commitment to find new and more intentional ways to assist them. We may now have a better opportunity to engage them in conversation, get to know them, hear their stories, and help them find hope and healing. As we begin a new way of relating to them, we will be delivered from expending our energies on anxieties and spend those energies instead on finding a meaningful and compassionate response to the needs of homeless people, for whom Christ also died and rose again. May God grant us grace to respect their dignity and find ways to be a Sacrament of Christ’s love for them.

    Reply
  3. Robert Ebert Avatar
    Robert Ebert

    It came as a surprise to me the little knowledge that Trinity has had homeless seeking shelter here for years. But as I was told by my daughter ” see how they try to make themselves invisible.” These folks had done just that to many for years. We drive past them in street as we go to worship, to work, to school and just around. They are truly everywhere, making themselves invisible. The trouble is the ones who are not invisible are the substance abusers, mentally challenged and criminally motivated. So when we conjure an image of the homeless in our mind this is what most see, not the unfortante who have for some reason had a bad turn of events, been abandoned or abused, they are making themselves invisible. But if we look as Christ has taught us, that we are all children of God and all have worth we see someone who with our help and compassion can regain a productive life. I guess I have seen the ” other side” more than most in my 22 years of public service, the good and the bad. But I see it in folks that have a home a too. I sincerly hope we find a way to reach out the hand of compassion from Trinity to these Christ called ” the least of my brothers” in some way. And as our children have shown us look at them through Christ’s eyes and see his brothers.

    Reply
  4. Fr. Jim Abernathey Avatar
    Fr. Jim Abernathey

    This is exactly how Lord of the Streets Mission in Houston got started — homeless folk spending the night in the courtyard of Trinity Church on Main St. Out of this grew coffee & doughnuts 2 or 3 times a week (by the men of the church), then an early-Sunday service for any who were interested — and voila!

    Reply
  5. Fr. Jim Abernathey Avatar
    Fr. Jim Abernathey

    This is exactly how Lord of the Streets Mission in Houston got started. Some homeless folk were sleeping in the courtyard of Trinity Church on Main St.. Some men at Trinity began bringing coffee & doughnuts a couple of mornings a week — then an early-Sunday service was offered for any interested, and voila!

    Reply

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