Waiting for Irene

Non-stop TV reports told us to prepare for the storm of the century.  Hurricane Irene was coming to New England, headed straight through the center of Connecticut making landfall sometime after dark on Saturday.  We planned to visit street churches in Hartford on Saturday and in New Haven on Sunday.  The governor had called for pretty much everything in the state to shut down on Sunday, cancelling our plans for New Haven.

But we got to Hartford for their 2 PM service.  We found Bushnell Park in the shadow of the Connecticut Statehouse and saw a man carrying a box of sandwiches to a vacant building across from the park with a large overhang that protected us from a driving rain. The mood was tense with anticipation of what the storm might mean for those living on the streets, as well as for those who would not have their usual Sunday meal.  Amy Malick and the Rev. Don Richey greeted us.  Amy was on the phone trying to find shelters that would be open during the hurricane and Don introduced us to congregation members as he checked in with them.  I was impressed that he knew so many folks by name after only 6 weeks of worshiping with them.  I was also moved by the offering of anointing for healing by Linda, the priest on Saturday -- an intimate prayer for healing, the touch of her hands, the sign of the cross traced in oil on the forehead.  A calming presence in the face of the uncertainty of the coming storm -- like Jesus' calming words as he approached the disciples on the sea, "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid".  Thankfully, the storm did not hit us as hard as predicted.  Tree limbs down, electricity off, flooding.  An inconvenience for most, but I keep thinking about those with no homes, no shelter from the rain and wind, no one to check on their well-being.  Thank God for people like Amy and Don and Linda and all the others at On the Pond in Hartford.