Collaborative, Comprehensive Community

St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Portland, Oregon is home to a wide ranging number of ministries with people on the margins.  We visited on Saturday morning for St. Stephen's Table, a hot breakfast for whoever comes through the doors.  A man spontaneously sat down and played the piano throughout the morning, a soft jazz improvisation, lending a calmness to the gathering of over 50 guests. 

After breakfast, two nurses and an assistant set up a foot clinic and invited street-weary people to soak their feet, have their nails trimmed, and receive first aid for minor foot ailments.  Each person received a fresh pair of socks and gentle touch.  My thoughts naturally went to the night Jesus washed the feet of his disciples in an act of selfless giving.

On Sunday we met the Rev. John Paul Davis in a park in the center of Portland for Communion in the Park.  He pulled a red wagon behind him full of sandwiches and hard-cooked eggs.  He set up communion on a stone sculpture and nine of us worshipped as people passed by.  A woman brought along her therapy dog to say hello to strangers in a way that reduced the discomfort of meeting people for the first time.  After a brief communion service we took off down the length of the park, handing out sandwiches and eggs.  Crowds of theater goers watched as we demonstrated caring concern for our new friends on the streets.  Maybe they will remember the scene and repeat it themselves at some point.

St. Stephen's is also home to Operation Nightwatch, an independent program that extends hospitality both at the church and on the streets throughout the week.  In addition to food and a place to get inside, they offer movies, Open Mic nights, karaoke, games, Birthday Night, art, and even acupuncture.  They also offer worship.

I was impressed by the extent of support offered to people who are without homes through St. Stephen's Church and by the way that two organizations have collaborated so successfully.  It is not the norm for churches to open their doors every day of the week to the community beyond their membership.  St. Stephen's provides a model for us all.

On another note, the Occupy movement is in full swing in Portland.  Oregonians cherish their right to free speech and the mayor of Portland has allowed Occupy Portland camps in defense of that right.  When the homeless challenged him on that decision while, at the same time, being prevented from camping in Portland themselves, he refused them the right.  A private citizen stepped in and allowed a homeless camp to be set up on his property, just a few blocks from the Occupy Portland site.  The question is: Do free-speech rights take precedence over the right to a place to lay one's head at night?  Think about it.