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| Hoosier United Methodist News |
June 2001 |
Shalom Community Center:
A warm meal, place to rest and peace in the name of Christ
By Beverly Calender-Anderson
Hoosier UM News Special Correspondent
Six weeks ago, George walked into the Shalom Community Center located at First United Methodist Church in Bloomington, looking for a warm meal and a place of rest for his weary spirit. George was faced with eviction from his apartment because he had lost his job after taking too many days off to care for his ailing mother. He could not keep up rent and utility payments. Following his mother's death, George faced medical issues of his own, including chronic depression, which had gone untreated. There was no money to pay for anti-depressants. Like others in similar circumstances, George was overwhelmed with the problems before him and did not know where to begin seeking solutions. He had no idea what had begun as a search for a warm meal would become his lifeline.
Shalom Community Center (SCC) is a partnership of First UMC, Bloomington and Shelter, Inc., a local shelter for the homeless. Local shelter residents are required to leave facilities between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Many would go to the public facilities, like the library, until they could return to the shelter. This hampered efforts toward achieving self-sufficiency. There was no place to make or receive telephone calls regarding employment searches, or to prepare for interviews or receive mail.
Pilot project takes off
The SCC opened as a pilot project in January 2000 in one room of the church with a group of six individuals who had been identified by Shelter, Inc. staff. Today, the full-time facility (8 a.m.-4 p.m., Mon.-Fri.) occupies several rooms in the lower level of FUMCB, including six telephone lines, a kitchen, computer room, office, community room, storage, restroom and laundry. With the assistance of volunteers from the congregation, other area faith communities and Indiana University, SCC provides warm meals, job counseling, resume preparation, computer instruction, housing searches, transportation and a variety of other services. Over 3,000 meals are served per month.
Visitors are able to access information about available community based services. Representatives from fifteen social service agencies, including Social Security Administration, Legal Services, Workforce Development and the Township Trustees come in on a regularly scheduled basis to directly provide assistance on site. There are also opportunities for persons who want to deal with spiritual issues to meet weekly with one of the ministers on staff.
Love did find a way
In 1997, when First UMC embarked on its "Love Will Find A Way" building campaign, pledges and gifts exceeded the original goal of $1.7 million. The church, which had made a conscious decision to stay in downtown Bloomington, decided to be "a church in the heart of the community with the community in its heart", by approving a community tithe, putting 10% of the money raised back into the community. Money from the community tithe helped fund grants to local human service providers, salary support for an associate pastor for Community Outreach and remodeling necessary for the SCC kitchen and adjacent areas. With the appointment of an associate pastor for Community Outreach, and the formation of a Shalom Ministries Team, the work began. After months of planning with church trustees, administrative council and shelter staff, the Shalom Ministries Team, began the pilot program. Ann Armstrong, FUMCB lay leader at the time, feels, "Shalom Community Center extends the ministry of FUMCB and gives [the church] an opportunity to bring a wonderful diversity to the church."
The vision of SCC centers on the meaning of "shalom," a biblical word that encompasses peace, shelter, well being, justice and harmony. According to Joel Rekas, SCC's director, about half of those who come to the center regularly are homeless, while the rest are extremely poor. "One of the beauties of the center is that there is no beginning and no end," says Rekas. Although a visitor receives assistance and shows improvement, the center staff and volunteers realize that assistance may be called for again.
Six weeks after his first visit to Shalom Community Center, George's medical conditions have stabilized and he volunteers his time answering the telephone and working in the kitchen at SCC. He has scheduled job interviews and is closer to living independently. If George needs further assistance, the staff and volunteers of Shalom Community Center will be there, offering him a warm meal, a place to rest and peace in the name of Christ.
Last updated on 01/14/2004