A Word from the Pastor. . .



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Home > Resources > Word from the Pastor

May 2008

A Word from the Pastor . . .
by Pastor Rachel Thorson Mithelman

The last item on my monthly report to the Church Council in April was a brief description of the assistance we had been able to offer those in need through our Good Samaritan Fund. We assisted individuals and families with rent, grocery gift cards for items that are not available at the food shelves, fuel and bus tickets. As I relayed some of the encounters we have with those in need, one of the council members commented, "More people need to hear this so that they know the scope of our ministry downtown and how important this fund is." Though I try to lift up some of these encounters in the course of my preaching and teaching, I know he is right - many are not aware of this part of our ministry. Thus, two brief glimpses into what it means to be "in the city for good" every day at St. John’s… • A family of three came to us late one cold and rainy Wednesday afternoon – mom, dad and a 4-year-old girl. They had been hitchhiking, they said, from a southern state to Minneapolis, in search of employment. Obviously exhausted and hungry, they were seeking shelter for the night. I called St. Joseph’s Family Shelter, the Interfaith Hospitality Network (the organization that houses homeless families in area churches) and, finally, the Polk County Health Dept. Not one agency could help this family because they either had no room or the family lacked qualifications. Out of options, I called the Quality Inn on 3rd St., asked if they had a room at a reasonable price, drove the family over and checked them in. St. John’s paid for the room. And later, because it was Wednesday, I was able to take three carry-out meals from Beloved Community to them, as well… ‘Which one...was a neighbor?’ ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’ Luke 10:36-37 • A rainy Friday morning just two weeks ago another family walked in, not long after the office opened at 9 am. This was a family of six – mom, dad, and 4 children under the age of 10. They had been traveling by bus for two days, from a town in Montana, where the parents had not been able to find work, to the Twin Cities where they had secured a place to stay at a shelter for homeless families while the parents looked for employment. But at the moment they were hungry…Having asked at the bus depot where they might get something to eat, they had been directed to St. John’s; so, I offered to take one of the parents up to McDonalds on University Ave. where St. John’s would buy whatever they wanted for breakfast. The mom, one of the children and I made the McDonald’s "run" and returned with plenty of food for all. We invited them to make themselves at home in Valbracht and to help themselves to coffee. They ate, rested and then returned to the bus depot for the last leg of their journey… Jesus said to them, ‘They need not go away; you give them something to eat.’ Matthew 14:16 Every day of the week, people with a variety of immediate needs find their way to St. John’s. And while we must never tire of lifting up and addressing the root causes of homelessness and hunger, we must also respond to immediate need. I am grateful for a staff that responds to every one of these individuals with respect and dignity, and I am more grateful than I can say for the resources Pastor Speirs and I have available to us through the Good Samaritan Fund. We can’t help everyone, and, yes, people occasionally take advantage of us. But we firmly believe that Christ presents himself occasionally take advantage of us. But we firmly believe that Christ presents himself to us in "the least of these" and we will respond, on your behalf, as graciously as possible. When you pray for St. John’s, please remember to pray for this city and those who struggle to survive here from day to day…And thank you for the privilege of serving as one of your pastors.