wfn.org | UMNS# 04576-Churches overcome difficulties to serve needy at

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Churches overcome difficulties to serve needy at Christmas 

Dec. 7, 2004	 News media contact:   Matt  Carlisle * (615) 742-5470* 
Nashville {04576}

NOTE: A sidebar, UMNS # 577 is available at www.umc.org.

A UMC.org Feature
By Neill Caldwell*

Members of Port Charlotte (Fla.) United Methodist Church decided damage from
Hurricane Charley would not keep them from hosting their 19th annual
Christmas meal for people in need.

"We thought about canceling the meal this year, but there were people in the
church who say, 'We need it more than ever.' We sustained more than $400,000
in damages at the church but have not missed a Sunday, and have not missed
out on being able to serve this community," the Rev. Jim Kuse says. 

The Port Charlotte church is one of many United Methodist congregations that
serve meals for the needy, as well as reaching out to those who have no
family and simply want to be with other people at Christmas.

Still, this will be a tough Christmas for the Florida church, located on the
state's west coast between Sarasota and Fort Myers - ground zero for
Hurricane Charley, which ravaged the community with 195 mile-per-hour winds
Aug. 13. The roof of the church, since replaced, was only the most visible
hurricane damage.

"But it's harder for us this year because we've lost about 200 members who
won't be coming back, people whose homes were destroyed and they've gone
elsewhere to live," Kuse says.

Since the hurricane, the church has received assistance from throughout the
denomination, and is now serving as headquarters for United Methodist
Committee on Relief efforts in the area. 

"We've received help from all over the country and from all over our
conference. But God has provided this church with the strength to provide
help for the rest of our community," Kuse says.

Across the community, neighborhoods were a total loss. Thousands of people
around Port Charlotte are living in temporary housing provided by the Federal
Emergency Management Agency. 

In 2003, volunteers served about 760 meals, and organizers expect to serve
more people this year. 

"We advertise it as a community dinner for anyone," says Sue Edmiston, church
business manager. "We partner with the Genesis Center, which is a homeless
agency here in town, and they help us get the word out that the meal is
available. 

"It's great to see the smiles on the faces of the people who participate,"
says Edmiston, "and to know that in some way they get to see the Lord. What
better way to celebrate the Lord's birthday?"

Far to the north, a church in Oneonta, N.Y., serves a community that has been
hit hard by a sluggish economy. Located in the rural center of the state,
Oneonta is home to two colleges and far from the urban settings that so many
associate with homelessness.

First United Methodist Church created "Saturday's Bread," a community meal
held each weekend for those in need, and the congregation also participates
in an ecumenical community project called "Friends of Christmas," providing a
traditional holiday dinner for about 300 people.  

"We serve many low-income people and the elderly, and people without a family
who just want to be around other people on Christmas," says Carol Forman, who
helps coordinate the event.

First United Methodist Church in Lexington, Ky., held its first- ever
community Christmas meal last year and will do so again this year. 

The church already has a big homeless ministry. It provides the location and
the volunteers for the Christmas meal as part of its outreach and its support
of the Lexington Rescue Mission. It participates in the "Room at the Inn"
sheltering program, and church members also work with the Hope Center, a
local homeless agency. 

Both the church and the community supported the meal's inaugural effort,
Leonard says. 

"Folks at the church thought it was a wonderful idea, and we had a huge
turnout of volunteers. We have a large homeless population in Lexington, and
we have 10 to 15 guys at the church on Monday and Tuesday nights as part of
the Room at the Inn program," Leonard says.

The congregation has been collecting mittens and toboggans to give as gifts
to participating adults, and teddy bears for any children who may come.  

The First United Methodist Church in Lawrence, Kan., has provided a Christmas
Day meal for 11 years as part of an ecumenical effort.

Kent Ely, the church liaison for the event, sits on the board of the local
homeless shelter and says the number of homeless is surprisingly high in this
largely affluent community.

"We have a good number of homeless people, but we also have people who just
want to share a meal with others." 

Last year, the program served 798 meals, and the church is planning for more
than 850 guests this year.

"For me, it's seeing the true meaning of Christmas," Ely added, "that there
is hope, and we're sharing that hope with others."

*Caldwell is a freelance writer in High Point, N.C.

News media contact: Matt Carlisle, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5153 or
newsdesk@umcom.org.

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United Methodist News Service