Safe Spaces

Thanks to Annette Spence of the UMC for writing up this Great Idea!

The United Methodist Church across the US has been focusing on Matthew 25 for some time now, endeavoring to put Jesus’ call to care for the “other” into concrete and mutually transformational acts of love.

Park Hills UMC in Denver, CO, found a particularly innovative and helpful approach this year by putting 40 fish huts in their parking lot to offer safe spaces for neighbors experiencing houselessness. The term “houseless” is used here intentionally, rather than the more familiar, “homeless”, to clarify that many folx who find themselves without shelter do create a sense of “home”, despite having no safe refuge to give that name.

The icehouse premise might be inviting to Minnesota congregations – not only do we have access to fishing huts – Minnesotans can appreciate that our neighbors living without shelter are facing extremely dire conditions.

Read the UMC’s full article here.

Minnesota congregations who are especially committed to ensuring sustainable housing might find the ministry of Settled to be particularly exciting. Settled is looking for Minnesota congregations interested in forming Sacred Settlements of tiny homes and community resource shelters on their property. It’s a form of radical hospitality and justice that will be transformational for all.

Other options open to Minnesotan’s looking to support our transient and houseless neighbors can be found in our Poverty, Hunger, & Houselessness lib guide.