I am planning a peaceful protest on Christmas Eve night. I will be building a makeshift shelter in rememberance that thousands of years ago a man and woman, who was very late in her pregnancy, were traveling (apparently to pay taxes).
As the story goes, there was no room at the inn.
So they slept in the barn with the animals. The newborn baby slept in a manger, a feeding trough for livestock.
Thousands of years later there is still no room at the inn.
In symbolic unity with the hundreds of thousands of Americans who will be without shelter this Christmas Eve (and every other day of the year) I planned on just putting my shelter on a piece of land that would not bother anyone, other than the government who doesn’t want us to see homeless people.
You can learn about the event by clicking here.
In a moment of probably fear, (spending Christmas Day in jail is not going to go over well with the family) I reached out to a church to ask if I could put my shelter on their lawn.
This was clearly a last minute idea. And I know that churches are made of governing bodies. So I knew I was asking a lot.
But just the same, homelessness is not something that is planned for weeks or months in advance. In an eviction, you are sleeping in your bed last night and you are on the street tonight.
I want to make very clear that I am not angry at this particular church. I put them in this uncomfortable spot. They did not ask to be called out like this.
HOWEVER, I AM angry at “the church” in general. The Church has outsourced its responsibility to poor people to the government. The fact that the government helps poor people more than the church does would not be something that would please MANY Christian leaders throughout history… Not the least of which would be Jesus himself.
Here is the church’s response for my request for help.
Hello Mr. Lewis,
It is an interesting event you are planning. This church supports efforts to raise awareness of homelessness, and aid in its resolution. We are a founding member of the local Family Promise program that serves homeless families, and we remain committed to continuing support of this important service in Akron.
Unfortunately, we cannot give permission for you to shelter on our front lawn. Such an event as you are planning would have to come before our Council, which is the governing body of this church, and there is not enough time for that body to adequately address your request and make an informed decision. The rapidly approaching Christmas season, combined with the challenges of communicating effectively in this pandemic, further complicate consideration of your request.
Your passion for advocating for the homeless is well-known, and we pray that your mission to help those in need is met with great success. We hope that you will be able to secure another location for your event.
May Christ’s peace be with you,
Pastor Debbie
Rev. Deborah Rhinesmith
Fairlawn-West United Church of Christ
2095 W. Market St., Akron, OH 44313