Immanuel is doing important work this winter.

It's reset time.

January is hours away. Resolutions, maybe? Looking ahead to the possibilities of a new year. Some wonder where the time went. This week between Christmas and New Year's is a liminal space of figuring out how to finish what didn’t get done last year, or to just give up on it. The Christmas decorations are stuffed back into their totes, or maybe we will just think about it :)). "Putting it away" could be the dreaded shuffle and jostle to create storage space that evaporated. Daylight is mysteriously lengthening, although we hit the coldest months of the season. Some pray for snow days to come and disrupt work, unleashing playfulness into the world, enchanting us with confectionary-iced views and hot, steamy mugs.

Winter has a dangerous side.

On the flip side of holiday abundance and winter enchantment, bitter cold months signal awareness for the brutal and damaging. Cold weather exposure is a hazardous problem for our neighbors who do not have adequate housing. An affordable housing crisis has surged in alarming proportions across our nation. The worst locations experiencing this surge are on the East and West coastlines. The Midwest has been pinpointed as the most affordable, but housing availability has dwindled miserably in the "affordable" category. Our vulnerable neighbors have resorted to living in vehicles, crowding apartments on couches, and tents. These fragile options are inadequate when I am guided by scripture to "love my neighbor as myself."

In reflection, I honestly ask myself,

Who is my neighbor?

Do I love my neighbor?

Who am I?

Do I love myself?

How do I love my neighbor?

How do I love myself?

I get overwhelmed when I start thinking through these questions, or even dive into more questions of how the current housing crisis got to this point. Lord, help us.

It's Overwhelming.

Basically, we need to start somewhere. We know we must extend care to the immediate crisis of sheltering fragile neighbors, as well as work toward solutions to correct the massive problem of affordable housing for all.

When overwhelmed, I've found courage in an old saying, "If God has called us to do this, God will lead us through this." Partnering with God and each other is where it’s at.

Taking first steps.

Immanuel is taking a first step. We have partnered with other non-profits and churches in Warren County to volunteer-staff and ensure our county has an emergency cold-weather shelter.

This is the plan: when winter temps are expected to be at 20F or below, the emergency weather shelter will be activated at the Mary Lou Community Center in Truesdale, Missouri, to be volunteer-staffed from 9pm to 7am on the day of activation. Notification of activation will occur by 3pm earlier in the day. The volunteer staff will need at least 3+ persons to rotate for rest and wake throughout the night.

You are welcome to volunteer.

Immanuel has signed up for the weeks of Jan 14-20, 2024 & Feb 11-17, 2024. If those dates are not enough, you can also volunteer with the Wright City Community Food Pantry on Jan 21-27 & Feb 18-24. There are plenty of opportunities to be on-call to volunteer with any non-profits during January and February.

Although a good group from Immanuel has already been through in-person training, a video link can be made available for anyone to complete the 1hr of training if you are interested in this important work. Contact Pastor Kim at kimpurl2@gmail.com to get the link.

Reset 2024.

A new year is a reset time. As you take care of yourself in the icy months ahead, consider how your neighbors are doing. You will be changed. Together, we can enjoy warm and cozy wintering spaces as we partner with God, our community, and the world to love our neighbor as ourselves. Let the enchantment begin :) 

Peace,

Pastor Kim