Church Outside

So, I got back from kicking bootie at darts for the second week in a row, talking politics and religion at a bar on Queen Anne. It was the moment of crisis for several women at the Nightwatch shelter dispatch center; almost midnight, the final call coming from the shelters saying who could come inside. The unfortunate few got blankets, a bus ticket, and some advice.

There was the usual belly-aching, cussing, sad questions ("Which bus is it that I can ride all night?").

Several of the women we standing around on the sidewalk, hoping that they weren't really going to have to spend the night outside, looking for some consolation, having a last smoke before heading out. Nightwatch staff and volunteers were out there too, and me and the other pastor.

"Let's have a prayer then," one of the women suggested. We gathered together under the streetlight, heads bowed.

"Lord, keep us all safe tonight, and open the eyes of the city to the needs of these women. Help Nightwatch develop the ability to respond to them, and help us all to do our part, for them, and for your kingdom."

It was a sacred moment. God was there. -- Pastor Rick Reynolds