Street Stories

Weblog of Seattle minister to the homeless Rick Reynolds, Operation Nightwatch

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Location: Seattle, Washington, United States

Caring for human beings seems like the best use of my time, homeless or not.

Wednesday, June 01, 2011

Take Eight

For the past month, St. Mary's Catholic Church in Seattle has been taking eight guys from Operation Nightwatch, to sleep overnight.

Every week, the same eight guys are hauled up the hill to Saint Mary's. Two volunteers greet them. Mats are layed out, guys sit around chatting, reading, settling in. By 10:15 everyone - including the volunteers - are hunkered down.

I drove away last Saturday night wondering why more congregations couldn't do something like that. Once a week for a month, take eight guys. Find two volunteers.

Eight guys. Pick a night of the week. Try it for a month. Two volunteers. Coffee and a roll would be nice in the morning, but not required.

It would mean eight fewer guys sleeping outside. Think about it.