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ROOM IN THE INN
RITI is a discipleship ministry where we take a deeper dive into the heart of the Gospel, not only worshiping in study, song, prayer, and praise, but in deed & truth. We provide food and shelter for twelve homeless guests each Sat. night and Sunday morning from November 1st to March 31st & Christmas Eve, 23 nights & mornings in all. We ask Church members to join one of four teams, which serve on alternating weekends, with roughly 25 to 30 members on each team. Please provide support, as you are able. Doing some quick math, our annual support provides 828 meals (including 552 hot meals), 276 laundry sheets, and bath towels, 184 hot showers etc… This is a big effort. The annual cost of laundry is about $1500. I have no doubt that supplies cost over $1,000, not including the costs of donated clothing & underwear, gas, & food.
We will have a speaker, May Wilder, from the Campus of Human Development, which sponsors the program, on Sunday Oct. 12, at both services. The Campus is a Christ based ministry dedicated to helping the homeless poor, and has a comprehensive program to help the homeless return to lives of dignity & self-respect. Perhaps you might look at this process as a mini-resurrection: a restoration of hope. Approximately 156 churches of all denominations participate in the ministry.
We collect supplies all winter; however, each Sunday in October we have a special focus. Please put supplies by the RITI bulletin board in the Foyer. We will collect supplies beginning with the first week of October. Guests are usually adult men, often women and occasionally children. The following is a list of needs/wants for the program:
- Women’s underwear, t-shirts, socks, cold weather clothing (jeans, sweats, sweatshirts, coats and shoes)
- Men’s new t-shirts, underwear, socks, cold weather clothing (jeans, sweats, sweatshirts, coats, and shoes) Size Large & XL in t-shirts; all sizes underwear.
- Warm gloves and stocking hats
- Body wash, Dial has one for both body & hair
- Band-aids and good quality disposable razors - we have plenty of shaving cream
- Chap stick, combs, and COUGH DROPS (heavy demand)
- Money to help cover laundry at Tusculum Cleaners (sheets & towels) - approximately $1500.00 per year
- Laundry quarters to cover cost of guests personal laundry
Team Sign-up sheets and team captains will be posted on the RITI bulletin board. Contributions can be made by check or cash, please put a note “for RITI” on your check, on in the cash contribution envelope.
Mostly though, we need your presence & involvement.
Thank you for your consideration and prayerfully considered support.
Respectfully submitted,
Gregg Peterson, RITI Coordinator