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Room in the Inn
The Room-In-The-Inn (RITI) program will be starting again the first Saturday in November 2007 and running through the last Saturday in March 2008. The Campus of Human Development, the program sponsor, is located downtown close to the Union Rescue Mission. This will be our 16th year of participation.
For those who are new to our congregation, our church’s together with almost 150 other congregations join together in this great effort to minister to those who call the streets of Nashville “Home”. The Campus for Human Development has a comprehensive program to aid the homeless including a hospice with nursing care, drug & alcohol counseling, a GED program, temporary living assistance, and of course the Room In The INN program. You may have heard people talking about “RITI”. Now you know why.
Each congregation in the program shelters a varying number of homeless individuals one night per week during the winter months. HUMC does Saturday evenings, providing a hot dinner, a laundry service, a place to spend the night, and a hot breakfast. We provide transportation in the church van. Each of our guests is also provided with a sack lunch when they leave the church on Sunday morning. We attempt to provide toiletry supplies, socks and underwear, and used cold weather clothing such as sweats, jeans, and coats. We provide services to a dozen guests, which may consist of men, women, or sometimes families with children. The typical quest is usually an adult man, but we also shelter women and children as the need arises. Last year we shared our church with many homeless families.
So that the responsibility to support such a large effort is evenly shared, we have four RITI teams consisting of at least 25 members who rotate on alternating weekends. As a result, each team usually works six nights per season. On holiday weekends, we combine two teams. We also provide shelter one extra day per year (Christmas Eve).
I re-read the book of Proverbs not to long ago and was surprised by just how many passages discuss how we should cope with the poor and needy. I did a Bible search, and there are 35 references to the poor in the book of Proverbs alone: A couple of examples:
Proverbs 14:31 He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker; but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.
Proverbs 19 7: A poor man is shunned by all his relatives- how much more his friends avoid him! Though her pursues them with pleading, they are nowhere to be found.
Proverbs 28:17 He who gives to the poor will lack nothing
I was reminded the other day that the very first Gentile to be saved was a Roman soldier named Cornelius who was known for his devotion to God & his gifts to the poor. Now that’s not the usual image we have for a Roman soldier is it? (He was a devout, God-fearing man, as was everyone in his household. He gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly to God.)
I ask that each one of you prayerfully consider your participation in the program and I pray that the Lord raises His host to accomplish our task, whether through church members, neighbors, friends or co-workers or anyone or thing I may have left out.
The homeless poor who come to our church have no friends, and loneliness, hopelessness, and despair keep them company. You and I can do something to change that.
Respectfully submitted,
Gregg Peterson
RITI Coordinator