The choir concert at Bridge St. on Sunday evening was lovely and the sanctuary was beautiful. This shot was taken from the top of the balcony.
While the choir sang and the bells rang and the violinist played a strange drama was unfolding elsewhere in the building. A young woman who began with us in the sanctuary was soon wandering here and there, through the rest of the building. Two of our patient ushers followed her as she meandered. They did their best to engage her in conversation but to no avail. She commented randomly on plaques and photos and even removed a light bulb from a socket. One of them eventually found me and I became aware that she was in some altered state of consciousness, perhaps because of mental health or drug issues, or both. She was too confused to tell us her name and claimed she didn't live in Belleville, nor did she have a place to stay. It became obvious that she was hearing voices and she mumbled about her parents not knowing where she is. We were obviously concerned about her safety, especially since it was a frigid night and she didn't have a hat to cover her close-cropped head.
Eventually I called the police who dispatched two officers with, well, dispatch, and they kindly and gently asked her questions for which she didn't have answers. They convinced her to accompany them, and they were gone into the night just before the concert concluded. I had been reluctant to phone but it was the right decision on a cold December night.
The two hundred people in attendance were oblivious to what had unfolded. How many circumstances similar to this occur in the downtown of this city? We get a taste of the lost and the suffering through our doors during the week, as well as the tough realities for many who avail themselves of our meal programs.
What happened reminds us that Advent and Christmas joy do not make the pain of our world go away. We are called to compassion and awareness in a special way at this time of the year. I'm glad that today's noon concert raises money for the Gleaner's Food Program, because the need is great. And we can serve up Christ's compassion twelve months of the year.
Thoughts?
The fact that this person ended up on our doorstep is a reminder that our church is located in an area where the vulnerable in our society exist. Interesting that we were involved in a very middle-class seasonal ritual while this event transpired.
ReplyDeleteVery true Colin. We provided a fleeting refuge from the cold, but our response was benignly muddled.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure you could have responded any differently, given the unknown nature of the individual's "altered state" and the unusual behaviour - the community needs an agency that can respond with compassion to such incidents... maybe we can be of assistance in setting up something with the existing mental health organizations... maybe funds from our wonderful Foundation could seed such an effort?
ReplyDeleteSometimes people only get a reminder of mental health issues when they go to the big city, but there are people everywhere who are suffering.
ReplyDeleteWhen I worked the highways of Saskatchewan, there were numerous occasions in which I had to detain an individual who was walking on or near the highway in the middle of the night and who had lost contact with reality. As I drove them to the hospital, it was eerie to hear some of the things they believed were true.
Mental health issues are complex, but society needs to feel it is a less taboo subject and that much more needs to be done. So many people who are suffering are estranged from their families and have no one to be at their side.
Thank you for these added thoughts. I can't imagine what those drives were like Roger!
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