We Can't Forget Those in Crisis

                                                 Outside Bridge St. Church, Belleville, Ontario

 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Surely that faith cannot save, can it?  If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food  and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?  So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

               James 2: 14-17 NRSVue

 At the risk of belabouring a theme, I'm going to mention that this morning we packed our spacious Subaru Outback with the generous donations of baked goods from Cobbs bakery and Metro grocery store here in Belleville. We accomplished the jigsaw puzzle of getting everything on board, then drove to Bridge St, Church with our cargo for the drop-in and meal program run out of the building. We said hello to a few folks on the street and volunteers we know who were doing food prep, then got on our way, home by 9:00 AM. 

I mention this because the people on the street have become reluctant media celebrities during the past few weeks. because of a horrendous 24 hours in this community of 55,000 when 14 people overdosed, creating a state of emergency for first responders. Five of them collapsed in a matter of minutes outside Bridge St. Fortunately no one died during that day, although there have been a number of drug related deaths in the city in the weeks following. 

 Since then just about every major media outlet has made a pilgrimage to the church, and there have been several explorations of what has happened here. I have been impressed by how accurate and considerate they've been. Some of the people interviewed on the street weep for those who died and for those they thought they'd lost.  Here is the link to the CBC The National piece from just a few days ago.  https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2317443139612

What hit me today was how calm the scene was even though it was obvious that some of the individuals were high. I spoke to a woman who came to the church office regularly when I was minister at Bridge St. At that time she was a fast walking and fast talking soul with a wry sense of humour. Now she shuffles around the downtown and could barely muster a few words this morning. 

As we wheeled the laden trolley into the building we went past my former study. It's been several years since my retirement but during my time only occasionally were there people outside my window. Now they are present all day, every day, no matter the weather. 

This crisis won't magically disappear even though the media will eventually move on. That's the nature of the business. Yet the need and the challenges have become greater. We see at Trenton United that the number of people coming to the warming centre has increased this winter, even though the town is less than half the size of nearby Belleville. 

 I hope community leaders and faith communities such as Bridge St and Trenton United will "keep the faith" in their outreach ministries, demonstrating the compassion of Christ. Let's continue our prayers for overworked frontline workers and faithful volunteers. 

                                                                                      Bridge St.