The Homeless Ministry has been working through some significant changes over the last few months. Horizon House — the terrific day shelter we’ve supported for several years — has had to reduce their operating hours, and they’re now closed on Saturdays. That makes it impossible for most of the Homeless Ministry Team to participate in our usual service opportunities. We will continue to support Horizon House with donations — see the list below.

The Team worked diligently over the last three months to find a new service opportunity that respected both our commitment to service as well as our cultural diversity. We are pleased to announce a new affiliation with The Dayspring Center, located at 16th Street and Central Avenue. The Dayspring Center is a 24-hour shelter providing temporary lodging for families with children under the age of 18.

We will be able to serve in many ways at the Dayspring Center in addition to our traditional kitchen duties, with opportunities to serve at the front desk, playroom, donation receiving and sorting, cleaning, and in the summer in their garden and with the summer camp. Our initial focus will continue to be with the kitchen assistance, but we hope to expand our ministry into other areas as the Spirit leads team members into those paths.

Our team members have committed to cooking and serving breakfast on the third Saturday of each month, and we expect to add another Saturday breakfast or lunch in the very near future, as more of the current team is brought up to speed.

All of our Homeless Ministry volunteers who work with The Dayspring Center begin by attending one of the Center’s orientation sessions. At the end of orientation, you will be invited to consider making a commitment to serving the center on a specific day and time.

If you’re interested in being part of this new phase of Homeless Ministry, please contact either April Kerulis or Greg McMullen via the church office.

We will continue to support Horizon House by collecting:

• deodorant, razors, tooth brushes, toothpaste, and lotion,
• new men’s socks and underwear, and
• new or gently used men’s pants (sizes 32-36) and men’s tennis shoes (size 9 and up)

Donations can be left in the closet next to Room 2 in the tote marked Homeless Ministry. Please do not bring items other than what’s listed. Thanks!

Exciting things are happening with Found Pearl Press, our church’s publishing ministry.

• Our new website, FoundPearlPress.org, is fully operational. All of our current products can be purchased there, and there’s lots of room to grow. Many thanks go to Hiroki Chalfant for his expertise and many hours of work with this project!
• As you may know, we’ve just launched our second book, Quench! refreshing devotionals by gay, trans, and affirming Christians. It’s available on Amazon.com and ­FoundPearlPress.org.
• A few of the Found Pearl Press team members will be attending the Gay Christian Network conference in Nashville, TN, January 7-10. We’ll network with the 300 attendees, and have a table in the vendor’s area.
• In February, we’ll release To Have and To Hold: Spiritual Insights on Commitment and Marriage for Lesbian and Gay Couples. It’s a set of five sermons on CD with a study guide.
• Coming in 2010, new versions of The Children Are Free: a Spanish translation, an audiobook, and a print run of the English version in Nigeria. We’re doing this in cooperation with House of Rainbow MCC in Lagos, Nigeria, for distribution in Africa.

If you’d like to be part of Found Pearl Press or you’d like to get more information, contact team leader Lynne Kaminiski via the church office.