community meal

i went to a community meal last night offered by the church i attend (resurrection covenant :: www.rescov.org).

the church also does warming center for individuals who are homeless. the center is open on friday nights and individuals who come are welcomed into an intimate atmosphere where they've given a meal and a place to be warm. on community meal nights, those individuals are invited to attend the meal as well to be a part of the larger church community (the pastor of this church also has his msw... love his vision of this ministry!)

usually there are about 30 who come to this community meal, but last night there were 80! i think the lord had to have performed a "feeding of the 5,000" miracle because the cooking crew made a meal for their usual crowd... but everyone was still able to eat and get seconds... (i want to call it a miracle... but i also am aware that everyone took small portions... but still... 80 people!!) it was so ordinary.

i also got to chat with three of the men who visit the warming center: louis, neil and ... shawn? hm... whoops! it was very interesting and sad as i witnessed the relationship between mental illness and homelessness. we often talk about it in classes, but to see it first hand is sobering.

neil told us he was a minor celebrity, had been in several movies (including a scene in "sex and the city") and had this grandiose picture of who he was. i wasn't sure how much of those things were true, how much an illusion and how much related to a mental illness. but, if it's true, i chatted with my first celebrity in chicago! :)

louis was a very sweet individual who i discovered loved turkey and had a large family! we had a nice chat, but as he got up out of his chair to go get his meal, i was very surprised by his desperate need for a belt... honestly, it 'cracked' me up! :)

besides those men, i also got to meet some other great people in the area.

okay, now i need to go write papers. pray for motivation!