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Our House needs your help
Our Father . . . Give us this day . . .."
The prayer that Jesus taught us is a prayer from the heart of Judaism meant for the entire world. It is a prayer of hope. It is a prayer that recognizes that we all belong to God and that our very lives depend on a loving God who calls us to honor ourselves and others. And, it is a prayer that reminds us that every day
is a new opportunity to be forgiven and to forgive, to be nourished and to nourish, and to live into God's Dream for us, a dream of abundance, justice and peace.
For people of the street, people who have no homes and no place to sleep, people who haven't had a shower or a change of clothes in a while, people who are not sure where their next meal will come from, God's Dream can seem more like a fantasy, a hopelessly wistful thought that cannot ever come true.
That is where Our House comes in. Our House is a one-of-a-kind drop-in center serving homeless and near-homeless folks in the City of Newburgh, NY, a place of presence and compassion, a safe place where someone with nowhere to turn will find a friendly welcome, a cup of coffee and some food, a place to meet others and connect. Every day, some 50 visitors experience Ecclesia's very special brand of hospitality. That includes Christmas Day and other holidays when everyone else is closed. In addition to welcoming the stranger, we also host as many as 18 people for the night, serve dinner two-plus nights a week and every holiday, accompany people to appointments, cover co-pays and just about everything else people without resources need.
And, we do it on a veritable shoe-string. Our budget for an entire operating year is $62,050 or $170 per day. And, we are funding this without the help of grant money that comes with restrictions on who we can and cannot serve and how we can serve them. That's because we are committed to being open to everyone, no matter what.
Will you join us in this work? Will you click here "Give us this day?" By keeping Our House open for just one day, you will have brought hope to the lives of 50 of your sisters and brothers who need to know that God's Dream can come true, that homelessness is not a destination; it is, at best, a temporary situation on the road to a new life.
Participation in our "Give Us This Day" program is a great way to celebrate a birthday, an anniversary or other important event in your life or the life of someone you love . . . your neighbor.
And, if you really want to help, you can click here to make a donation and find information on how you can start your very own Our House fundraiser.
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