Dear Friends,
It has been quite the week. We have been preparing for friends who are coming to visit this weekend, and then the person running the workshop on reconciliation is going to be staying with us the following weekend. We accepted the lease on our house with a vision of it being a place people could come to for a simple get-away or spiritual retreat. It has beautiful sunsets over Klamath Lake and is private and in the middle of birds and animals of all kinds. It is the definition of peaceful. But getting it ready has been grounding in several ways.
I was running the broom in preparation where Jay had come in from outside bringing some of the yard with him. Without any help, the dirt went right under a rug, I thought it was ironic as I swept it back out and didn’t “sweep it under the rug.” I’ve thought about that in relation to this workshop that is coming up on October 25th (from 2-4) about reconciliation. While it might seem easier to ignore or hide a problem, sweeping it under the rug can lead to bigger issues later. Unresolved problems often resurface and may cause more harm if not addressed early and openly. Reconciliation takes work. It’s refusing to sweep things under the rug and deal with them. I’m looking forward to the workshop to learn new skills that help me make better decisions than to sweep whatever is the problem or the experience right under the rug. I hope you join me. While we need you to come to the workshop so that we have diverse perspectives. All of the participants will go home with new skills and energized, ready to deal with whatever issue has come up in their group.
One of the problems we are facing in this community is the rising number of houseless individuals in our county, particularly in Klamath Falls, the town. I was sitting drinking my coffee with Valeree Lane who is the leader of the Klamath Faith-based Council, and we were talking about some of the issues in our town. She began talking about this idea of having a town hall on homelessness. You could tell that she had put a lot of thought and heart into this. She took it to the meeting of the Faith-based Council, and of course, it was an idea that was supported and gained momentum. Our houseless issues could be ignored. Or we could stay in the service end of the problem, finding new ways to feed and clothe the houseless people in our town. We have to talk about it, and address the causes of poverty and houselessness, and accept our roles in them. Sometimes not sweeping something under the rug is about taking accountability. There are some great people and great resources in this town. But this is a greater problem than has been taken seriously as the sheer number of people who are houseless escalates. In November there will be thousands of people cut off from the SNAP program. This, of course, will make the numbers rise more. So we need to take the problem head on, and Valeree of course made this vision come to life. On October 23 (Thursday) at 5:30 at OIT Union Hall, we are having this town hall for the town to talk about this need and get it out in the open. There will be people who provide services there, but we will also be asking tough questions about how to respond to what is a growing need that will soon grow exponentially. How are we going to be responsible? (For more information, contact Valeree Lane at 541-851-3737)
Another way that this need is showing up in our town is through the food pantry. The pressure is real. We need edible and nonedible items for the food pantry: soups and canned pasta; and toilet paper, laundry detergent, and other household items that SNAP will not cover. Soon it will be Thanksgiving, and we need to give as much food to prepare a Thanksgiving meal as we can. You buy you a can of cranberry sauce, and you get two – one for the pantry. Please fill the table in the church house with donations, including laundered or new blankets and coats. The need is great and getting larger. Last month, one evening at the pantry we served 72 families. That is twice what used to be normal. We need donations. Let’s not shop and forget the problem is here. It is important to be generous when it comes to the Klamath Interfaith Food Pantry. I am repeating, but we need food in pull top cans that make a meal, like Chef Boyardee kind of products, and items that SNAP won’t cover including hygiene products (soap, toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo). We need blankets for a cold winter on the way and coats. Let’s not sweep our responsibility under the rug. Let’s face it and deal with it directly. (For more information about the Interfaith Food Pantry and how you can help, call Linda at 541-281-5535)
OK, putting down the broom. I hope to see you on Sunday as well as we nourish our souls in community. We are all necessary to help form a diverse community that takes on the issues in this town. We need to be church.
Sincerely,
Leigh
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