Sunday, June 4, 2017
Church of the Ascension, Forest Avenue, Hamilton
Good morning! Thank you for giving me some time this morning in this beautiful space to speak with you about important work that you and I are both involved in: that is, supporting the programs and services offered by St Matthew’s House. For those who may not know, St Matthew’s is an outreach and social justice ministry affiliated with the Anglican Diocese of Niagara.
I’m grateful to Terry, Rhonda and Janice for their warm welcome. Rhonda, Janice and I have just met, but Terry and I have known each other since we were both students at Trinity College in Toronto in the early 1980s – over 40 years ago now. I’ve been texting with him but am so sorry to have missed seeing him this morning. I know that all our prayers are with him and his dad.
As I begin, I’d like to bring you greetings from the St. Matthew’s House board of directors, which includes a number of active Anglicans from parishes across the city. I’m a relatively new member of the St. Matthew’s House board, having been appointed in December 2016. I have to say that I’m on a steep learning curve - both about the work of the House and – especially - about the issues facing those whom the House serves.
This is my first solo appearance as an ambassador for St Matthew’s. I would love to speak with you individually after the service if you have questions or comments about anything I’ve said, but I hope that you’ll be patient if you have questions that I’m unable to answer. I’ll do my best to find out and get back to you ASAP.
I’d also like to bring greetings from my own home parish of St. Paul’s, Westdale – not quite a neighbouring parish to the Church of the Ascension, but located in the same region of the Diocese of Niagara. St Paul’s is a partner with you in supporting St Matthew’s House, and is now looking for ways to deepen its involvement there.
I have 3 objectives for my talk this morning.
The first is to extend warm thanks on behalf of the St Matthew’s House board and staff for all of the work you’ve already done and all you’ve already given to support ministry at St Matthew’s House.
The second is to update you on the ministries undertaken by the House – who we are, where we work, and what we’re doing.
The third is to make the connection between our work together in support of St Matthew’s House and today’s celebration of Pentecost, one of the great festivals of the church year.
So, here we go!
As I was preparing to speak to you this morning, both Bishop Terry and staff at St Matthew’s House made me aware that this parish has a long tradition of supporting our work. Our donor information indicates that you’ve been involved regularly in our Christmas Adopt-A-Family program, coordinated last year here at the Ascension by Ruth and Jack Taulk. Year-round, you collect food for our food banks - over 1,600 pounds or 980 Kgs in 2016. Individuals and groups associated with the Ascension also contribute financially through the parish office – almost a thousand dollars over the past several years.
I want to stress that all of these ways of giving are highly valued by the House. Gifts in kind such as food and Christmas hampers directly support individuals and families. Gifts of cash allow House staff the flexibility to fill gaps which occur from time to time – for example, to purchase food at deeply-discounted rates during low points of the year for donations to our food banks. Cash gifts also provide the opportunity for low income kids to go to camp, and provide extras for the seniors and others we serve.
So, thank you for your generosity. Your gifts are so important in addressing the hunger, homelessness and social isolation experienced by many of our fellow citizens of Hamilton. Unfortunately, our work is not yet done. I hope that knowing what a difference your generosity makes to others will inspire you to continue to take an interest in St Matthew’s House, and to continue to give as you are able.
Many of you will know that St. Matthew’s House has been around for a long time. Its predecessor organization – called The Compass – was established by a group of Anglican clergy concerned about the welfare of people living in the Barton and Wellington Street area in the mid-1960s. Renamed St Mathew’s House in 1967, we have now served Hamiltonians in need for more than 50 years. Our mission is simple and straightforward: To be a place of hope that supports people in need.
You may not know that we operate on multiple sites – a multi-use building on Barton Street just west of Wentworth in Hamilton’s Landsdale neighbourhood, another one farther east in the McQueston West neighbourhood, and two houses which provide shared accommodation for men at risk of homelessness.
You know that we run two food banks which provide three days of emergency food once a month to individuals and families who have exhausted their resources. On an average day, St Matthew’s House distributes about 2,000 pounds or 960 kilos of food, and it takes a lot of donations to sustain that. Our food bank also provides practical assistance with problem solving, access to helpful information and community resources for people in crisis situations. Last year, we served almost 25,000 people in the food bank – a great testimony to the work done by St Matt’s, but a very sad commentary on the need of our fellow citizens.
You know about our Christmas Adopt-A-Family Program, which provides new toys, gifts, and holiday meals to 2,500 low-income people in Hamilton every year. The holidays would be very bleak – particularly for the children in these households – without your help.
But did you know that we also run a year-round Children’s Centre, offering mostly-subsidized high quality day care for about 50 low-income children? Or that we provide access to summer overnight and day camp sessions for children from Hamilton who otherwise would not go to camp because of their family’s financial situation?
Did you know that we work in the area of housing, through our Home2Stay program which assists homeless people over 55 years to find safe, sustainable shelter? We also offer shared transitional housing for men at risk of homelessness. Last year, we were able to move 58 homeless seniors into safe, permanent accommodation through our Home2Stay and transitional housing programs.
Did you know that we support over 200 low-income and isolated seniors each month with group meals, opportunities to socialize and participate in meaningful activities including fitness classes? Last year we provided about 8,000 breakfasts and lunches to seniors in need.
Or that we reach out to those with mental health problems through a worker who provides support and links to services for adults living with mental illness on the street or in unstable housing?
Or that we help low-income individuals, families and seniors through Income Tax Clinics provided each year in March and April? We want to make sure that people don’t lose out on tax refunds or benefits because of literacy or numeracy problems.
There are lots of stories to tell about people who have benefited from St Matthew’s House care. This morning I’d like to tell you about Kathleen, a ‘regular’ at one of our seniors’ programs.
Last winter, the staff noticed that Kathleen began arriving early for programs and hanging around for an extended period when they were over. Kathleen is proud and said little about her circumstances, and the staff thought she was simply lonely. It took a while for her to disclose that in fact she was freezing. Without enough income to meet her needs, she’d fallen behind with her hydro and other bills and eventually the electricity was turned off. She came early and stayed late at our seniors’ programs because our space offered an opportunity to be warm. St Matthew’s House staff worked with Kathleen, her landlord and the people at Horizon Utilities on a plan to get her out of debt and get the power turned on again, but seniors like Kathleen are always at risk. The need continues to be great for her, and for all of our brothers and sisters in Hamilton who live in poverty.
We are all hearing lots in the news these days about a new prosperity and optimism in Hamilton, signaled by a booming real estate market and new economic and cultural development. For many of us, it’s an exciting time to be a Hamiltonian. Unfortunately, thebenefits of Hamilton’s economic revitalization are not equally shared. As real estate prices have risen, so have rents. This means that many of our fellow Hamiltonians struggle more than ever to secure the basics: safe and secure housing, enough food, and a job that will provide an income above the poverty line.
This Sunday, churches around the world celebrate the feast of Pentecost. We hear again St Luke’s account in the Book of Acts of the sending of the Holy Spirit to the first Christians gathered in Jerusalem after Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension. They were a group of followers much like us – wanting to be faithful, but frequently unsure of how to proceed. The Spirit’s arrival wasn’t a gentle experience – the New Revised Standard Version uses the term “a violent wind” and refers to divided tongues of fire which can both warm and destroy. The disciples were given the power to proclaim God’s deeds in the languages of every nation.
Peter – often portrayed as clueless in the Gospels - responds to accusations that the disciples are drunk by quoting the prophet Joel. He describes a radically inclusive future in which young and old, men and women, slaves and free all have a place. If we were to read just a bit further in the Book of Acts, we’d come to a description of the life of that earliest Christian community after their Pentecost experience: “All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.”
The Pentecost experience transformed that first Christian community into one that looked after each other, just as it continues to transform us. We are people with the same mission in the world as those first disciples who experienced the violent wind and tongues of flame – to put ourselves at the service of others, especially the most vulnerable among us, so that all can share in the abundant life God wants us to enjoy together. Thank you once again for making space this morning to hear about St Matthew’s House. Thank you for your past support, and Thank you for keeping St Matt’s in your thoughts and prayers in the months and years ahead. Our work is not done but my sincere hope is that we’ll continue to work together with Anglicans across our city not only to feed and shelter people, but also to create a world where the work done by St Matthew’s House is no longer needed. None of us can do everything, but we can each do something, and working together with others in the power of the Spirit, I believe that we can do a great deal. Alleluia, Amen.
