With the return of normal Texas winter weather, Oak Lawn United Methodist Church (OLUMC) will be returning to normal soon, too. For the past week, however, it’s been anything but business as usual at the church — and many lives were changed for the better because of it.
OLUMC has long served the homeless population of Dallas by providing food and clothing. Some of the regular attendees at the church are themselves homeless. One such member, who goes by the name “Billie Jean,” approached OLUMC’s senior pastor, Rev. Rachel Baughman, after Sunday morning services on New Year’s Eve with a special request.
Given the unusually frigid conditions in Dallas, she wanted to know if the church would be willing to open its doors temporarily to shelter her and her friends, some of whom sleep outside near the church.
“Two people in Dallas have already died [due to the weather conditions] … If there is one characteristic that people of this church take seriously, and wear as a badge of honor, it’s hospitality,” Rev. Ben A. David Hensley told LifeZette in an interview Wednesday. “We pulled out all the stops! It’s been incredible to bear witness to this. It has been remarkable.”
The members and leadership of OLUMC did indeed open their doors on New Year’s Eve. The first night, they housed about 30 people. By Tuesday night, the number had risen to about 50. On Wednesday night, Rev. Hensley wasn’t sure how many to expect — but he has enough capacity for up to 70 or possibly 80 people.
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The act of generosity was something of an act of faith. Members of the church, local businesses, and local charities stepped up to provide food — word has it that this morning’s frittatas were particularly tasty. They also provided staffing and other goods and services to make their guests’ stays as comfortable as possible.
“I’ve had some fascinating conversations — about Scripture and the Bible and about what their lives have been like in general,” Rev. Hensley said. “You see in these folks’ determination and grit — a lot of God working in them.”
They even had Netflix movies running in the foyer, complete with hot chocolate and snacks, for residents who had trouble sleeping.
“I’ve had some fascinating conversations — about Scripture and the Bible and about what their lives have been like in general,” Rev. Hensley said. “You see in these folks’ determination and grit — a lot of God working in them.”
Because the congregation is already in the habit of serving the homeless, members of the church community knew many of this week’s overnight guests by name. Some, however, were new. OLUMC also reached out to local emergency shelters to take in some of their population, freeing up those shelters to accept more overflow.
The first night, many guests slept on pew cushions or in the foyer. Later, donations began, which helped with the bedding situation. Doug Nickols, who heads a nonprofit called Bed Start Ministries, donated 100 thick wool blankets, which guests made use of quite readily.
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Bed Start offers services to homeless folks who are starting the process of getting off the streets and into a home to call their own. Austin Street Center, a Dallas-area homeless shelter, donated about 50 cots, which allowed OLUMC to provide temporary sleeping quarters in its Fellowship Hall.
In addition to Bed Start and the Austin Street Center, some local businesses are also helping. One, R Taco, will be providing breakfast on Thursday morning. Rev. Hensley has been “blowing up the phones” reaching out to other businesses, too, as they could still use some help. Their guests’ last stay will be overnight from Thursday until Friday morning.
“Our goal as we close up shop on Friday is to send as many people off with coats as possible.”
Visitors will also take the donated blankets along with them. The reverend hopes he may be able to procure some of their most-needed items, which are socks and underwear.
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“We want to give them as much as we can,” he said.
For other churches that might consider offering their facilities as temporary shelters in times of unusually urgent need, Rev. Hensley suggests a model called “Room at the Inn.” He suggests churches go to local shelters and offer time-limited shelter to a specific number of residents for a specific demographic (e.g., 10 beds for one night for single women with children). The goal is to free up the shelter to accept more difficult cases that a church would not be able to accommodate (e.g., people with pressing medical or psychological health concerns).
For those who would like to help OLUMC with its outreach, the most urgent needs right now are coats, socks, and underwear. Contact the church via its Facebook page or website, OLUMC.org.
Michele Blood is a freelance writer based in Flemington, New Jersey.
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