Sebastopol UMC, After Communion,
Shares Bread With Hungry Neighbors

Sebastopol -- March 24, 2006

Sebastopol UMC experiences what practically every church in the district experiences -- the poor showing up at any hour, desperate for food or other life necessities. Knowing the phenomonen will recur, the church has a long-established response called the "Church Door Ministry" -- having necessities constantly ready from money collected at the communion rail. The Rev. Judith Stone asserts that "it is the way we respond with the welcome of Christ."

From the special collection, it prepares "Church Door Bags." They include food that can be cooked with boiled water, granola bars, cheese and crackers, somestimes cookies or candy. Sometimes there are coupons to Burger King called Burger bucks. The bags also include toiletries, toothpaste, and razors. For those who need them, Sebastopol keeps on hand diapers, sleeping bags, and rain ponchos.

The Rev. Stone says, "Most of the homeless who come to our door are chronically homeless, and we have known them for a long time. Some are elderly and are living at home, but cannot make it [for all necessities]."

Recently, however, Sebastopol UMC did have to ask a homeless man sleeping on its grounds to leave -- "but we still stay in relationship with him. We have had others since, and allow them to stay for a while," said Stone, "but when they start to leave messes, we ask them to move on. We do this in a caring way, saying we are a temporary and not a permanent solution."

Stone explains that the communion rail collection, with an invitation in the bulletin to contribute, follows "the early church tradition of taking leftover food from the communion meal into the community to those in need. [It] extends the communion table."

Sebastopol UMC keeps at hand referral pamphlets to county and local human services agencies. It is currently looking into acquiring bus tickets and laundry tokens.

Contending with the larger society is also necessary to advocate for those in need, the church feels. So it also has long had a Justice Ministry. Attorney Dee Schilling, wife of former Sebastopol pastor Don Schilling, charges a flat fee of $200 per family to go to court on their behalf when disputes arise. The church offers free use of its office machines for court paper work, and has a donation fund designated "Justice Ministry" that she draws on for other expenses.