On The Floors of Sanctuaries

On the floors of sanctuaries the drama of life is played out.  People tread on these planks below bringing their hopes, joys, and tears.  Others prefer to kneel and pray hoping for miracles.  At times, there are no priests, only believers and sinners.  However, there is also an under-class that enters these hallow walls to rest.

The Highways and Byways

This under-class comes from the highways and byways of life.  Many refer to them as the lost and forgotten ones.  Those that have been cast out by the challenges of life.  They remain resilient and can be found in every town.  Some people make fun of them, while others hate them, calling them lazy.  Nevertheless, these individuals are riveted with a multitude of problems.  Some are consumed with disease, others are drug addicts, and many are physically and mentally handicapped.

Some have served their country in wars like Iraq and Afghanistan.  They were our warriors that volunteered for the service in the United States army, when something went desperately wrong.  They returned home and were unable to fit in.  Many lacked skills and found themselves drifting from place to place.  They joined ranks with felons and sex offenders, those ostracized from society, and sleep in parks or under bridges at night.

These are the persons that eventually come to enjoy nights sleeping on the floors of sanctuaries because churches through their benevolence have opened their doors to them.  Let us not get too carried away with this, for this only happens during the winter months when it is dreadfully cold outside.  These individuals are bused in from parks and beaches to these churches where they get hot dinners and breakfasts served by volunteers of the respective congregations.  Through these acts these volunteers endeavor to show their love and mercy.

Nights to Remember

Once these unique campers are through with their meals which they are glad to have, they explore options concerning where they will spread out their sleeping bags to spend the night.  Women will sleep in different sections of the church than men, and there are members of the congregation that volunteer for the night shifts to ensure that everything goes well.  From all experiences many can see these individuals are not monsters that they are made out to be by many in society.

Once they are through with their meals they wash up and huddle together in the sanctuaries with blankets thrown over themselves.  They are grateful that members of the churches have taken the time and effort to prepare  meals.  Some will thank those that have come to serve them.  They tell jokes, sing, and some even dance.  Any observer may conclude that they are happy in their deplorable state.  It seems obvious that they have come to accept their devastating condition and are prepared to live such a life.  But some social workers do not give up in trying to encourage them to find themselves jobs and help themselves out of these depressing circumstances.

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In rather dramatic ways, some social organizations have attempted to resuscitate these individuals.  They have even tried moving some that roam our streets into apartments, but the lure of parks and bridges attract them more.  This under-class know that they cannot be in the open during the dead of winter and that is when churches and civic organizations join hands to rescue them from the bitter cold.  Depending on how a person looks at it, it can be a sobering thought that these same individuals that fill the ranks of the poor find comfort huddled in sanctuaries during the winter months, where parishioners gather most Sundays to offer up prayers and thanks.

Image by Ingrid Truemper via Flickr

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