Written by: Pastor Niels Nielsen, Associate of the Bishop for the Pocono Mission District

A small group of pastors and deacons in the Pocono Mission District looked at the issues raised for people who are living in their cars.   These people are challenged economically and for a variety of reasons live in their automobiles.  The PMD pastors pondered if congregations who have ample parking and other resources might be able to be helpful to this community of people.   They contacted the NEPS Director of New Ministries, Rev. Dr Jennifer Hope-Tringali, to help discern the needs, available resources, and possible collaborations between congregations and existing volunteer and government agencies.

On Saturday, January 31 a group of 47 from the Pocono Mission District, representing 13 congregations, gathered to engage in a process of relationship-building and value sharing.  The work we did together identified our top shared values associated with experiencing a sense of "home" as: safety, belonging, comfort, friendship/family, faith, and a space where loss can be received with care.

These shared values were developed through a process led by Pastor Jen, called “World Café”.  During the World Cafe experience we explored the question, “Can you tell me about a time in your life when you experienced the greatest sense of ‘home?’ "   All 47 participants had several opportunities to respond to the question and share their answers.  (One shared learning was that people may be more houseless than homeless given the experience people share about the meaning of home.)

After our gathering our steering group met again to plan the next steps towards some concrete actions.  We are reviewing resources that were introduced at our meeting from community leaders who are daily engaged with people who are homeless.   One of the steps will be to invite community leaders to help us to learn more about how we and the congregations we serve can engage more intentionally with those experiencing homelessness.   We are also planning a ZOOM meeting with the 47 people who attended the meeting with a follow-up gathering of those who continue to be motivated to be active in this ministry.  Another suggestion we are exploring is to have a person on the Pocono Mission District Council who represents this shared mission.