Dear Caldwell,
I suspect I am not the only one among us feeling a bit of afterglow from last weekend. So many helped prepare Belk Hall for worship, where a new perspective enlightened our approach to God and each other. Then, about two dozen folks kept going to Blue Branch Presbyterian Church in Sharon, SC, where we stepped back in time and worshiped (again) in a place that gives special meaning to the word “sanctuary.” Thanks to the Fellowship, Worship and Buildings and Grounds committees for their commitment and dedication to the life and ministry of Caldwell.
Life continues to be full here:
- Tuesday Yoga – If you’ve never experienced our yoga class, or if you’ve been away, come and be renewed through gentle stretching and exercise in the Fellowship Hall tonight at 6:30. Wear an extra layer or two you can peel off as you get warmed up.
- Wednesday Prayer and Taize – Wednesday at 6 in the Prayer Room, Anne Hunter Eidson, Peg Robarchek and Jamie Hofmeister Cline will lead a special – and peaceful – Taize worship service. This soothing and contemplative worship experience draws us nearer to our Creator unlike any other. You can get a feel for the music here http://youtu.be/t4Svh-9ohg4
We’re making progress on addressing our loss of heat in the main building but could still use two types of items if you happen to have any spares:
- Space heaters: Our offices and some meeting rooms could use some supplemental heat sources. Specifically, we’re hoping someone might have the kind of space heater that is electric but looks and works like a radiator. These are safe and reliable. If you have one we could borrow for a couple of weeks, please call or email Leslie at admin@caldwellpresby.org
- Pac-N-Plays: Any parents who have these from their baby days could put them to use again in our nursery, temporarily located to the Price Building. Again, call or email Leslie.
I know many have answered the call to service at Caldwell in the last week and thank God for it. If anyone has some time and energy left this week, the Presbytery of Charlotte is clearing out of its offices off Albermarle Road for the last 25 years. All hands are encouraged and welcomed to spend an hour or two any time this week, of able, mostly moving trash and other items out. If you can help, call Tamara Williams on the staff on her cell 704-299-4831.
Finally, last night I spoke briefly to the City Council about our city’s ongoing need to find better solutions to homelessness. My central point was this: While we all hope and pray for a day when emergency homeless shelters are no longer needed, we aren’t there yet. As shelter beds are disappearing, including Caldwell House’s closing next month, we risk putting women and families on the streets. I’ve pasted my remarks below.
I’ll be back in touch soon.
In Christ,
John
Remarks to City Council, Oct. 28, 2013
Madame Mayor and members of Council,
Thank you for your time. I am Rev. John Cleghorn and I’m here with several members of our church community to thank the Salvation Army and a range of partners for their role in Caldwell House, a women’s transitional homeless shelter, located at Caldwell Presbyterian Church in the Elizabeth neighborhood. Caldwell House is staffed and funded through the Salvation Army with financial support from churches, the United Way and Mecklenburg County, among others.
Since September 2010, Caldwell House has provided 50 beds a night for women facing homelessness. That means, conservatively, it has kept a woman off the street 50,000 times.
But it is more than shelter. A network of partner churches, restaurants, businesses and individuals has provided thousands of meals and hundreds of hours of education for job readiness, health and wellness and spiritual development to help residents get back on their feet. Many have moved on to rental housing and employment.
Caldwell House has been an innovative and highly cost- effective link in our city’s chain of answers to homelessness. However, it will close next month due to a lack of funding.
Homelessness is a complex and profound challenge, one of our city’s greatest, one some would like to forget. We support efforts to find new answers and hope for a day when emergency shelters are no longer needed. But right now, we can’t pretend they don’t play an important role as a link in the chain of solutions. That kind of pretending carries a high social price tag and an even greater human toll.
Caldwell House opened three years ago as what we thought was a three-month emergency measure. Now, yet another winter rolls in and homeless women face fewer options for safe, secure emergency housing. We urge our entire community – including city government – to intensify its efforts to do better by all of our neighbors.