At this Inn there’s plenty of room on Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve is a special time for volunteers at St. Stephen Presbyterian Church who will provide a hot meal and a quiet place to spend the night for men who are homeless.
The church, near Texas Christian University, along with several Fort Worth churches participates in a nationwide program called Room in the Inn, symbolizing the story of Mary and Joseph who were given shelter in a stable the night Jesus was born.
“One thing we hear the most from our guests is how much they appreciate having a quiet, undisturbed sleep,” said the Rev. Fritz Ritsch, the church pastor.
Ritsch said life on the streets is chaotic and stressful.
“If you are on the street or in a shelter, people are acting up, and it is often noisy,” he said.
St. Stephen, which started its Room in the Inn program 12 years ago, provides shelter and a hearty meal for homeless men on Tuesday nights during the summer and winter months, Ritsch said. The church opens its fellowship hall where men and volunteers sit down together for a hot meal, watch movies and play games.
Usually, bedtime comes early, often by 8 p.m. Several Inn keepers also spend the night at the church. In the morning, the men are given sack lunches.
Men who go to the Room in the Inn program are prescreened by DRC Solutions, an organization that provides housing and other services to the homeless.
Bruce Frankel, executive director of DRC Solutions, said over the years data was collected from homeless men and volunteers who took part in the program.
He said after people spend the night in churches, they feel like someone understands them and treats them like human beings. They are more likely to follow up with their case workers and double their efforts to get their lives on track and get into housing, Frankel said.
The volunteers also become more empathetic, learning to see the homeless as more than a “faceless label,” he said.
Usually, 10 to 15 men spend the night, and Ritsch said he never knows who will come to the church from one week to the next.
St. Stephen has a van, and volunteers pick up and drop off their guests at the DRC Solutions.
When asked why St. Stephen participates in the Room in the Inn program, Ritsch said, “This is a ministry of hospitality. A lot of this is learning how we can walk a mile in their shoes, getting to know people at a human level.”
He described homelessness as a situation that is difficult for someone to escape.
“Room in the Inn gives people a sense that even though they are homeless, someone still cares,” Ritsch said.
This story was originally published December 24, 2019 at 5:30 AM.