One of the guests in the ACCESS program (Ashland
County Churches Emergency Shelter Services) recently asked me, “Do you ever get
to go home?” Most Salvation Army
officers have long days during the month of December, as do the elves who work
at the North Pole – it’s just the nature of the beast. Yet as I thought about her question, I
realized that in a very real sense, when I am at the Salvation Army Ray and
Now yes, I do have a house that I live in with my
husband and son, with a bed that’s got my name on it and a wrap-around desk
that is the hub of my writing projects. There is at least some food in the refrigerator and a friendly family of
dust bunnies lives in peace under the bed. But if home is truly where the heart is, the
One unknown writer has said that home is the place
where it feels right to walk around without shoes. I wouldn’t recommend it literally today as
I’ve dropped and shattered two dishes over the weekend, but there is the sense
of belonging here where we can curl up on the couch with our feet tucked
underneath us, chatting with a friend, reading a book or knitting a scarf. Too bad there’s no fireplace.
The center is gradually becoming an open home within
our community where people are gathering to mark their lives in significant
ways. Community leaders join together
for prayer monthly and the
We’re definitely becoming adept at the quick change. Thursday, we hosted the D-R Services Christmas
party, as more than two hundred people descended on the center to enjoy a
delicious Swiss steak dinner, laughter and a visit from the Santa Man himself. The next night, kids of all ages filled the
center, roller skating and playing laser tag far into the night. By Saturday, the center was transformed as we
danced under a snowflake-filled sky to the sweet sounds of the Kroc Center Big
Band under the leadership of Neil Ebert. Those Christmas arrangements were
rich enough to melt the heart of Scrooge himself.
Only hours later, our congregation gathered for
worship and celebration as we faithfully lit the advent candles, shared a meal
and offered our gifts to the Holy child of Bethlehem. Change the scene once again, and the center
opened its doors to Hospice of North Central Ohio with a poignant time of
remembering for those who’ve lost a child to death.
Even with all the hustle and bustle of activity,
there is still time and space for the heart of the Salvation Army’s mission as
summed up in an old slogan – ‘Heart to God and hand to man’ (and woman
too!). I’m writing at the end of a day
that saw the Fun Zone changed into Santa’s workshop, ready to share the
overwhelming generosity of the
I’m not sure that Joan Kroc had envisioned what her
gift would look like in a small community, but we’re seeing it every day – hope
in action. It was Pope John Paul II who
said: “A community needs a soul if it is
to become a true home for human beings. You, the people must give it this soul.” Substitute “building” for ‘community”, and his words ring true for