November 5, 2004
By Tamie Ross

ATLANTA - Cascade United Methodist Church hopes the homeless of Atlanta can feel its warmth - literally.

For 20 years, the Atlanta congregation has reached out to those on this city's streets, offering everything from food, clothing, and physical necessities to worship and job training. But two years ago, a new opportunity to help emerged when ministry leaders saw a need to help the homeless get through the cold winters.

More than two dozen homeless ministry participants gathered their sewing machines and notions and began meeting every Saturday to transform discarded comforters into warm sleeping bags for those who spend each night sleeping outdoors.

"These bags go to the guys living under the bridges, sleeping on the streets. These are the ones who don't want to go to shelters and have no escape from the cold," says Allene McCollum, outreach coordinator at Cascade. "We find these people and hand-deliver something that hopefully can keep them a lot warmer at night."

The bags begin as huge, colorful bed comforters - some are lined, some not. They're carefully cut and measured, designed to be both snug and lightweight for easy transport. One comforter, depending upon its size, can produce several sleeping bags.

The 15 or so volunteer seamstresses at Cascade, a predominantly African-American congregation, create hundreds and hundreds of sleeping bags each year. Sometimes they meet at church, other times at a home or local senior center. McCollum says the bags are distributed as quickly as they are finished.

The ladies who make them say they are blessed to have a small part in helping others get a better night's sleep, which is especially crucial to those fighting so many other personal battles.

"A lot of homeless people work - that's a misconception by a lot of people," says Mildred Gunn, Cascade's director of programs. "It's hard to carry on and go to that job if you can't get any rest because it's so cold."

Taking care of the many needs of the homeless is a key ministry among Cascade's 50 outreach programs, Gunn says. Each Thursday, volunteers gather at a downtown mission to feed and worship with 500 or more homeless men, women and children. On the first Thursday of each month, doctors and nurses from the congregation donate time and supplies to offer medical care, Gunn says.

Additionally, job fairs, training programs and other services are provided by Cascade at downtown missions, McCollum says.

Her work with the homeless is an example of how the need can sometimes overtake any reservations about working in a particular ministry, she says.

When Cascade began its once-a-month treks to the downtown mission, McCollum says she couldn't wait to "get away from" the hungry crowd that had gathered for a meal. She planned never to return.

"That night, I went to bed and couldn't sleep at all," she says. "I tossed and turned all night long, thinking about the people I had met and how great their needs were. God wouldn't let me forget."

She promised God that if he'd just let her sleep, she'd call the shelter the next morning and make plans to volunteer again. That was six years ago, and McCollum says she plans to continue on as long as possible.

"All of us have great stories about why this work is so important to us," she says. "Our goalis to just make it happen to God's glory and so these people might benefit."

Gunn says the national economic downturn has resulted in more homelessness nationwide. In the Atlanta area, the rate also has increased due to a change in government housing standards.

"Less people are qualifying to live in government housing, but more people need help," Gunn says. "With so many losing jobs, plus the continuing effects of the Sept. 11 attacks, this problem just keeps increasing."

She and McCollum hope that through Cascade's program and by the caring efforts of churches across the nation, the homeless can experience the love of those who work in Jesus' name.

"There's a lot of hope out there," Gunn says. "We have to have hope and to be a light."

United Methodist News Service
Tamie Ross is a freelance journalist based in Dallas.