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[Dalek]

Christian homeless shelter forced to move after Christians from nearby church complain

A Christian homeless shelter in California was forced to relocate after Christian neighbours across the street made complaints.

The Merced County Rescue Mission stopped serving meals for more than a week this month, leaving hundreds of homeless people to look elsewhere.

Executive director Bruce Metcalf said the temporary closure was an attempt to be a "good neighbour" after receiving complaints from members of the Central Presbyterian Church, which is opposite the shelter.

"I don’t think complaints are different than they’ve ever been," he told The Independent. "I think people simply got tired to having it close by them and were anxious for us to find a new location."

"It’s true that anywhere, in any city, people aren’t interested in having homeless services next to them."

For 10 days, hundreds of homeless people were left to look elsewhere for a meal. The service had provided meals three times a day since 1998.

The original Canal Street location continued to provide shelter, showers and treatment programs as usual, although the meal service had stopped.

The new service will start Monday evening at Calvary Temple in Merced.

http://www.mercedsunstar.com/news/article105995047.html

The Merced County Rescue Mission continues to be bumped around in its search for a new location to serve hot meals to the homeless.

The mission announced last month it was seeking a new location to serve the meals in order to be a “good neighbor” to Central Presbyterian Church on Canal Street. The organization hasn’t served hot meals from its Canal Street building since Friday.

The Rescue Mission serves hot meals to the homeless in the morning, when it also hands out sack lunches, and in the evenings. It serves anywhere from 75 to 120 people a day.

Bruce Metcalf, the mission’s CEO, said the mission considered serving the meals from the parking lot of St. Vincent de Paul on Main Street starting Wednesday, but nearby businesses expressed their concerns about attracting more homeless people.

“We’re very anxious to feed people,” Metcalf said, “but the fact that we were planning to relocate these services on Main Street has some people concerned. We want to be good neighbors to the business community so we’re holding back.”

Metcalf noted the Rescue Mission is only two blocks away from Bob Hart Square, the heart of downtown, whereas St. Vincent is four blocks away.

Robert Matsu, owner of Five-Ten Bistro, said the issue is a “tough one.”

“If they do it in downtown, well, I’ve had a constant problem with homeless and vagrancy,” he said.

Matsu, who is the president of the Main Street Association, said the board has not received complaints or formally discussed the issue.

Valerie Dugan, who owns Central Valley Pawn on the same block as St. Vincent, said she hasn’t had a problem with the homeless.

“We see them. They hang out and sometimes go through the trash,” she said. “But we’ve never had a problem.”

Dugan said she’s not opposed to meals being served at St. Vincent as long as there’s no mess.

Read more here: http://www.mercedsunstar.com/news/article105995047.html#storylink=cpy

EDIT
Statement from the church:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friend...-says-theres-more-to-the-story/#disqus_thread

The current program not a typical Rescue Mission setting where folks can sit down, get a hot meal, and interact with caring volunteers. It’s a window that they pass food out of and folks congregate in the alleyways and on the street — at times publicly urinating, defecating, or even fully undressing on the sidewalks. We have had numerous instances of having to clean up human feces around our property on a regular basis. In addition, food and trash gets strewn about the streets of downtown Merced as recipients of the food wantonly discard the stuff they don’t wish to eat.

 

[Enter the Dragon Punch]

love thy neighbour only counts if they have a house I guess

 

[norm9]

Depends what the complaints were. If they were complaining about the presence of homeless people? Tough. If they were shitting on the street or shooting up and dumping needles? That's valid.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

Come on people
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
And love one another, unless they're homeless because ew, right now

 

[Count Dookkake]

Ah, that famed Christian love for fellow man.

 

[Hale-XF11]

It's what Jeebus would do.

 

[shintoki]

One helps the community, one hurts the community.

 

[Netherscourge]

Christian privilege.

 

[ShyMel]

I'm not surprised. People are fine with shelters and such as long as it's out of sight. I know a few years ago, my town voted against allowing a mental health center to be built, fearing it would drive down property value.

 

[Slightly Live]

I'd rather be surrounded by homeless folks than those hypocrites.

 

[CrazyDude]

I get the feeling people only go to church for two reason, to socialize and to get a "Get into heave" pass.

 

[Gordon Shumway]

Jesus wept..

 

[Lightning_Roller]

I'm overwhelmed by the irony. Talk about hypocrisy.

 

[DontBeThatGuy]

It's what Christ would do.

 

[FelixOrion]

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. ... Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'

Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me. ... Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

He literally spells it out, It's not that fucking hard, people, ffs.

 

[guek]

Yay, another Christian hate thread. Yipeeeee

Let's all ignore the social good Christians do regularly for the homeless and judge them all by this instance of hypocrisy

 

[FStop7]

Yay, another Christian hate thread. Yipeeeee

Let's all ignore the social good Christians do regularly for the homeless and judge them all by this instance of hypocrisy

hard times but you'll make it somehow

 

[John Kowalski]

love thy neighbour only counts if they have a house I guess

“I require of a visitor that he be not actually starving, though he may have the very best appetite in the world, however he got it."

 

[JordanN]

Jesus wept..

Literally.

Points for those who remember the story.

 

[Oldest Snake]

Statement from the church can be found here.

The current program not a typical Rescue Mission setting where folks can sit down, get a hot meal, and interact with caring volunteers. It’s a window that they pass food out of and folks congregate in the alleyways and on the street — at times publicly urinating, defecating, or even fully undressing on the sidewalks. We have had numerous instances of having to clean up human feces around our property on a regular basis. In addition, food and trash gets strewn about the streets of downtown Merced as recipients of the food wantonly discard the stuff they don’t wish to eat.

Sounds like there's more to it than reported.

 

[Brawndo Addict]

If we're gonna follow Reddit we at least should include the top comment which inevitably brings more information to the table:

This isn't telling the whole story. Friendly Atheist followed up with this. I'd complain too if people were shitting on my sidewalk.

TL;DR of the link she posted: Food was served on the street instead of inside where they could sit down. This caused the patrons to urinate, deficate, throw leftover food and trash on the ground, and even occasionally undress outside. The church is working with the shelter to help them move to a bigger/better location.

 

[Count Dookkake]

Yay, another Christian hate thread. Yipeeeee

Let's all ignore the social good Christians do regularly for the homeless and judge them all by this instance of hypocrisy

John Wayne Gacy did a lot for local charities.

 

[Wereroku]

John Wayne Gacy did a lot for local charities.

Are you really comparing a church wanting to stop people from shitting and getting naked on their property to John Wayne Gacy?

LOL. This can still be a thread and people can still be doing other good things.

All can exist.

It seems like in this case it is the selective article that is making the church out to be a villain. They seem to be working with the mission to relocate to a facility with indoor seating and restrooms. Not seeing a lot of the outrage here.

 

[PopeReal]

Yay, another Christian hate thread. Yipeeeee

Let's all ignore the social good Christians do regularly for the homeless and judge them all by this instance of hypocrisy

LOL. This can still be a thread and people can still be doing other good things.

All can exist.

 

[Dalek]

Literally.

Points for those who remember the story.

I remember this story. Good times.

 

[norm9]

Statement from the church can be found here.



Sounds like there's more to it than reported.

That's a big problem.

 

[cdyhybrid]

#NotAllChristians in effect in this thread

 

[Familienoberhauptvogel]

Weird homeless people, I've worked with a volunteer org that hands out food from a truck throughout the city and the homeless were always mostly civil and well mannered.

 

[Dalek]

Statement from the church can be found here.

The current program not a typical Rescue Mission setting where folks can sit down, get a hot meal, and interact with caring volunteers. It’s a window that they pass food out of and folks congregate in the alleyways and on the street — at times publicly urinating, defecating, or even fully undressing on the sidewalks. We have had numerous instances of having to clean up human feces around our property on a regular basis. In addition, food and trash gets strewn about the streets of downtown Merced as recipients of the food wantonly discard the stuff they don’t wish to eat.

Sounds like there's more to it than reported.

 

[ChrisD]

Without other information: that's pathetic

With other information: I'd ask them to move as well if people were getting naked and making use of the street as a public restroom

 

[Chococat]

If the problem is that poor were making a mess, why didn't the community rally together to make better facilities to serve them? Instead, they complained until the moved. That just heartless.

 

[The_blonde_and_blue]

Come on people
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
And love one another, unless they're homeless because ew, right now

Dead. Lol.

 

[ClosingADoor]

Statement from the church can be found here.



Sounds like there's more to it than reported.

They are right for complaining for that and work together for a better solution.

 

[StayDead]

If we're gonna follow Reddit we at least should include the top comment which inevitably brings more information to the table:

Well that changes everything. :/

 

[Nickle]

I wouldn't want to live around homeless people either.

 

[Wereroku]

If the problem is that poor were making a mess, why didn't the community rally together to make better facilities to serve them? Instead, they complained until the moved. That just heartless.

They need seating and restrooms to accommodate over 100 people during meal times it might not be that easy to do in that area. They are trying to find them a place to eat at though it's in the followup information.

I wouldn't want to live around homeless people either.

It doesn't seem to be the homeless staying there they mind since the shelter isn't moving it's the lack of facilities for the food handout and the mess that causes. Also handling human feces is actually pretty dangerous so expecting them to clean it up everyday is not that reasonable.

"Love thy neighbor, unless thy neighbor stinks, has a mental illness, and has no home, then kick them out of thy area and let them be somebody else's neighbor"

So you wouldn't have a problem with someone getting naked and shitting on your sidewalk/front yard and littering? It's not about loving or hating them it is a sanitary concern and they are trying to get it moved to somewhere that can handle it.

 

[Makonero]

"Love thy neighbor, unless thy neighbor stinks, has a mental illness, and has no home, then kick them out of thy area and let them be somebody else's neighbor"

 

[Count Dookkake]

Are you really comparing a church wanting to stop people from shitting and getting naked on their property to John Wayne Gacy?

The post to which I was responding was talking about christianity in general.

In retrospect, that's probably not fair to Gacy.

My apologies.

 

[cooljeanius]

Reminder that Jesus was homeless for much of his ministries, whether it was hanging out alone in the wilderness, or couchsurfing with his disciples. His family in his hometown rejected him and wouldn't let him stay there any more. He meant "As you have done to the least of these, so you have also done to me" quite literally, as he was one of the least of these himself, despite also being the greatest. By rejecting the homeless, these so-called "Christians" are rejecting Jesus, and thus their religion.

 

[Wereroku]

The post to which I was responding was talking about christianity in general.

In retrospect, that's probably not fair to Gacy.

My apologies.

Are you always this antagonistic to people?

Reminder that Jesus was homeless for much of his ministries, whether it was hanging out alone in the wilderness, or couchsurfing with his disciples. His family in his hometown rejected him and wouldn't let him stay there any more. He meant "As you have done to the least of these, so you have also done to me" quite literally, as he was one of the least of these himself, despite also being the greatest. By rejecting the homeless, these so-called "Christians" are rejecting Jesus, and thus their religion.

Didn't bother to read the additional information I am guessing.

 

[ScatheZombie]

If the problem is that poor were making a mess, why didn't the community rally together to make better facilities to serve them? Instead, they complained until the moved. That just heartless.

That's actually exactly what they did...

The original article makes it sound like the mission closed down because of complaints from the church because 'ew homeless people'.

What actually happened is the mission has stayed open (they still provide showers, shelter, clothing, employment assistance, minor medical services, etc.), but stopped serving meals for a week. The reason being that the original mission location did not have indoor meal service or seating, forcing the homeless patrons to be served and eat outdoors. Meal service has been moved to a better facility with indoor food service and better accommodations.

This is literally nothing.

 

[guek]

Do you not want this story to be talked about at all? I mean it's right in the title, the group that ran the shelter was Christian as well.

That's not it at all, it's just that threads like this on gaf invariably descend into a braindead religion hate thread. Whatever. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[ClosingADoor]

Reminder that Jesus was homeless for much of his ministries, whether it was hanging out alone in the wilderness, or couchsurfing with his disciples. His family in his hometown rejected him and wouldn't let him stay there any more. He meant "As you have done to the least of these, so you have also done to me" quite literally, as he was one of the least of these himself, despite also being the greatest. By rejecting the homeless, these so-called "Christians" are rejecting Jesus, and thus their religion.

Did Jesus pee and undress in the middle of the street though?

 

[Count Dookkake]

Are you always this antagonistic to people?

I see antagonism is getting redefined like persecution.

Did Jesus pee and undress in the middle of the street though?

He hung out with a naked teenage boy.

 

[Wereroku]

I see antagonism is getting redefined like persecution.

Huh no you just seem determined to insult people which seems antagonistic. Just seeing why you are so upset about religion. Were you abused?

 

[Count Dookkake]

Huh no you just seem determined to insult people which seems antagonistic. Just seeing why you are so upset about religion. Were you abused?

I don't recall insulting anyone, beyond pointing out how these actions seem contrary to Jesus's mission.

 

[Cocaloch]

I don't recall insulting anyone, beyond pointing out how these actions seem contrary to Jesus's mission.

Where does insinuating people are similar to serial killers fall on the spectrum of insulting people?

 

[cooljeanius]

Did Jesus pee and undress in the middle of the street though?

Well, he did drink a lot of wine, so it wouldn't surprise me if he had...

 

[Count Dookkake]

Where does insinuating people are similar to serial killers fall on the spectrum of insulting people?

That did not happen.

A comparison was made between how we view a man and an institution, each having done bad and good. It's easy to handwave the villainy of the institution, but it is harder to do so for the man. If that triggers cognitive dissonance, then good.

 

[BruinsMtB]

Where does insinuating people are similar to serial killers fall on the spectrum of insulting people?

I think his point was the good done by Christianity doesn't make it beyond reproach