I am sure this is blog title that I could repeat it again for years to come, but I just had to make mention of it today because of what I witnessed this afternoon.
It is a cold and 
icy day in the DC area (for those of you who do not live here). Schools were closed in all counties in the surrounding region. Tons of people didn't go into work. It is the kind of day that you stay in without much thought because you would rather risk falling on some slippery patch.
Forgetting my laptop at church and needed to get to some vital planning resources, I traveled to the church later on this morning. Arriving at the Plaza, I found the sidewalks to be icy and quite dangerous leading to the back steps of the church near the parking lot. After safely reaching the door, I didn't really expect anyone to be at the church today beside, Deb, the Office Administrator and myself.
However later on in the day, when making a trip down to the Plaza Room (our meeting room space on the bottom level), I heard voices and walked down the hallway. I followed the laughter coming from the far corner of the room. And, what did I find?
Four women with an assembly line going of ham and cheese sandwiches, applesauce, cookies and drinks.
They were preparing bag lunches, for the Hypothermia Project sponsored by Reston Interfaith which our church participates in each winter.
Homelessness abounds in Reston. Even though the community is relatively affluent, many of those who have come to this region to work are not. On cold nights like tonight will be these folks have no where to sleep.
But, this was until Reston Interfaith and the county partnered along with the support of several local faith communities and decided to do something about it. Between December and early March, each night there will be a huge crowd of folks at the local community center with a warm place to lay their heads, facilities to take a shower in and will receive a hot breakfast and a bag lunch for the next day.
The mission committee folks at Washington Plaza were serving a hot meal tonight and providing the bag lunches for tomorrow. Even though they had to fight the frozen precipitation to get into the church.
They will do this again at the end of February.
As I sleep in my warm bed tonight, I will be thankful that some truly needy folks in Reston had a place to sleep tonight and that my church folks did something to aid in this gift . . . even with the ice! I'm so proud of what we are about at WPBC.
