Advent parishioners feed homeless

Volunteers from Advent Episcopal Church, from left, Becky Wimsatt, Jan Nagy, John Crothall, Jane Meyer and Ray Busony, serve meals to the homeless in Cleveland.

Advent Episcopal Church in Westlake is in its fourth year of actively supporting the Metanoia Project which gathers and welcomes homeless, especially the shelter resistant (living under bridges, in alleyways and on park benches) and provides meals, relationships and overnight hospitality.

Advent prepares and serves nourishing meals to as many as 85 guests the first Sunday of every cold-weather month from mid-November through mid-April at the Hospitality Center in the old St. Malachi’s School at West 25th Street and Detroit. Advent volunteers lead a time of spiritual nourishment for guests who choose to join in prayer, Bible readings and devotions – a quiet time to reflect on the Good News of Jesus. We collect their prayer requests and carry out intercessory prayer on their behalf in the following 30 days. 

Advent volunteers aged 10 to 80 fulfill our mission to bring the love of Jesus Christ to our brothers and sisters in a spirit of respect and dignity – where they can share community and experience a sense of their own self worth. We are humbled by their gratitude; thankful for these opportunities to serve them; value them as individuals with their needs, interests and joys; and are blessed by their ministering to us. 

Advent also provides financial support through the generosity of individual parishioners plus Advent’s allocation to Metanoia from our corporate Outreach Ministry budget.