Found House Update

Ever since my arrival at Advent, folks have asked about the cots. What are they doing in the sanctuary? Who uses them? How long will they be there?

I’ve also had people tell me how meaningful it is to see those cots in our sanctuary each week: folks love to know that we’re not hiding the ways we love our neighbors; cots and food pantry shelves have become part of our liturgical decor.

Given these questions, comments, and feelings, I wanted to drop a note in this week’s newsletter to let you know that the cots are no longer with us. I wanted to let you know where they’ve gone, why they went there, and what lies ahead for the future of our sanctuary.

Wait—why were the cots there in the first place? For anyone who wondered but never asked about those cots, they were related to our partnership with Found House. For four weeks out of each year, for quite a number of years, Advent has worked with Found House to provide overnight shelter for families in need. We’ve been part of Found House’s network of host parishes which provide rotating housing for folks who are seeking more permanent solutions.

Only a few years ago, the Advent building had a lot of unused space. It was this abundance of space which made us a prime location for partnering with Found House for many years. With the redevelopment of our property, our new partnerships and staff expansion, and the needs of our growing congregation, that abundance of empty space is no longer a reality. For the last year we’ve been finding ways to continue fitting Found House families into spaces like our chapel and Living Room, but it’s been a very tricky balance.

Recently, our congregation’s key figures in overseeing and running this partnership—Judy and Esly Caldwell—retired from their role as Found House coordinators (after decades of faithful service). They are taking a well-earned rest after many (many) years of serving as overnight hosts and coordinators. At about the same time, we learned that a large number of the current volunteers who assist with Found House hosting at Advent would be shifting their work to focus on a new location in 2024. Given these realities, we decided that it was no longer practical for us to continue as a Found House host congregation.

So are we done partnering with Found House? Not at all! In fact, we’ve found a new way to continue supporting Found House’s crucial work in this city. We’ve entered into a new partnership between Found House and Advent’s Open Door food pantry which will allow us to distribute pet food and supplies to those in need. Found House receives lots of donations of pet food, but has searched for a proper ‘storefront’ distribution point, and we’re now happy to provide one. The Open Door now has a Doggie Door. We’re looking forward to developing this new form of partnership in the years ahead.

Also: if you’re interested in serving Found House families directly, please let us know. While Advent will no longer be a Found House host location, we’re shifting to become a Support Congregation. We’ll be partnering with the Cathedral downtown to assist with their hosting of Found House families in the future. In the year ahead, we’ll be assisting with 5 specific dates: February 7, March 13, May 29, August 7, and October 9. We need folks to help with food prep, kid entertaining, and lots of other hosting activities.

Great news! But let’s get back to the cots: where did they go? The cots have been donated to New Life Furniture. If you’re unfamiliar with New Life: since 2006, New Life Furniture Bank has been helping those with limited resources find quality furniture for their homes. Our cots are now part of this wonderful network and are making their way to new places where they’ll see far more use than they did in our sanctuary.

So what are we going to do with all that new space in the sanctuary? Removing the cots is part of current plans to expand Open Door’s presence in the sanctuary and make our commitment to Food Justice work more visible and permanent. You’ll soon see new shelves, cabinets, and storage items appearing in the sanctuary space. This will give the Open Door a little more room to maneuver and stay organized. We’re not retreating from making our sanctuary a space for serving others—we’re just getting more organized about how we carry out our primary work of this kind: the Open Door food pantry.

Also: expect a few more pews to leave our sanctuary soon. Part of making our sanctuary more adaptable for Open Door (and liturgical) use will involve freeing up some more floor space. Don’t worry: we’ll still have plenty of pews (but if you like sitting on the back row, you may now find the back row is a few feet closer to the front).

Churches, like every living thing, change over time. Sanctuary changes are an inevitable part of that journey. Hopefully, this update keeps you a little more in the loop as we all travel that road together.

See you on Sunday,

Dan