Clergy Express Support for Homeless Nonprofit
By • September 13, 2023 0 969
We, the clergy leaders of Georgetown congregations, support Georgetown Ministry Center (GMC) because it is the single most important resource for our neighbors experiencing homelessness in this community. GMC is a place for the unhoused to belong and be accepted. As the only service provider of its kind in Georgetown, GMC forms relationships with and supports a vulnerable population often ignored and misunderstood. GMC also attempts to connect individuals in need with stable housing options. Through the hospitality and services offered at the drop-in center, as well as their street outreach and winter-feeding programs, GMC seeks to respond to the needs of guests, with a particular emphasis on providing need-based resources.
The work done by GMC is not easy. A web of societal and structural barriers to effective service to individuals experiencing homelessness must be negotiated on a regular basis. Despite the barriers involved, GMC provides a safe space and creates opportunities for success for unhoused individuals.
In the past year alone, GMC served 1,042 guests with:
- 13,564 meals
- 2,556 loads of laundry
- 3,834 showers
- 240 psychiatry visits
- 1,438 street outreach interactions
- 170 vital documents
- 90 guests matched with housing vouchers.
With the increasing rates of homelessness in our city, these services are essential to meeting the basic needs of our unhoused neighbors. The services provided by GMC are also critical to honoring the human dignity of these neighbors while enabling them to transition out of homelessness.
Our congregations helped found the Georgetown Ministry Center in 1987 and we continue to support its vital work through our financial gifts, volunteer support, and organizational involvement.
We encourage all our Georgetown neighbors to join us in supporting the essential work of GMC by helping this important organization continue to meet the ongoing needs of those experiencing homelessness in our neighborhood and our community.
The Rev. Timothy Cole, Christ Church, Georgetown
The Rev. Rachel Cornwell, Dumbarton United Methodist Church
The Rev. Stefan Megyery, Epiphany Roman Catholic Church
The Rev. Robert K. Pines, First Baptist Church, Georgetown
The Rev. Brett Wilson, Georgetown Lutheran Church
The Rev. Camille Cook Howe, Georgetown Presbyterian Church
The Rev. David Wacaster, Grace Episcopal Church
The Rev. Kevin Gillespie, Holy Trinity Catholic Church
Rabbi Hyim Shafner, Kesher Israel Congregation
The Rev. Selena Johnson, Mt. Zion United Methodist Church
The Rev. Gini Gerbasi, St. John’s Episcopal Church
The Rev. Richard Wall, St. Paul’s Parish, K Street (Episcopal)
Msgr. Paul Dudziak, St. Stephen the Martyr Catholic Church
