Gentlemen of the Evening — It sounds like it could be the title of either a book or a play, right? However, it is not. Rather, this is how I refer to the men who use our Men’s Shelter. You may be thinking how silly that phrase is — to use such a description for those who live on the streets. Actually I first used it in jest when talking about the men. Yet, through my encounters with some of them, I have come to realize that they are gentlemen. They always smile when coming in off the streets; they greet us, and even wish us to have a good evening. Their morning responses are usually a “thank you for providing the breakfast.” And their last statement as they go out the door into the cold:”Thanks. You have a good day.” We get to go to our warm homes and beds, while they go out on the streets for the day.

Our turn of hosting the shelter has ended for this year. This winter has had some nasty cold and snowy weather. What a great opportunity for us to show our love of God by following the example of Jesus, who taught us to love our brothers and sisters, to care for our neighbors.

To all those who volunteered for a night to watch over our Gentlemen of the Evening: Thank You very much! Especially, we thank Jim Hance, our Shelter Boss; without him we would not be able to provide this much needed service. He does the leg work, gets the food, sets up the volunteers and, most importantly, brings his train movies.

This is what happened at the Men’s Shelter. We cared about fifteen homeless men, heard some of their stories, encountered some of their pain and brokenness, and provided them with shelter for a week. There were many very cold and windy days where the temperature was low and the strong winds made it frigid outdoors. The men came in at 7:00 p.m. and left at 7:00 a.m. We did provide them with coffee, juice, fresh fruit, muffins, etc. so that when they left, it was not on an empty stomach. Some we have “known” for years and feel like we are even “catching up” with them; others are new faces with histories that would make you scratch your head.

None of this would have been possible without the volunteers who stayed the night. There were both men and women who kept watch, talked, read, watched DVDs, puzzeled, etc. And for the first time in several years, our volunteers from First Reformed Church covered each night. Highland Park Reformed Church sent two helpers for which we are very grateful.

Jim Hance was the “guy” in charge – our Shelter Boss. So he gets a special pat on the back. To all of the others, a THANK YOU does not seem to be enough. So here it is in multiples: Thank you! Thank you!! And Thank you!!!!