The Longest Night

Submitted by MarkBarker on 2009-Dec-22, 17ยท08

Yesterday was the longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere and one of the coldest so far this year in mid-New Hampshire. With the wind and its direction coming from the northwest, the temperature felt even colder. It was a time of remembrance of the homeless people who have died in years past.

Candlelight Vigils in New Hampshire
on Monday, December 21, 2009
Location Time Notes Contact Flyer
Names of the homeless persons who died in New Hampshire during 2009
Proclamation declaring December 21, 2009 Homeless Memorial Day from Governor John Lynch
— information taken from AFSC-NH
Concord: State House Plaza, corner Main Street & Capitol Street 4 pm - 4·30 pm Bring a non-perishable food item to share with a local food pantry. Maggie Fogarty, 224-2407 or mfogarty@afsc.org Concord
Lebabon: First Congregational Church, Lebanon (across from the Green). 5·15 pm - 5·45 pm Bring a non-perishable food item. Jeremy, 443-6150 or tccapjerem@gmail.com Lebanon
Manchester: Veterans Park, Elm Street between Merrimack Street and Central Street. 6 pm Bring a candle. Cindy Carlson, nhunderthebridge@gmail.com Manchester

From the vigil, I went to my first night as a volunteer with the cold weather shelter in Concord at the First Congregational Church. What a privilege to be there. It’s hard for us to realise just how close all of us are to being without a home.

In the United States, many people have little sympathy for the homeless and believe that if you are homeless and without work, it’s your own fault. Mark Rank, Professor of Social Welfare at Washington University in St. Louis, MO, pointed out on WBUR’s Here and Now that nearly 60% of all Americans between the ages of 20 and 75 will experience a year below the poverty line; around 75% will experience a year of poverty or near poverty because of illness or job loss. How can this happen? In the US, many of the government safety nets have been taken away during the last thirty years. There are charity food pantries, but they can hardly make up for the malnutrition that is taking place because of this lack of support. Says Mark Rank, “Poverty is an issue that affects us all.” It does indeed. No matter how well off we may believe we are, all it takes is a catastrophic illness or just a job loss to plunge a person and their family into poverty.

In the United States, many of the homeless are former soldiers. According to Stand Down, about one third of “homeless adults ... in this country are veterans, yet veterans represent only 11% of the civilian population.” In the United Kingdom, the proportions are are much lower, at 6%, but the problem is the same. Lorcan Otway has a remembrance of his friend, Bobby, a homeless Vietnam vet, on the Christian Conscientious Objectors Facebook page.

Here's a reminder of James 2:14-17, lest we forget.