The Path Home Oct. 8, 2018

The Path Home: Local Congregations Pioneering Affordable Housing Solutions

"You are not required to complete the task, yet you are not free to withdraw from it." Pirkei Avos Treasury

________________________________________________________________

On October 8, 2018, 50 people gathered in the Grace Chapel of First Christian Church in Eugene to share ideas, practical steps, and mutual encouragement to address the great need for affordable and transitional housing in our community. The panelists described the successes and challenges their religious communities have encountered in providing housing for this vulnerable population.

• Rev. Dan Bryant, First Christian Church: Square One Villages

• Rev. Melanie Oommen, First Congregational United Church of Christ: family housing on church property

• Rev. Brent Was, Episcopal Church of the Resurrection: parking lot bungalows

Small group conversations then focused on these questions:

1. What actions would transform the level of empathy for individuals and families living without adequate shelter?

2. What are the 1 or 2 things that churches could do working together to make a significant change in this community?

3. How does walking the talk of our religious faith change the moral climate of the entire community?

We closed with a large group session to hear the report-backs of the three groups.

“We can’t depend on the train from Washington . . .” Gil Scott-Heron

This event was a collaborative effort of Emerald Compassionate Action Network and Lane Institute of Faith and Education, (LIFE) which provides interfaith and ecumenical educational opportunities to explore issues of faith, ethics, and justice in our community and our world.  Courses and events examine different religious and spiritual traditions, philosophies, value systems, and sciences to promote the honest and respectful sharing of ideas and experiences and to affirm the roles of faith and compassionate action in our individual and collective lives.  LIFE seeks to foster dialog and the deepening of understanding rather than indoctrination to a particular viewpoint.