Press Release from Epworth United Methodist

Following is a press release from Epworth United Methodist Church in Chicago, located at N. Kenmore and W. Berwyn. It is republished here without comment or editing, with the sole exception of links added for informational purposes. Press Release Epworth UMC, Chicago Warming Shelter Monday, January 26, 2009 Over the past two weeks, many prayers have been answered at Epworth UMC – Chicago. As the year drew to a close, with help from the 48th Ward Alderman Mary Ann Smith’s office and the City of Chicago, Epworth was able to keep its shelter open. The shelter – an emergency men’s shelter which has a 65 bed capacity, is full virtually every night of its 50 operating weeks per year. Closing the shelter was thought to be eminent as the former administrating agency - Residents for Effective Shelter and Transitions (REST) - was not able to meet the increase in space-sharing fees and pay for the shelter’s portion of heat expenses. At the last minute, Cornerstone Community Outreach met with Epworth Trustees and decided to take on the shelter project. Under Cornerstone’s administration of the shelter, alcohol and substance abuse counseling as well as job counseling will be part of the shelter program which had been nonexistent with the prior administration. During the Martin Luther King Memorial Holiday, a Day of Service as suggested by our newly elected President of the United States Barack Obama, under the direction of the Alderman Smith’s office, approximately 60 people from the Chicago neighborhoods of Uptown, Edgewater, and Rogers Park, volunteered at the Epworth Shelter for nearly 12 hours. Epworth is truly thankful for this community action and looks forward to more work days in the future to “help the least amongst us”. -------------- CNB RSS Feed