From Bethlehem PA-When the nights are frigid, as they have been lately, it's not unusual for the overflow of homeless men taking shelter at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church parish hall on Fridays to wind up sleeping in the church itself, clustered near the altar.
To the Rev. T. Scott Allen, who preaches from that spot on Sundays, that image is the living embodiment of his message.
"It's what we do on Friday night that gives us the privilege to do what we do on Sunday morning," Allen said. "The Gospel is about the good news for the poor. If we're not doing that, we're not doing what we are called to do as Christians."
Allen's church in Hanover Township, Lehigh County, and 10 others in the Bethlehem area open their doors on a rotating basis in the winter months so homeless people have a warm place to come in from the cold every night. Volunteers serve dinner and breakfast, in addition to providing cots, sheets, blankets and toiletries.
More here-
http://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-bethlehem-churches-shelter-20130127,0,1770752.story
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