(Ice) fishers for people
by Rev. Erica MacCreaigh
With sub-zero temperatures hurtling toward central Iowa on January 22, a Warren County commissioner asked the mayor of Indianola about the city’s emergency sheltering plan. As we had no such plan, the mayor contacted the director of WeLIFT, a non-profit housed at Trinity United, for ideas. The director called our pastor, saying, “I’m going into a meeting with the city and county right now. Can we use Trinity as a shelter for the next four days?” Pastor said yes, then immediately called in reinforcements from the Board of Deacons and Mission Team. (Later, no one on Session questioned the speed or unilateral nature of the decision.) Within two hours, Trinity United, WeLIFT, Warren County Emergency Management, the Indianola Fire Department, and the mayor’s communications office had a plan to convert Trinity’s classroom building into a warming center. Six hours later, we had beds and bedding for 30 people, a plethora of donated towels and toiletries, 11 meals planned, and a small army of volunteers to staff the center 24/7.
We fielded a lot of phone calls over the weekend and served half a dozen people, all of whom were housed and employed, but making such low wages and living in such substandard housing, they had broken windows, frozen pipes, and holes in their floors – a truly dangerous combination of factors in extended sub-zero cold. Our guests slept, took showers, did laundry, and enjoyed fine home cooking while young volunteers from a local non-denominational church and Simpson College stayed around the clock to answer questions and ensure everyone’s safety. Five days later, with another cold snap moving in, we mobilized again on a smaller scale and saw twice as many people in half the length of time.
That so many agencies – none with any extreme-weather procedures or policies – could come together so quickly to effect such good in our community surprised all of us. Each agency offered all the knowledge, skills, and resources at their disposal. The non-denominational churches and chaplain’s department at Simpson tapped the youth of their congregations to cover overnight shifts. The mainline churches tapped their women’s groups to feed guests, volunteers, and staff. The fire marshal ensured our building was up to code for overnight use. A small homeless shelter in town donated brand-new pillows to the cause and the Indianola Ministerial Association gave $1000 to help cover propane and repair costs for people whose homes had become uninhabitable.
The experience reminds us of the early church in Acts 2: “They met together in one place and shared everything they had…and each day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.” Salvation in this case meant life-saving shelter from the cold. Trinity United is honored to be part of this effort and looks forward to stepping up our engagement as the city and county lead interagency development of an official emergency action plan.
