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Church @ the Park

Church @ the Park, Salem, OR
Initiative: Portable shower pods
2022 Grant: $50,000

When You Give a Banquet...

Oregon’s homeless population ranks among the highest of all states. Oregon’s capital city, Salem, has become a central hub for individuals experiencing homelessness, incarceration, and mental illness. Despite active programs and agencies, reducing the hardship of homelessness remains a complex issue.¹

In 2007, a group passionate about caring for others recognized an opportunity to bring dignity through community and demonstrate the love of Christ in a very tangible way. The group formed a small movement at Cascades Gateway Park, a local Salem park where 100+ people slept each night in tents and other makeshift structures. What was initially a one-time effort to offer a meal, encouragement, and prayer quickly turned into a weekly gathering of friends.

That group of friends became Church @ the Park (C@P). They based their mission on the feast of Luke 14—But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.²

The banquet table is just a relationship starter that helps people find work, meaning, and purpose. “Our mission is to open a table of love and acceptance for those who need it the most,” said D.J. Vincent, founding pastor and chief executive officer of C@P.

Collaboration increases reach

The staff at C@P realized the meaning behind the words in Luke 14 could be expanded to mean more than a warm meal and blankets. In 2020, God opened a door. In cooperation with the City of Salem and other agencies, C@P was able to expand its capacity and reach. Staff could now help people in need with employment services, secure a driver’s license, enroll in GED classes, or enter a detox facility. “Once you take the time to hear their stories, it makes it easier to figure out their goals, and then offer assistance and pathways for those goals,” said Vincent. “The only way we can achieve this is through relationship with each other and the transforming power of a relationship with Jesus.”

In 2021, the ministry expanded its services yet again by opening its first managed microshelter community—a small village of one-room shelters that offers people enrolled in the C@P program a chance to stabilize from crisis—such as foreclosure, lack of affordable housing, and job loss—in a safe, secure, and sanitary way. This is an important first step that enables guests to move from homelessness to stability.

“Just being able to provide wrap-around resources gives people the stability and grace to find work or permanent housing,” said Sam Dompier, housing and chief development officer for the organization. “The longer someone is homeless, the more they will stay homeless. To achieve a positive outcome, our average stay is about six months.”

“If I can center the humanity of another person, we can bring everyone into the fullness, powerful love, and compassion of Christ.” D.J. Vincent, Founding Pastor

The life-changing power of water

For people experiencing homelessness, the issue of cleanliness can be a barrier to employment. Vincent said they framed the issue as another opportunity to serve.

“We applied for the Kingdom Advancing Grant to ask for something that would have a huge impact on our guests’ daily lives and help further our mission,” said Vincent. “Water.”

Portable shower pods, actually. The grant money supported the addition of four shower pods, fixed together on a flat-bed trailer. Each pod includes a shower stall, a toilet, and a door. The end result resembles a four-room home on wheels. “A clean body is a basic need for human dignity,” said Dompier. “Before the trailer, we were only able to offer showers for about 3 hours per week. With the new trailer, we can help stabilize more folks, daily. Water is literally changing their lives.”

For the C@P staff, their feast-oriented mission strives for transformational change. And change can only be supported when the community comes together. “If we center our differences, we may find ourselves pushing away from each other. But if we center around the most vulnerable, we push toward the banquet table,” said Vincent. “If I can center the humanity of another person, we can bring everyone into the fullness, powerful love, and compassion of Christ.”

https://www.church-at-the-park.org

1 “Learn About City Efforts to Address Homelessness.” City of Salem, accessed 22 September 2022. https://www.cityofsalem.net/government/shaping-salem-s-future/housing-shelter/learn-about-city-efforts-to-address-homelessness.