Ways to help displaced Tent City residents

We recently set up a “Care Calendar” for volunteers to sign up to help some of the displaced Tent City residents who are living at Hobson United Methodist’s parsonage in East Nashville. 

We currently need volunteers who are willing to stay overnight with us at the parsonage as “Inn Keepers” each day from now until the end of August, provide dinner for about 20 people, and/or help to transport residents to appointments, especially in the morning hours.  Being an Inn Keeper involves getting to the house sometime around/after dinner, spending time with the residents, sleeping on the cots provided in the living room, and then leaving sometime the next day. If you stay overnight, you should bring your pillow and sleeping bag. We also have wireless at the house.

To sign up for one of these volunteer opportunities, please visit out Tent City Care Calendar site at http://www.carecalendar.org/logon/45351 and enter the following
information in the appropriate spaces:

    CALENDAR ID      :   45351
    SECURITY CODE :   6077

The address for the parsonage is 1716 Greenwood Ave., Nashville, TN 37206. If you have any questions about these opportunities, please e-mail us at amoshousemercyfund@gmail.com.

*And thanks to our new friend Vish Vishvanath, a photojournalist and kindred spirit, for these amazing pictures. If you’re interested in seeing more of his work from around the world, visit his site.

A Gospel Story of Victory on the Fourth of July

Elbon Kilpatrick is a friend of Amos House and a bold prophet for the narrow path of the nonviolent Jesus.  Elbon speaks truth to power and publicly rebukes churches that have embraced Christian Nationalism and the false doctrine that equates American patriotism and war with Christianity.  Some of us at AH have stood shoulder to shoulder with our brother in protest outside of these houses of idolatry and look forward to the near future when we do so again.  Below is Elbon’s account of his witness on the Fourth of July.

On this July 4th Sunday I protested from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in front of Victory Worship Center at 333 Old Humboldt Road in Jackson, Tennessee.  A gentle breeze was blowing as the American flag unfurled on the flag pole in the center of the church lawn.

Soon after my arrival with my sign “LOVE YOUR ENEMIES.” – JESUS / KILL YOUR ENEMIES – MILITARY, Pastor J.P. Stovall and a delegation of three men came out and told me to go to the other side of the street and protest there.  Seeing that church members would not be focused on my sign when turning into the church parking lot, I told them I was staying in my location.  Pastor Stovall told me that my sign was offensive to him and the three men because they had served in the military.  They told me that they were Christians while fighting in war and have remained Christians after their military service.  Pastor Stovall and these men told me that God supports Christians in war but would only say I was crazy when I referred them to Jesus’ commands to resist not an evil person and love your enemies in Matthew 5.  Two of the men then got in my personal space and would not allow passing motorists see my sign.  The third man – seeing that this was a bad scene – pulled on the two men to move back away from me.  The youngest man, wearing a white polo shirt with a church logo, did not want to leave but eventually gave into the group’s petition for him to move back.  While this occurred Pastor Stovall called the police, who showed up in the church driveway shortly afterwards.

Officer Story got out of his car and waved for me to come speak with him.  Face to face, Officer Story told me that the church wants me to go to the other side of the street to hold my protest.  When I told him that I was on a public street and was not impeding traffic Officer Story told me that since there was no sidewalk that he was concerned that I might get hit by oncoming traffic.  When I pointed out that I see the traffic and I am not in the road he asked for my drivers license, confirmed my home address on the license, and then placed a call to his supervisor.  Upon receiving an affirmation from his supervisor that I could stay in my present location as long as I don’t impede traffic entering and exiting the church property, Officer Story told me he supported my right to protest and actually agreed with my sign because he served in the Persian Gulf War.  Before I could say anything he then told me he got a complaint from a Mr. Ramirez at such and such apartments that he did not like an American flag displayed outside by a neighbor.  Officer Story then said, “If the guy doesn’t like our flag he should get out of this country!”  He then turned around and went to the church delegation and told them the conditions of my remaining at my present protest location.

With no victory the pastor and church delegation went inside the church.  Officer Story left and I remained outside with my sign listening to an occasional car horn sounding off while a passing driver gives a “thumbs up” or seeing others shake their heads in disgust or give a scowling frown.  If only they would understand the victory is not about “winners and losers,” “thumbs up,” and “thumbs down”.  Instead, the victory story is found in the nonviolent Jesus of the Gospels and his followers who take up their crosses of rejection with the power of love for their enemies.

O, Victory in Jesus!

Elbon Kilpatrick

Jackson, Tennessee

Exodus: Updates on Tent City

“Does the compassionate life not demand that we be present to those who suffer; does it not require that we enter into solidarity with the poor, oppressed, and downtrodden; does it not motivate us both to move into the thick of life and to experience the hardships of existence in solidarity with the outcasts?” – Henri Nouwen

Last Saturday, over 40 Tent City residents packed up their belongings at the camp in Antioch and set out, once again, with no place to lay their heads. Without a piece of land on which to live, the residents were scattered about the city: 7 moved into housing, 14 moved into hotels for a week, some moved into treatment facilities, and several more moved into Hobson United Methodist’s parsonage. Dozens of other Tent City residents are scattered in additional hotel rooms, are couch-surfing with friends, or are camping illegally downtown, but many others have obtained permanent housing in the last two months.

Nearly one hundred former Tent City residents who we know by name are scattered and roaming across Nashville and hundreds more are in the same boat. While Nashville offers a host of services to the homeless community, this city, like many others across the country, is missing an integral piece of the puzzle: an alternative transitional housing site that meets the needs of couples, pet owners, and those who can’t stay in traditional shelters. This was the function of Tent City before the flood. And while a transitional housing site is part of ending homelessness, so is more accessible low-income housing.

Recently, Metro representatives from the Mayor’s Office, Homelessness Commission, and Chamber of Commerce acknowledged the need to fill this gap in services and offered to partner with us to work toward solutions. Discussions are happening, but the 90-day time line to come up with a permanent site for what we’ve dubbed “The Village” is ticking. Furthermore, this Saturday, over a dozen residents will have to leave their hotels with nowhere to go. The parsonage at Hobson is full and for the next 90 days, we desperately need either a location that can accommodate at least 40 people or another church to offer an “around the clock Room in the Inn” like Hobson has done (we can help provide volunteers).

The model at Hobson’s parsonage is based on community houses like Open Door in Atlanta and others. There are house rules, a curfew, community service hours, and chores. The 17 residents have are contributing to the maintenance and up-keep of the house and grounds and are excited about the chance to live indoors for a change. We’re also receiving encouraging e-mails and visits from families and individuals living nearby in the East Nashville community.

We currently need volunteers who are willing to stay overnight with us at the house, provide meals, and help to transport residents to appointments, especially in the morning hours.  We also, of course, need temporary and permanent land and space. If you are interested in helping, please e-mail us at amoshousemercyfund@gmail.com. If you’d like to sign up to receive the Tent City Newsletter, e-mail ingrid.mcintyre@gmail.com.  

 Also, here are a few of the news articles/stories on the move:

Nashville’s City Paper article, “One man’s uphill climb out of Tent City” by Anne Marshall who has been covering this story since the flood… this article offers the best coverage of what has happened. Also check out the unflinching editor’s note in this week’s City Paper by Stephen George. (It’s pretty impressive when The City Paper shows up The Tennessean like they’ve done through their coverage of Tent City.) Here’s News Channel 2’s story: “Homeless forced to leave temporary Antioch Tent City”, and News Channel 5’s: “Tent City Residents Move Again”.

(posted by Lindsey)

P.S. Thanks to everyone who helped us with the move on Saturday… you guys are awesome.

Re-examining Independence Day

Rather than spending this weekend dazed by fireworks and hot dogs, let’s begin to ask better questions about what we’re really celebrating. For instance,  does true freedom come from something other than guns and bombs? Should we take pride in touting our independence or interdependence? What does “freedom” mean to the poor, marginalized, imprisoned, and oppressed in our country and around the world? For those of us who are Christians, where is our ultimate citizenship and allegiance? In the kingdom of man or the kingdom of God?

If you’re looking for some good reading for this Fourth of July weekend, we’ve got just the thing for you. One of our favorites is a July 4th speech from former slave Frederick Douglass entitled, “What to a Slave is the Fourth of July.” Then, there’s a great Huffington Post article by Shane Claiborne,  “This July 4th, Let’s Celebrate Interdependence Day!” You may also want to check out Christian Peacemaker Teams who pose the question, “What would happen if Christians devoted the same discipline and self-sacrifice to nonviolent peacemaking that armies devote to war?” And don’t forget to check out this article + video from Democracy Now that features the writings of Howard Zinn and looks back into American history to examine the nature of our freedom.

And finally, a word from MLK:

“As long as there is poverty in the world I can never be rich, even if I have a billion dollars. As long as diseases are rampant and millions of people in this world cannot expect to live more than twenty-eight or thirty years, I can never be totally healthy even if I just got a good checkup at Mayo Clinic. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the way our world is made. No individual or nation can stand out boasting of being independent. We are interdependent.”

(Posted by Lindsey)