SMPC Answers the Call to Serve at Room in the Inn

On Wednesday night, January 7, and Thursday morning, January 8, SMPC volunteers worked with Sardis Presbyterian Church members and Trinity Presbyterian Church members to host Room in the Inn guests. Roof Above’s Room in the Inn program partners with congregations of many faiths and colleges to offer shelter and food for our houseless neighbors. Guests are bussed from Roof Above Uptown to Sardis Presbyterian Church and receive a warm, safe place to sleep, a hot dinner, breakfast and a lunch to go. Sardis Presbyterian also has laundry on-site and showers for guests. They are then taken back to Roof Above the next morning.

Volunteers take shifts preparing dinner, doing laundry, staying overnight with guests, prepping dinner and, most importantly building relationships with guests. Sardis hosted 14 guests overnight, including two children and one baby.

Rev. Lindsey Odom, Associate Pastor of Youth/Missions Outreach detailed her experience below. It’s a must-read for anyone who has been feeling the Spirit nudge them into service this year. The next opportunities to serve or donate are Sunday, February 15, or Sunday March 1. Sign up here.

At Room in the Inn, God kept weaving together unforgettable moments of love, hospitality, and community, reminding me what it truly means to live out Christ’s call, even when we question our time, doubt our gifts, or fear we are inadequate.

On the first evening, I met a little girl named Sunflower who was wearing her Bluey pajamas after showering. I complimented her on how cute they were, how fun Bluey is to watch on TV, and how Bluey provides us with so many life lessons. Later that evening, her mom came to the kitchen and shared that Sunflower’s favorite quote from Bluey is, ‘Love is the thread that ties us all together, even when we’re apart,’ a truth that felt particularly sacred in that space.

Additionally, while SMPC member and volunteer Amy Matthews and I were finishing cleaning, a gifted older gentleman played piano, and we both listened to his beautiful music, helped him record his songs on his phone so he could keep them, and we clapped and cheered after every piece. After he was done playing, he thanked us and joyfully told us about his upcoming open mic night.

When one mother was running low on formula, SMPC members and volunteers Donna Podgorny and Bob Williamson immediately went to Harris Teeter to bring back formula and diapers, and the mom’s gratitude showed the power of hospitality, love, and service in action. Ruby Robinson, also an SMPC member and volunteer, was in charge of laundry (Ruby has already signed up to do laundry for all three nights of Room in the Inn, which is incredible!). But what strikes me most about Ruby is how she always has a smile on her face when doing laundry, has such an organized system, and is so willing to teach others like me the process and allow me to deliver the finished laundry baskets to neighbors rooms, bringing happiness to them that their laundry was cleaned and folded.

When the idea of bringing clothes and donating them to our neighbors came up, SMPC members Emily Price stepped up immediately to organize and coordinate this effort, eager to serve our neighbors well. We are endlessly grateful for every SMPC volunteer and donation that made these nights possible, including Nancy and Tim Maguire, who spent the night, Mary Katheryne and Michael Zagora, who served at the morning shift, and every congregant who donated food, meals, and supplies. Thank you for helping us show the genuine hospitality of Christ in taking care of our neighbors and their needs and living out Christ’s call to love one another.

Photo credit: Donna Podgorny