Your Monday blessing comes from a place dear to my heart.
I’ve come to know the Warrington YMCA, as well as their affiliated night shelter, a little over the last two years. Twice a month or so, a few of us get together at the Unitarian chapel for a cup of tea and a prayer. And both the YMCA and the night shelter are just walk from the chapel. It’s been a privilege to get to know these residents of Warrington, who may be homeless, in transitional housing, lonely, in recovery, in need of some help, or just hanging out. I’ve met some wonderful people.
Thanks, in large part, to decades of leadership from Susan Blyth, the YMCA in Warrington has helped create a sense of community, and a place of belonging and hope, amongst Warrington’s most isolated citizens. But with funding utterly slashed in recent years, everything they’ve done over the last 30 years is now under threat. This Saturday the 29th, I hope to join over 75 other supporters in sleeping out overnight in support of those who sleep out every night. Would you sponsor me? As little as £5/$5 would be greatly appreciated. I’d love to get 20 sponsors over the course of this week. You can donate online at Save Warrington YMCA, or just message me. Thanks!
Here’s the blessing, written with love for the YMCA and the night shelter:
I know a place
Winmarleigh Street
Right by the gates
An open door
The welcome’s warm
And so’s the brew
Milk and sugar
And kindness too
A smiling face
A friend I know
Or even one
I’ve yet to meet
I don’t have much
In this hard life
I have a place
Where I can go
You can come too
If you fall out
Or lose the plot
Or get kicked out
We’ve all been there
Once, twice, or more
We’ll be waiting
Right by the door
It’s near the heart
Of Warrington
It is the heart
Of Warrington
Rev. Bob Janis 