This week at Central was Pride Sunday, a formal day to celebrate and honor all the beauty and bravery of our Queer community. But really, every day is Pride Sunday at Central--the reason I first fell in love with this church.Many people grew up in a religion that was shaming and cruel to anyone outside “expected” gender roles, and this was true for my family. So, when my niece, Reagan, came out as...  Read More

This past Thursday at Central was busy! Grace Clinic was full, and, with much of the church still out of commission due to the renovations, everywhere downstairs, including the sanctuary, was crowded. I met new people, visited with friends, and did a slightly better job this time of keeping the shower list moving. Overall, I hope I made myself more of a help than not! There were many connections t...  Read More

On Sunday, we had three junior highers come upstairs for service with me, the Youth Director, while the main service took place. As they sat around on couches in the youth room, I held a pair of frames that used to be glasses and said, "these are special glasses. When you put these on, you'll see the world as it should be. Who wants to try them on first and tell us what you see?" Immediately one s...  Read More

It has been a little over a year since I was carjacked in my driveway. There were two masked men, one grabbed me from the rear, the other pointed a gun at my head. I managed to get away without major injuries. They got the car and my purse.Over the next few days, I retreated into a shell, like a turtle. Afraid to go outside alone and afraid of the dark, even though the carjacking happened in broad...  Read More

Easter at Central--all I can say is…wow! From the art to the music to the procession of people of all faiths and beliefs, it felt like something glorious being celebrated. As Michael preached, resurrection is for the living, and I felt alive.   Even in our grand celebrations, being with God’s people, worshiping among the poor and excluded, we share their burdens, their angst and anxieties. At any ...  Read More

A few weeks ago, I was having dinner with a friend and talking about the challenges of our work: hers in the tough field of disaster recovery, mine with newly arriving asylum seekers and refugees. I am soft spoken by nature and sensitive to others and to the world around me. I have worked hard in my profession over the years to "toughen up", to be more confident, assertive, and effective. Yet, som...  Read More

Are you accepted by the people you meet? Or do you feel unconnected, excluded, even ostracized? Maybe that has happened occasionally to most of us, but it happens constantly to people without shelter. Being excluded just when you need others the most is particularly hurtful and cruel. I’ve been talking to some of our unsheltered guests about their feeling of belonging. It’s a hard subject to bring...  Read More

I was walking in the mall with a friend last month when we walked by a young man holding a stack of small books. I was expecting a typical salesman trying to overcharge me on something I’d never use, but his appearance caught my eye. He had ragged clothes, made to be worn for days on end. It’d clearly been a while since he shaved. When he looked our way and said, “How’re you guys doing?”, I notice...  Read More

 Rick wrote a few weeks ago about the importance of the safety that is provided at Central for the unsheltered community of Galveston. We are, in more ways than one, a sanctuary for the mind and body each Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. While not enough, it keeps people moving forward under impossible conditions, and it is beautiful in the way that caring for another person, especially a stranger, ...  Read More

I have been a visitor at Central a few times now, attending with a close friend. Like most people at Central, I come from a different denomination, yet the spirit is the same and I am always glad I came. On my last visit, I brought my smart, kind, and loving goddaughter who recently graduated from an Ivy League university and was being prayerful about a career interest very different from her degr...  Read More

When I first started volunteering at Central on Tuesday/Thursday mornings, I was struck by how many of our guests were asleep. The stuffed chairs in the back of the dining room are prized spots, and there are always many more guests sleeping on the couch, chairs, or floor of the computer room than there are using the computers. They wake up when lunch is served, or if they have signed up for showe...  Read More

Every Sunday I look forward to communion at Central. It is usually a bit of a messy affair. Because the sanctuary is filled with old couches and oversized chairs, the path to the front may not be straight. There is always a bit of awkward crossing in front of others, near collisions, and trying to stay reverent but really wanting to giggle moments! Getting to the body and blood of Christ may take ...  Read More