What does the Lord require of you? by Merrily Porter
Many know the Bible verse from the book of Micah, chapter 6: What does the Lord require of you? To do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.”
That verse is put into action by Micah 6 of Austin, a network of faith communities in the University of Texas campus area that work together to answer the call to:
· Do justice through education, dialogue, and advocacy.
· Love kindness by compassionately serving those who come to us for assistance.
· Walk humbly with God by providing opportunities for the spiritual growth of those we serve, our congregations, and other community partners.
Micah 6 provides two main services for the folks in and around the university of Texas area that are experiencing homelessness and/or food insecurity. There is a food pantry located in University Presbyterian which is open on Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings. Shoppers come from many walks of life. Crucially and most importantly, all are welcome. And, on Saturday afternoons, the youth drop-in center at University Baptist is open for those folks 30 and younger who are street dependent. These clients are able to access toiletries, bathrooms, a laundry, clean clothing, computers and, probably most importantly, a safe and protected place to be out of the heat or the cold or the rain and all the other challenges of being without a permanent home. And finally, these clients are served a hot meal that is carefully and lovingly planned and prepared to be well-balanced, nutritious and delicious.
First English folks are woven into this picture in several ways. Andy MacLaren serves on the board of Micah 6 and we are grateful for that. Many of us have prepared and served meals to the youth at the drop incenter. Anne Wiebe, Brian Neidig, Heidi Goebel, Marilynn Olson, Sarah Roberts, Kristin Mondy, Jackie Chuter, Meiling Newman, and several others have been loyal participants over the years. Brian Neidig and Anne Wiebe, especially, have been our head chefs many times and put together wonderful menus. And, despite the chaos of Covid, it is important to note that the drop in center did not miss a single meal during all of that time. I know many of you have served in the food pantry: Andy MacLaren, Ben Rode, Randy and Nancy Baden, Barbara Wiederanders, Charlotte Gilman, Michele Lingo, Henri and Tim Atkinson, and Larry and Fran Collmann. Many have provided water and refillable water bottle donations, and many, many in our community who make monetary and clothing donations on a regular basis that keep this ministry thriving. I’m certain I’m missing some names. You are all so important to this ministry.
For me personally, I have loved my experiences with the drop-in center. Getting to know the Micah 6 staff who keep the network organized and operating, but mostly seeing the young clients able to relax, to nap on clean, comfortable couches, to enjoy a movie with each other, to style each other’s hair, to just be in conversation with the volunteers and with each other – it is a slice of life that is so completely normal for most of us but is a needed break and care for the young clients of Micah 6.
Please contact Heidi Goebel or me or Andy MacLaren if you’d like more information about what it looks like to work with Micah 6. It is not a difficult task but the generosity impact is substantial and worthwhile. Thank you.