Neighbor News
St. John's Lutheran Church to Host Founder of Philly's "Welcome Church" for the Homeless on Sunday, Oct. 18
Rev. Violet Little will share her holistic vision of helping her homeless "congregation" with Christian communion and community.
“At first, being on the streets was about feeling invisible, and then it felt deeper than that. It felt like a black hole, that people were not seeing me, “ said actor Richard Gere about his role as a homeless man in the new movie, “Time Out of Mind.” Gere, visiting Philadelphia to promote the film, continued in an interview with reporter Debra Wallace, “It’s the issue of displaced people, whether they are on the streets of New York or Philadelphia or anywhere else.”
“It’s about the lack of relationships,” says Rev. Dr. Sandra Ellis Killian, pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Ambler. “The question for the rest of us is how can we help?
One source of help here in the Philadelphia area comes from Violet C. Little, a psychotherapist and fellow Lutheran pastor, whose mission has become the development and nurturing of a ‘Church Without Walls,’ known simply as the Welcome Church. “
Find out what's happening in Lower Gwynedd-Ambler-Whitpainfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
In 2007 Little borrowed space at the Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion, 2111 Sansom St., and opened a two-day-a-week center, where the city’s homeless find activities, books, clothes, tea, lunch, medical services, and a trusted ear. Since then Little, with the help of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America plus dedicated ecumenical ministers and volunteers, has seen her effort expand to include teatime, Bible study, a women’s group, as well as help for her burgeoning congregation in finding rehab, jobs, permanent housing and educational services.
In addition, on the last Sunday of every month the Welcome Church holds a rain-or-shine communion service, complete with music, prayer and fellowship, on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. September’s service was held in Logan Circle, to accommodate the tight security around Pope Francis’ visit to Philadelphia.
Find out what's happening in Lower Gwynedd-Ambler-Whitpainfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
“It will be our privilege on Sunday, Oct. 18, to host Rev. Little and guests right here at 24 N. Ridge Avenue in Ambler for a similar service at 10:30 a.m., featuring our monthly jazz and gospel music,” Dr. Ellis-Killian says. “Several members of St. John’s have been working with the Welcome Church for some time, and now we proudly invite our friends and neighbors to come and experience the important work that Violet Little has begun and our members have treasured.”
