Churches helping disadvantaged Out of the Cold

By Sheila M. Dabu

It’s 7 p.m. Past the Saturday night hustle and bustle of Elgin Street and the usual crowd at Dunn’s deli, Knox Presbyterian Church quietly opens its doors.

But this isn’t your typical evening crowd at any house of worship.

Instead of dogma and doctrine, the main course at this venue is literally the main course. Tonight, it’s a steaming plate of barbecue chicken and mashed potatoes. For dessert, there’s homemade plain cake with custard filling, topped with vanilla ice cream.

Right here, in this unassuming church basement, is a growing phenomenon among many Centretown churches: By day, it’s a hub of prayer and worship.

By night, the church is a social service centre.

Every Saturday night, Knox is transformed into “Centre 120,” a soup kitchen for disadvantaged members of the community.

Centre 120’s Out-of-the-Cold program provides hot meals during the winter months for about 100 individuals each week.

At one of the tables, 45-year-old Lily Rolfe grips the handle of her coffee cup and looks away into the distance.

“There are only a few places that serve full-course meals, especially on a Saturday night,” she says.

Although her $530 monthly social assistance cheque barely covers her $400 per month rent at a nearby rooming house, Rolfe isn’t here only for physical nourishment.

She’s also here for companionship after being dealt a terrible blow: Her ex-boyfriend was recently murdered in an apparent robbery over crack cocaine.

“It’s very hard on me. I’m surprised I’m even eatin’,” she says.

“I would have been with him for 11 years this April,” Rolfe adds, her voice growing faint. “I couldn’t go to his funeral in New Brunswick because I didn’t have the money.”

According to Rev. Tom Sherwood, sociologist and ecumenical chaplain at Carleton University, Knox is part of an interesting phenomenon: For years, churches have been providing social services for vulnerable groups in the city, including after-hours programs.

And all this while churches are coping with stark realities.

A 2001 Statistics Canada survey suggests that attendance at religious services have fallen significantly across the country over the past 15 years.

Forty-three per cent of adults surveyed said they had not attended religious services during the year before the survey, compared with only 26 per cent a decade ago.

“Churches are closing down. Fewer people go to church than they used to. In the downtown area, there are too many churches for people to support,” says Rev. Garth Bulmer of St. John the Evangelist Presbyterian Church.

John Peterson, co-chair of the Centretown Churches Social Action Committee, says that even with declining membership, social ministries continue.

“Churches are asked more and more to give to other organizations. Our church gives to the underprivileged, providing a service that governments used to provide,” Peterson says.

While Knox Presbyterian opens its doors, outreach workers from Ottawa Innercity Ministries at Bank and Cooper streets routinely hit the streets at 7 p.m..

Mike Law and other members of the street outreach ministry fill their knapsacks with sandwiches, socks, juices and snacks.

“Although we do not push religion, we are certainly there if they want to discuss or pray with us,” says Law, a salesperson by day.

Meanwhile, at Metropolitan Bible Church – on Bank at McLeod – outreach coordinator Pastor Jim Maley chops 20 pounds of beef for the homemade stew. He says the Tuesday 7:30 p.m. meal is designed to feed the body but more importantly, the soul.

Back at Knox church, supper is almost over by 8 p.m.

But Rolfe is one of the last guests to leave, savouring the camaraderie as well as the coffee, to the last drop.