NY Times: “Six mornings a week, a call for quiet stills a day center for homeless people in Northern Virginia, and those so inclined gather to thank God, read scripture and ponder its message for their tribulations.
They come from shelters and tents under bridges. They come hungry and sick. They seek meals, showers, clothes, jobs and connections to health care and housing — all of which the Lamb Center provides with no religious message or test.
Some also come to talk about God….
Religion is often overlooked as a source of resilience among the poor, but the Lamb Center’s Bible study is in its 33rd year, and seats can be hard to find. Some people come to listen, some to vent, some to mull the parables through fogs of addiction or mental illness. They seek hope, but even when hope proves elusive the gatherings can provide a sense of community absent on the street.
In Bible study, no one is treated as an outcast or even a client. Everyone is a child of God.”