“God of all,

We remember all those who are experiencing homelessness or who are unable to find affordable housing.

Grant that each person will have a place to belong, and that all of us will be renewed in our relationships to water, land, home and each other.

Sustain us with patience, persistence and commitment for doing our part in showing love for your world. Amen.”

Joint Anglican Lutheran prayer for homelessness (2020)

Dear friends,

The week of April 28th to May 5th has been designated as Homelessness Week in the Diocese of Algoma.

This is an initiative of our Diocesan Social Justice Committee who, through prayerful discernment over the last year would like to raise this important issue for education, awareness, prayer, and action. I would like to thank the members of the SJC – Jane Cox, Nancy Armstrong, Bruce McLeish, Elizabeth Green, Terry Kett, Connie Knighton, and Ann Camber for the many hours they have spent together in conversation about this issue and in preparing excellent resources for the diocese.

Do check them out as they include articles about homelessness and affordable housing, prayer resources for each day during Homelessness Week, as well as sample letters that parishes can use for advocacy work. They can be found (here) on our Diocesan website.

Don’t forget to register for the online Panel Discussion on Homelessness on Thursday May 2nd at 7pm. Everyone is welcome to attend this Diocesan sponsored event.

Pease email your registration for the webinar to Socialjusticealgoma@yahoo.com                                         no later than April 26th.

Please address any questions you wish to have put to our panelists at the same email as above.

The panelists are Dakota Brant an individual with a lived experience of homelessness.

The Rev. Dr. Derek Neal an Anglican priest in North Bay and a member of the Diocesan Synod of 2019 Addictions Committee.

Natalie Appleyard (she/her) is the Socio-Economic Policy Analyst at Citizens for Public Justice, an organization “inspired by faith to act for justice.”

Raymond M. Landry has worked as the coordinator of the Homeless Network in Sudbury since October of 2015.

If you have not already shared these resources or details through your deanery or parish enews groups, please do it as soon as possible.

In a joint statement in 2020, our Primate, the National Lutheran Bishop, and the National Indigenous Archbishop said this:

“Building a society in which everyone has access to safe, supportive, and affordable housing requires us to continue working together in many different ways. Our faith as Christians calls us to care for all of God’s people, and so today let us particularly hold up those experiencing homelessness and lack of access to affordable housing, through our advocacy and through our prayers.”

Thank you for supporting Homelessness Week in Algoma.

Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are

members of my family, you did it to me.   Matthew 25:40 (NRSV)

In the love of Jesus our Good Shepherd whose care reaches to the ends of the earth,

+Anne