"God, I regret to report, does not give a hoot about our religion."
-Annie Dillard
Brother Ron Fender talked to us about the story from Luke where the men are walking on the road to Emmaus and encounter Jesus. He explained that he sees Jesus in the poor and that any time we care for the poor, sick or hungry, we are caring for Christ.
What did you think first of the Community Kitchen and then the potter's field?
Before we took the 'official' tour of the Community Kitchen, I thought it was just going to be a room with a kitchen in it with meals for the poor. After taking the tour, it wasn't just a kitchen that prepares food for the poor, it is a place with different types of services for people to use. One of the services was feet washing/drying and getting socks and shoes. After taking a small tour of the kitchen, Brother Ron Fender took us to the place he buries men/women/and children that have not been claimed by another family member as their own. This field is tucked back off Hamilton Place and all you see is silver placks with people's names on it in the ground. The potter's field was a nice quiet place and while we were there, saw a burial for ourselves. The saddest thing I saw there was 2 babies, a boy and a girl, who died the day they were born. I think Brother Ron Fender's services are a real blessing for the people who are poor in the Chattanooga area.
ReplyDeleteToday, we talked to Brother Ron Fender at the Chattanooga Community Kitchen. He told us about his work at the Kitchen, where he takes care of the homeless, takes care of people's feet, and buries unclaimed homeless bodies at the Potter's Field. Brother Ron Fender also told us that the reason why he works at the Kitchen is because that is where he finds Jesus and God. After Brother Ron spoke to us, we went to the Potter's Field to see the graves of the homeless. It was quite touching to be there and to read the graves. Some died when they were 80, some died when they were 20. Two children even died on the day they were born. Today's trip really opened my eyes to how big of a problem homelessness is in Chattanooga. I learned a lot from Brother Ron Fender and visiting the Potter's Field was very beautiful.
ReplyDeleteGetting to go and see the community kitchen today was such an up lifting experience for me. Right when I walked in I saw people sleeping on tables and just relaxing and talking to friends. Then after a minute we went to speak to Brother Ron. This man is a monk and works for the community kitchen for a living and is an outreach case minister. His three jobs are one take care of all homeless living in Chattanooga or try to. Second he does foot care, which is when he washes, cleans, and gives shoes to people who are in need of that kind of care. The third thing he does is bury people, who don’t have family members or friends who will do this. He takes them up to be buried at this very pretty field called Potters field. The Community kitchen is a place where homeless people can just relax and be in a comforting environment. There they serve three hot meals a day with everything they need. All of the treatment to these people comes from donations from Chattanooga people. This is very up lifting for me to hear, and to know we do have a lot of people who really care in this city. What Brother Ron really stated big, was that at the community kitchen they never parasitize which means they never judge and they always respect and treat people with dignity. After visiting the community kitchen we went to a big field where homeless people are buried. We each got a few flowers, and we got to pick a few graves that we felt needed the flower or love from us. I really loved doing this because I know that these people really felt loved today. I am so glad I got to experience this, and I hope to help out some day soon at the community kitchen.
ReplyDeleteToday’s visit with Brother Ron was really neat. Brother Ron Fender is the outreach case manager at the community center. He really feels called by God to work with these homeless people in Chattanooga. He told us a lot about what goes on at their facility and about homelessness in Chattanooga. I couldn’t believe that the average age was 9 years old. He brings all homeless people he can find in the city to the community kitchen to give them food and offer them the things they need to succeed in life. They offer a plethora of classes which help the homeless people. They have beds and transitional housing. They offer a place to escape the cold and the heat. I thought that it was really great how they tried to employ as many homeless people as they could. The community kitchen was a great place they served 3 meals every day all year. It really was an amazing place. The next place we went was Potter’s Field. I found it sad that these people had no one who really could help them and feel remorse after they died. It was really sad to watch the burial that occurred. It was done it such a swift manner. The community kitchen really showed the strength of God’s love and how when you follow God you want to do good for others.
ReplyDeleteGoing to see Brother Fender and the community kitchen was an interesting experience for me. It showed the true points of Christianity, which are service and kindness. Brother Fender is a true Christian in my opinion. He doesn't just talk the talk, he actually walks the walk. He interacts with these homeless people on a daily basis. Spending his precious time for the benefit of others. He is nonjudgmental of other people's religions, cultures, and situation making his job his metier. I think that what he said about God not caring about personal is a very interesting position. I don't share this particular viewpoint of his, but respect it nevertheless. I hope that sometime I can volunteer at the kitchen.
ReplyDeleteToday, we went to visit Brother Ron Fender at the Chattanooga Community KItchen. In such visit, Brother Ron explained the services that are available through the Community Kitchen, itself, including foot washing, 3 hot meals a day, job counseling, a medical clinic, and much more. Although I have heard Brother Ron speak before, actually being at the Kitchen itself really opened my eyes. Those who volunteer there are true Christians, especially in the eyes of the homeless and hungry themselves. The shelter is known for its nonjudgemental-ness and welcoming of such a diverse population. Following our tour of the Community KItchen facilities, we rode the bus over to Potter's Field, the homeless person cemetery for those who have no known family where Ron leads services for those who die in such a condition. In total, today's journey to the Community Kitchen and Potter's Field was highly eye-opening and inspiring to be a better person and serve others before myself.
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