On December 21, 2016, at 7:00 p.m., a group of non-profit agencies and interfaith congregations will gather at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Springfield for a Homeless Memorial Vigil. This event, which is open to the public, is held on the longest night of the year and has been chosen as a time to remember all homeless people who died during the past year due to their lack of shelter or care.
Community Access Unlimited, Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless, Family Promise of Union County, HomeFirst, Monarch Housing and the Union County Interfaith Coordinating Council are organizing this event. Holy Cross Lutheran Church is hosting this interfaith Vigil. The Vigil will include a reading of the names of those who died during the past year, music and interfaith readings.
Organizers in Camden, Bergen, Hudson, Mercer and Middlesex Counties are planning similar homeless memorial and vigil events on December 21.
The Vigil in Union County comes on the heels of a successful first annual Homeless Sabbath Weekend held across Union County held December 16-18, 2016. Participation in the Homeless Sabbath included Willow Grove Presbyterian Church in Scotch Plains performing "No Room - Now and Then" Christmas drama presented in worship December 18, 2016. Temple Sha’arey Shalom in Springfield heard from Monarch Housing’s CEO Richard W. Brown about how we can and will end homelessness. Msgr. Tim Shugrue of St. Michael’s Church in Cranford wrote a column on page two of this link about homelessness. Pastor Knecht from Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Springfield published a pastoral letter entitled “Tis the season to remember the homeless in our area.”
On the night of January 26, 2016, 513 people, including 62 people without shelter, experienced homelessness in Union County, according to NJ Counts, the Point-In-Time Count.
Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/167022433768072/ to learn more about the Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day Vigil in Springfield.
Visit http://monarchhousing.org/2016/12/14/nj-homeless-persons-memorial-dec-21st/ to learn more about all six Homeless Memorial events happening across New Jersey on December 21