Salvogesis

Tonight, Last night, every night we have people working 9pm to 9am – overnight - at the Emergency Weather Response shelter. I don’t know if everyone here is aware that as well as all of the things that we do here at Christmas time and year-round and all the things that we do down at the Bread of Life and Kuu-us, The Salvation Army also runs the EWR shelter attached to the Bread of Life building. We have just been authorized to turn it into a permanent shelter too; so, in the next few months we will be doing renovations and adding bunk beds, hiring new staff and all kinds of fun stuff… And last night and tonight we will have staff, employees working there overnight.   Has anyone ever worked an overnight shift? In my experience, they are not a lot of fun. In my experience, they are not the shifts that people normally clamour for. In my experience, anyone with any experience and education usually tries to be ‘promoted’ off the night shift. Sometimes you get some great workers for the ...

A Christmas Eve Message:   This evening is Christmas Eve. This is when we celebrate the eve of the birth of our Saviour in a manger in Bethlehem more than 2000 years ago. There are many things closed tonight and more tomorrow. We hope and we think that we are all prepared for that. Christmas Eve is a time when we hope and think that everything is prepared for tomorrow: stockings are stuffed or ready to be stuffed, presents are made or bought, wrapped and placed under the tree or ready to be placed under the tree, meal plans and/or travel plans are made. Christmas Eve is a time of anticipation. 2000+ years ago, the evening before Jesus was born (whatever evening that was) it must have been a time of great anticipation – at least for Mary and Joseph and whomever happened to be with them. Mary was very pregnant and about to give birth to her first child. Any moms (and even dads) who can remember the birth of their first child, think of your own anticipation and the plans you had mad...