On the last Saturday of every month some 20 volunteers from Mercy Ministries in Woodbridge, Va., bring food and water to the homeless at McPherson Square Park in Washington, D.C. And every June, Director Lynda Watt brings roughly 200 volunteers to the park for a Night of Hope outreach get-together. Musical entertainment for the homeless can be had, as well as a free shower, free haircut, foot soak and pedicure. Free food, clothing, and Bibles are also distributed, but you may have to wait in line for these.
Watt says volunteers have come from as far away as Georgia and North Carolina for this yearly Mercy Ministries event, which this month celebrates seven years of outreach to the homeless.
Pastor Athan Birch of First Church of the Nazarene of Woodbridge, home of Mercy Ministries, says his goal is to help people see God as relevant and to develop relationships with God and with other people.
At this year’s Night of Hope, held on Saturday, June 20, organizers said that 50 homeless people took free showers, 50 to 60 enjoyed foot soaks and pedicures, 113 got haircuts and 400 were fed. And the smiles? They were endless.
If you would like to be a part of this outreach program, contact First Church of the Nazarene in Woodbridge, Va., at 703-670-2252.
A guest enjoys a cool watermelon snack in the shade. Photo by Lee Davis
