Since late July, we have been sharing our church campus with Valerie. Valerie doesn’t have a stable home but instead lives in an old school bus converted into a camper. The Homeless Liaison with the Roseville Police Department reached out as they were trying to help Valerie find a more appropriate and safer place to park her camper. In getting to know Valerie, hearing more of her story, and as she describes her longings for her future, one word keeps coming up: settled.
“Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot son of Haran and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan, but when they came to Haran, they settled there.” Genesis 11:31
As we discussed on Sunday, Haran was not the intended destination for Terah and his family. Nonetheless, the scripture tells us, “they settled there.” Curiously, the city of Haran shares its name with Abraham’s late brother, Lot’s father, and Terah’s son. Maybe this is why the family interrupted their plans to go to Canaan. Perhaps inhabiting a place named Haran, allowed the memory of brother-father-son Haran to remain a constant presence. And compared to life on the move, being settled offers distinct advantages.
As it happens, our new neighbor has become connected with an NGO that is working with people who, like Valerie, are seeking a more permanent solution to their living circumstances. This organization is piloting a new model of affordable housing using “tiny homes,” housing built in trailer frames that can be co-located in spaces not traditionally accommodating housing. Their first community of six tiny homes, located on the campus of Church of the Nazarene along Wheelock Parkway in St. Paul, has just welcomed it inaugural group of residents. They’re calling their new community Sacred Settlement Mosaic.
Valerie and her story are an invitation for us to continue thinking about the needs of our neighbors, especially as they relate to housing in Roseville. When you think about the reasons you came to live in this area (or wherever you call home), what were the primary drivers in your decision-making process? How did you come to find the home you live in today? Do you have a sense of being settled? If so, how would you describe that feeling?
Along with meeting Valerie, I’ve also had the chance to meet the founders of the NGO that helped to develop the tiny home community. They’re eager to explore how Prince of Peace might also consider becoming the site for a new collection of folks, like Valerie, seeking to find greater permanence in their lives by becoming a part of an intentional community of support. I welcome the conversation.*
Oh, and the name of this NGO? Quite simply, it’s “Settled.”
May’s God’s hope embrace you today. -Pastor Peter
Let us pray… Gracious God, for those who have been on the move for too long, help them find their place to become settled. Amen.
*If you would like to be a part of this conversation, let me know. Also, if you would like to join me at the Grand Opening celebration for Sacred Settlement Mosaic on Oct. 2, 5-8pm, I would welcome your company (rsvp required).