Eliot Presbyterian Church | Lowell, MA

Presbyterian Church in Lowell, MA

Pastor's Letters

Pastor’s Letter: Ministry Details

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Eliot family:

The Session learned many important things during our discernment process around homeless ministry last winter. A few highlights include:

  • The congregation understands this ministry as God’s call to Eliot for this time, and you believe we should keep doing it.
  • The ministry is challenging and sometimes we face situations that are well outside our comfort zones.
  • Many congregants do not know very much about what the Day Center does on a daily basis.
  • Some are worried that this ministry does not do enough to actually solve homelessness in our community.

With an eye toward those last two items, the session wants to share more about the Day Center. Click here to see our informational flyer that gives an overview of what happens at the Day Center each day. You’ll see that we not only respond to people’s immediate needs and short-term challenges, but we’re also already engaged in work that helps people gain stability whether through housing, substance use treatment, or mental health care. There are no quick fixes, but I hope this little flyer helps you see what we do to show the love of Jesus and support people on their journey from homelessness to home.

This work does not belong to the Session or the Day Center staff alone. It is the work of the whole congregation. If you would like more flyers to share with people in need of services, or with potential supporters, please let Lori know at office@eliotlowell.org.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Heather

Pastor’s letter: Discernment

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4/26/2023

Dear Eliot Family:

You may have heard over the past several weeks that the session of Eliot has been engaged in a process of discernment around the future of our Day Center and ministry with our neighbors experiencing homelessness. We began operating the Day Center in May 2020, in the height of the Coronavirus pandemic when the Lowell Transitional Living Center shelter went to half capacity and places like the library and Dunkin Donuts closed, leaving homeless people with nowhere to spend their days. Over these three years, our Day Center has become an important resource in the community and our neighbors experience a sense of dignity here. Still, we had no long term plans when we embarked on this mission. With the pandemic winding down, it was time to discern whether we should continue this ministry or any ministry focused on our neighbors experiencing homelessness. 

In November 2022, the session retained a coach, Chip Low, to help us with our discernment. Together we committed to this purpose: to discern together the will of God for Eliot and make a decision about what God is calling us to be and do in relation to our neighbors through the Day Center. Over the next five months, we listened to each other, to the congregation through a survey, and to the movement of the Holy Spirit. On April 5, the session voted to continue ministering to our neighbors in general and to express that commitment through operating a Day Center. Click here to see a brochure that will tell you more about our process, the survey results, and the motions adopted by the session.

There are a few important points that I would like to highlight for you. The first relates to the results of the survey. We want you to know that we listened seriously to you. What we heard through the survey was two-fold: that ministry among the homeless is challenging and sometimes uncomfortable AND that you think it should continue. We noted your concerns about safety, care for the building, and the scope of this ministry. I hope this means that when the going gets tough we can encourage one another to look for creative solutions and persevere in love. The second important point is that this ministry is a ministry of the whole church — not just the pastor, the staff, the session, or a passionate few. We are shaping a future that will impact all of us and the surrounding neighborhood. Whether or not you engage with the Day Center directly, you are part of this mission through your prayers, participation in congregational life, and financial contributions.

This decision represents an inflection point for Eliot. It is the first major decision about our mission in a decade and the first major cultural shift for Eliot since West African families began worshiping here in the mid-1990s. Living it out may result in changes to how our community looks and acts, just as we changed when Cambodians and then Africans became part of this church. As we learn together what this ministry will ask of us, I trust in the power of God to see us through to a future that we have only begun to imagine. And I trust in you, the people of Eliot, to traverse this new season with grace, compassion, and joy.

With love,

Pastor Heather