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Is not this the fast that I choose? ...Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and to bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him; and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

~ Isaiah 58:6

This phrase is well known to Jews the world over. It is part of the liturgy recited each year during the Yom Kipper worship service. It is so appropriate to the mission of the National Interfaith Hospitality Council that it appears on the masthead of many of its publications.

The Roanoke Valley Interfaith Hospitality Network (RVIHN) is one of the many IHN communities throughout the United States. The concept is to utilize church and temple buildings, which are empty throughout the week, in order to shelter homeless families. IHNs are comprised of up to thirteen churches and synagogues which serve as Host congregations. The role of each host is to provide overnight accommodations (from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.) and meal facilities for up to 14 ‘guests’, for a week at a time on a rotating basis. With 13 congregations now committed to the Roanoke Network, host congregations host for one week every three months. They are teamed with Support congregations, which provide volunteers to perform the needed tasks at the host congregation site. The money these families save in rent, coupled with the IHN's case management, enables them to afford housing at the end of their time in the network.

The Central Network provides a separate day center where the guests will be able to bathe and meet regularly with the Network Director, a professional social worker. The Network Director’s responsibility is to provide individualized case management for each family. This could include assisting in a job search, securing help from Roanoke Valley social service agencies, obtaining vocational training when needed, and, of course, assistance in looking for housing. The Central Network can provide the guests with transportation from the host congregations to the day center and to and from schools, jobs, and job interviews.

There are several fine organizations and institutions in Roanoke that currently provide shelter and food for people of severe need. The IHN does not replace existing facilities, it augments the services locally available, and helps families contact the agencies that can best assist their needs. IHN is structured to deal strictly with families. While some facilities in Roanoke are equipped to provide short-term or temporary shelter, IHN provides a "transitional" program where a family can stay within the network for three months or longer. Most importantly, several hundred volunteers of all faiths are trained to offer hope and encouragement to people at a critical time in their life.

Temple Emanuel began as a Host congregation in 1999, ably assisted by the fine people of its Support congregation, St. John's Episcopal Church. While our building is under renovation, St. John's is acting as Host congregation, and Temple Emanuel is the Support congregation. The volunteers of St. John's are so lovely, and really go the extra mile to make the guests feel comfortable. It has been a most enriching interfaith experience!

Volunteers are needed, and welcome, to assist with dinner preparation, moving the wheeled beds in on Sunday afternoon and out on the following Sunday morning, for spending the night at the Host congregation, and providing general fellowship. If you can help or want more information, email Phil Flarsheim or Janet Sachs.