WELCOME TO HAYWOOD STREET:
UPDATES:
Registration is now open for the Golf for Awareness.A link to the registration page can be found HERE along with updated information about all our wonderful event sponsors. Thank you all for your support!
Beginning this Sunday! All are invited to join.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
2. Eulogy for David Farthing by Rev. Brian Combs. Read…
3. Just a few Haywood Street softball games left and you’re invited to join! Remaining games are at Reeves Chapel (225 Sardis Road) July 15, 22, 29. Meet us there, or get a ride in the van. We depart at 5:30 from the Haywood Street parking lot and return around 9:00. Meal provided!
4. Haywood Street Employment Opportunities
COMPANION CORNER:
Sign up to provide a meal for Respite here!
A HAYWOOD STREET LETTER FROM: HANNAH
I can still remember my first day at Haywood Street very clearly. The smell of cigarette smoke and sweat on a warm June afternoon greeted me. Loud sounds of joy filled the dining room, and the sounds of familiar hymns on the organ burst through the walls. This new, yet somehow familiar setting was filled with sounds and smells and reminded me of my faith community in Waco, Church Under the Bridge, a special place that helped heal years of church related hurt. These smells, these sounds, they settled my nerves and I knew that I was home.
It’s funny how certain smells and sounds cue our memory and spark awareness of the presence of the Holy Spirit around us. Each time I see the terms “aroma” or “sweet fragrance” referenced in scripture I am reminded not of perfectly rationed perfume that we offer to God when we are at our best. But rather, I am reminded of the smells that accompany life being lived. At Haywood Street we are all familiar with the smells that greet us. The smell of Ms. Mary’s meatloaf or the smell of Dave’s holiday banquets. The smell of the clothing closet after someone found shelter and a place to rest in the clothing bin on the rainy night prior. These sweet fragrances represent the church’s offerings and retell stories that remind us of our shared story.
As our shared story continues to be written, I am excited to share with you all the next transition that is taking place. A little over a year ago I began a Master of Social Work program with hopes of being a part of making mental health care more accessible and available to our community. Here in the next couple months I will begin my first year of field education and I will be stepping away from my role as Companion Coordinator. As Emily passed the baton to me, I am excited to pass the baton to the next coordinator who will lead the companion ministry. Leading the companion ministry at Haywood Street Congregation has been one of the biggest blessings of my life, and my life has been radically changed by the companions I have had the opportunity to learn from and grow with.
When I began this journey at Haywood Street four years ago as a seminary student, I had no idea just how much this community would transform and change my life. As I begin this next part of my vocational journey I will continue to lean on the friendships in this community that have sustained me through the years of extreme growth, loss, and celebration.
This community has changed me forever, and while I am still unsure of how God will use me in my time on Earth, I am constantly challenged by the message that we share at each Companion Orientation: What we do at Haywood Street seems a bit ridiculous, because it is. We live in a culture of scarcity and greed, and what we attempt to do here is to proclaim abundance and then practice it. We proclaim that what we give away was never ours. We are just the vessels by which clothing gets neatly sorted, nutritious food gets plated, and communion is openly served. We get to participate with the Holy Spirit to share the good news of abundance to a hungry world. I am thankful to have been a part of, and remain a part of this beautiful community. Thank you for being a part of our shared story and for your support during this transition.
(A complete description of the Companion Coordinator position is available here.)
