“‘What have you done for me?’ the Lord is going to ask. He made it pretty clear that we need to serve one another.”
Dave Reeves of St. Ann Church in Kaneohe reflects on the “Gospel imperative” that has spurred a wave of generous volunteerism at the parish. He and his wife Bernie have been the quiet leaders behind the St. Ann Homelessness and Affordable Housing Committee, a group that mobilizes parishioners to aid the needy in their community.
“If you take what you hear every Sunday literally, you better do this stuff,” Dave Reeves said. “I think most people at the very bottom of their commitment realize that this is what it means to be a Christian and to follow Jesus.”
The Reeves started the Homelessness and Affordable Housing Committee at St. Ann in 2011. Originally from the Mainland, Dave and Bernie moved to Windward Oahu in 2000. They later traveled overseas to the Middle East.
While working as teachers in Saudi Arabia, the Reeves got involved with Habitat for Humanity, the ecumenical project that builds homes for the poor. They gleaned organizational experience by starting a Habitat group for their Saudi students and hands-on building skills through service trips.
The couple moved back to Kaneohe in 2007. They became active parishioners and sought volunteer work. Bernie looked to join Habitat for Humanity on Oahu, but had difficulty finding the opportunity.
“It took a while to know the system and how it worked,” she said. “We wanted to do something on Thanksgiving or Christmas, and we had no idea how to apply.”
Something we could do
Shortly after Bernie connected with Habitat in Honolulu, the diocese released its “Road Map,” which outlined Bishop Larry Silva’s goals for Island ministries and parishes. Among the priorities noted in the document was addressing Hawaii’s chronic homelessness problem.
The Reeves eagerly availed themselves for the cause.
“We thought, ‘this is something we could probably do,’” Bernie said.
She and Dave began their “ministry” by assessing the homelessness situation in Windward Oahu. They visited beach camps, conducted point-in-time surveys with nearby social service agencies, and interviewed people living on their neighborhood streets.
“It became pretty clear that we were not equipped” to handle the many cases of homelessness that require medical and long-term attention, Dave said.
There were, however, organized programs already available where parishioners could lend a hand. In addition to Habitat for Humanity, the Reeves linked up with housing assistance initiatives such as Volunteers Instilling Pride and Family Promise of Hawaii. They also reached out to the Institute for Human Services.
The Reeves started the Homelessness and Affordable Housing Committee, or HAHC, at St. Ann to spread word of these community needs. About a dozen other parishioners joined the committee to coordinate service projects and help manage what they hoped would become an extensive parish volunteer network.
“The mission is to promote awareness,” Bernie Reeves said.
Creating a parish team
The diocesan Office for Social Ministry has encouraged parishes to create “Homeless Housing Ministry Teams” like the HAHC. These groups are recommended to take on the following tasks:
- Mapping the resources of the parish
- Developing affordable housing strategies for their community
- Recruiting and coordinating volunteers
- Engaging in education and advocacy related to homelessness and affordable housing.
The Homelessness and Affordable Housing Committee at St. Ann has found innovative ways to handle those challenges.
The Reeves and their fellow committee members communicate closely with St. Ann pastor, Sacred Hearts Father Herman Gomes. They also share information and foster service projects with existing parish groups and ministries, including the Knights of Columbus, religious education, youth and young adults, and Bible study groups.
June Hashimoto of the St. Ann outreach program provided the HAHC with crucial guidance on ways to complement the parish food pantry service.
“(Hashimoto) was wonderful for giving us all kinds of sources and information,” Bernie Reeves said.
Father Gomes said the HAHC has been effectively incorporating volunteerism for homelessness and affordable housing into parish life.
“Our people here at St. Ann are so very generous, now they have the door open to them to reach out to the poorest among us,” Father Gomes said. “Our parishioners can avail themselves from everything to preparing a home-cooked meal to help in building a house.”
Into the community
The HAHC has integrated St. Ann parish into a broad Windward Oahu network of churches and organizations involved in ending homelessness.
St. Ann members collaborate, for example, in Family Promise of Hawaii with volunteers from St. George Church in Waimanalo and Kailua Methodist Church. The program finds places to host homeless families with overnight shelter and meals for a week at a time as they look for permanent housing.
The HAHC also worked with the Hawaii Public Housing Authority in 2012 for Volunteers Instilling Pride, or VIP. Through this initiative, St. Ann parishioners held a cleanup and repair day at low-income housing units in Kaneohe.
Collaborating with local agencies and people of other Christian faiths is “key to effective action,” said diocesan social ministry director Blessed Sacrament Father Bob Stark.
Father Stark said he hopes more parishes can create similar networks like the HAHC has for homelessness assistance in their neighborhoods.
“Fundamental to the effectiveness of the St. Ann Parish approach is their commitment and compassion to working with and for the vulnerable as an expression of their healing faith in action,” he said.
Recruiting, coordinating
Keeping parishioners continually informed of community needs is essential to mobilizing volunteers, Dave and Bernie Reeves said.
The couple created the HAHC to be a central “hub” where parishioners can inquire about service opportunities according to their interests. Dave and Bernie regularly put notices in the parish bulletin and send out email blasts about upcoming projects related to homelessness and affordable housing.
They also recruit volunteers by talking to congregants during parish hospitality hours.
To coordinate activities efficiently, each member of the HAHC is put in charge of a particular program. Pam Lotko, for example, handles the volunteers for St. Ann’s monthly dinners at the Institute for Human Services. Her husband, Jim, managed the VIP project in 2012. Parishioner Ethel Ward coordinates meals for Family Promise.
Pam Lotko said the HAHC’s way of delegating responsibilities prevents its members from becoming overwhelmed. The team meets quarterly for discussions and planning.
“The homeless problem … seems much too difficult for one person to comprehend, much less deal with,” she said. “Working with HAHC has given me a framework to help my neighbors in need.”
In addition to ongoing volunteer activities, the committee tries to educate parishioners and St. Ann School students about the difference their involvement makes in the community. Representatives from the Institute for Human Services and other agencies are often brought in to speak at Masses and school assemblies.
Fruits of their labor
The legwork done by the Reeves and the Homelessness and Affordable Housing Committee has been bearing fruit. Bernie Reeves said she has heard success stories from parishioners who have been stopped and thanked by previously homeless clients now living their lives well.
St. Ann as a parish community has seen a surge in solidarity, too. Parishioners have been magnanimous in projects such as the holiday “Giving Tree,” which recently brought in numerous gift card donations and carloads of goods for IHS and St. Ann outreach.
For their work with Habitat for Humanity, which included assisting in several recently completed Waimanalo homes, St. Ann parish and school were honored with the organization’s 2012 “Faith in Action Award.” Students collected more than $5,000 for Habitat with a Zumbathon fundraiser that year.
The ministry Dave and Bernie Reeves started as a modest idea to serve the community has grown by leaps and bounds in just a few years. The HAHC has eventually come “to run itself,” as Bernie Reeves said, simply through the inspiration and dedication of all those involved.
“We said if it’s going to work, it’s the Holy Spirit,” she added. “And it worked.”
Parishioners like Ethel Ward appreciate the HAHC giving them a chance to share the Lord’s grace with those who need it the most.
“Participation in any of my volunteer activities is simply my way of sharing, radiating (God’s) love,” Ward said.
