By Susan Tuttle
Led by President Helenor Webb and Vice-President Kathryn Elliott-Hudson, a team of 11 enthusiastic volunteers from the Karl and Virginia Washington Arizona Chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians (UBE-AZ), gathered at Saint Barnabas on the Desert in Scottsdale on Saturday, May 4, 2024, to share food, fellowship, and fun with three families participating in the Family Promise program.
Family Promise, “… help[s] families facing homelessness secure stable housing through safe shelter, caring connections, and building a community of support.” https://familypromiseaz.org/.
With the guidance and assistance of experienced Family Promise volunteers The Rev. Susie Parker, Saint Barnabas Parish Deacon and Clergy Shepherd for Missions, Hank Parker, and Mary Beth Volberding, the UBE-AZ team prepared, served, and shared a pizza dinner with six children and their parents staying at Saint Barnabas for a week.
UBE-AZ President Webb thanked the families for their warm welcome, and the blessing was offered by Canon Judith Conley. Everyone enjoyed the meal, lively conversation, and great company!
After dinner, Canon Dr. Janet Beason and her daughter, Joy E. Triche, engaged the young people in active games including indoor soft lawn darts and Jenga®-like tumbling blocks. Imara Webb-Blakley, a nursery helper at Saint Matthews in Chandler, and the granddaughter of President Webb ably assisted them.
The children then made bookmarks to use in books gifted to them by Joy for Books, a non-profit literacy organization founded by Ms. Triche that donates high-quality BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) books to schools and other educational organizations, https://www.joyforbooks.org/. In addition to the in-person volunteer team, UBE-AZ members worked behind the scenes to donate over $1,800 worth of household items from the Family Promise donations wish list for the future use of families in the program.
Saint Barnabas has partnered with Family Promise for over twenty years, https://saintbarnabas.org/familypromise/, and was energized by this new collaboration with UBE-AZ. Said Rev. Parker, “We were very excited to be approached by Rev. Susan Erickson, UBE-AZ Outreach Committee Chair, about working together in service to the families empowered by the Family Promise program. Building on the relationships forged during UBE-AZ’s February 2023 Absalom Jones celebration at Saint Barnabas, we are so pleased to join UBE-AZ in this mission, and hope our partnership will serve as an inspiration to other groups across Arizona’s faith family to come together to share God’s love.”
