02/04/2026
❄️Ok, we’re back to Facebook.❄️
THANK YOU to EVERYONE who has risen to the occasion of this record setting cold season in central Florida. We have been so humbled by the outpouring of love from our southeastern volusia county neighbors and friends.
Late last year John Buchanan from Colors Of Hunger presented our church council with an opportunity to love our neighbors in a very tangible way, to open a cold weather shelter. Our council was moved by his plea and voted unanimously to move forward with the project. Little did we know that this would be one of the coldest winters on record with temperatures in Edgewater reaching as low as 23° and ‘feels like’ temps of 7°. No one should have to sleep outside in conditions like that.
We’d had a couple of cold nights leading up to this stretch that were basically our practice run but it was hard to know how to prepare for a span of nights this cold for this long. Our first open night I called John and asked what I should put in an email to the church folks. On that Monday night I sent out a church wide email to our small congregation asking for hands to help cook and clean, bring prepared meals, donate or drop off take out. By noon on Tuesday we had meals lined up for the next 10 days. Real meals- not just a dish here and there.(total sidebar: yes I am bragging on my church. If you only knew all that the people are going through on an individual level at this church you’d wonder how they muster the dedication to a project like this. We call it a sighting of the Holy Spirit.)
I digress- now, about all of YOU!
On Thursday of last week, after having already had our guests for a few nights I received a phone call from our beloved vice mayor Charlotte Gillis. She asked if we were using our facilities as a shelter for cold weather. Unsure of how the city would react I told her yes and that we would stay open as long as the weather was 40° or below. To my relief she immediately asked how she could help and if we needed any blankets. From then on she was involved directly, showing up each night to check in and ask what we needed, even going as far as to post about it on the city’s fb page. Since then we have been utterly overwhelmed by support from loving people in so many ways. Folks bringing food, blankets, coats, cots and even dropping financial donations to help cover any expenses incurred by our little church.
I don’t even know how to say thank you enough. Sunday we spent most of our service sharing stories of how beautiful it has been to just say YES. We have been crying happy tears as a faith community for almost two weeks straight. And the people of Edgewater Union just keep saying YES. I’m so proud to walk beside a church like this and witness a city and community come together and help and say YES along with us.
I could go on- trust me our church knows I don’t know how to stop talking. But I’ll leave you all with this- doing good will always transcend being right. When we see the image of God in ALL of our neighbors, we can do great things. May the kingdom be on earth as it is in heaven.
Grace and Peace
-Brandon
