Murray Ledger and Times (KY) reports on a warming center that now has an open door policy to help homeless stay warm:
Organizers of a warming center ministry in Murray have revised their policies from the ground up, with hopes of making it easier to stay warm this winter.
A more “open door” policy will greet anyone needing a place to stay during the cold winter months ahead, and the center itself has been relocated from First United Methodist Church to St. John’s Episcopal Church on Main Street.
“We wanted to revise the policy and started with what was the most ‘open door’ but still allowed us to host. St. John’s insurance company was the most flexible with the policy,” said Matt Bradley, priest at St. John’s Episcopal Church.
The center is open nightly from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. No pre-registration is required and while the doors are locked at 11 p.m., Bradley said someone will answer the door for late arrivals.
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“During the ice storm there were no large problems despite large numbers of people at centers … we thought if that worked then, we should give it a shot,” Bradley said. “We are called to take risks on behalf of the Gospel and Jesus believed in risky ways. The least we can do is say y’all come when you’re cold.