The campaign is called “Who is Under the Blanket?” and is borrowed from a life-size bronze sculpture by Timothy Schmalz titled “Homeless Jesus.”
The sculpture is a visual representation of the gospel passage Matthew 25:40 that reminds us to see Christ in the most marginalized amongst us: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
It turns out there are 30 of these sculptures around the world, but the one we saw just seemed to appear as we made our way to the riverwalk in San Antonio, Texas. When you see it, the sculpture compels one to sit on the bench and touch whoever is under that blanket as the figure is completely shrouded in a blanket, and the only clue that the figure represents Jesus is the presence of the crucifixion wounds on the exposed feet.
Thus, the work of Friends and Neighbors in Need (FaNiN) in Archuleta County: Our original mission was to provide support to anyone who found themselves in emergency situations.
The founding partners were St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, the Community United Methodist Church (CUMC) and the Pagosa Catholic Community. Providing emergency support requires a partnership with the many agencies who already exist like the Pagosa Outreach Connection, the Archuleta County Public Health Department, the Archuleta County Department of Human Services, Archuleta Seniors Inc., Rise Above Violence, Healthy Archuleta and others.
The network is impressive, and the collaboration is, frankly, humbling.
But, in April of this year, we were finding families and individuals who needed more support than the emergency services of our original mission. We have since expanded our mission to include families and individuals who may need ongoing support, thus the campaign theme: “Who is Under the Blanket?”
This coming Sunday, Oct. 11, CUMC will host a breakfast and/or a lunch to raise funds for Friends and Neighbors in Need and specifically the family advocacy campaign “Who is Under the Blanket?”
Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased beforehand at the CUMC offices or by texting (505) 506-7649 requesting to purchase tickets. The breakfast is a traditional eggs and bacon, but with a hint of Mexican flavor, and will be served from 9:30 to 11:30am at the CUMC on Lewis Street. Lunch will be posole or a birria stew and will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the same location. Takeout orders will be available.
An interesting dynamic is taking place with pre-purchased tickets: We are receiving requests to pay for tickets for those that may need a meal. So, obviously, donations are very warmly received at the CUMC or by stating as such, in a text message to (505) 506-7649.
In preparing for this weekend, we found other events that, quite frankly, fit in the category of “A Community Supporting Itself.”
On Oct. 10, The Longer Table — a free meal for our community — will take place at Yamaguchi Park starting at 4 p.m.
FaNiN is a sponsor, as is 4-H, the CSU Extension, the Town of Pagosa Springs, Archuleta County, Rise Above Violence, the Pagosa Springs Area Chamber of Commerce and more.
Entertainment will be provided, but there are no speeches, no selling, no promoting of anything other than just the community celebrating itself.
On the same evening, the feast day of John Paul II will take place with a Polish-themed meal at the Pope John Paul II Catholic Church Narthex, nominally at 6 p.m.
And, St. Patrick’s Episcopal church is having its Annual Clothing Giveaway on Friday, Oct. 9, from 4 to 7 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 10, from 8 a.m. to noon. This event not only serves those in need in our community, but then the remaining clothing items will be donated to the Navajo Nation and the communities in need on the reservation.
Of course, as a community, we do many things for our visitors, but it is heartwarming to see what we do for ourselves.
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