A Good Story

[Jesus said,] “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” Luke 6:20

Dear Friends,

Over the last year or so, many of you probably noticed that there was someone who was parked in the corner of our property and living out of his car. We first noticed him in Spring of 2025. As the property manager at the time, Kelly went out to meet and talk with him to see what was going on. Apparently, “David” was living across the street in a rental property that got condemned. Unable to find another rental that he could afford, he moved into his car. Since he knew this area, he tried several places but kept getting chased away. Eventually, he found the corner of the unused portion of the FLC parking lot.

In our staff conversations, it seemed like he was not a danger, represented no real threat, and wasn’t breaking any laws. Kelly’s recommendation was that we allow him to continue parking there. I concurred… It seemed to me that we are called to help those who are in need. The “help” he needed was to just allow him to park on our property and it cost us nothing!

Over the last year, more people became aware of his presence. The police (contacted by concerned neighbours) came out a few times to talk to him and they contacted me to make sure that he had permission from us (as owners of the property) to be there. They were ready (if any apparent criminal activity arose from his presence) to step in to address it. He continued to be a benign presence but as time passed, more and more neighbours felt uneasy about him being there. It eventually created some unease with the Montessori School. Once we had more conversation with Montessori about their concerns, we identified that it was his presence during school hours that was problematic. With this clarity, I went and talked to David about the situation. He was braced for the conversation, “You have to leave!” When I told him that he could spend the night here but needed to park somewhere else during school hours, he was so thankful. He was so relieved just to have a place to sleep.

As you probably saw in the Wednesday Update, a person in the neighbourhood, Maureen Kehler, took on the challenge of finding him a place to live and set up a GoFundMe campaign. This happened when I was on vacation but I saw the email she sent me where she needed a “reference” as far as his willingness to abide by rules and such. With my positive referral, she was able to secure a place for him in a Senior’s Residence.

I’m sharing the story because I think it is a tale of goodwill. We can’t solve everyone’s housing challenge but for a year, we made it possible for David to cope… just by allowing him to park on our property. During the year, we stayed in communication with him, brought him leftover food from our potlucks, and eventually began advocating for him against those who wanted him to take his problem elsewhere. I give thanks for Maureen’s compassionate heart and her willingness and resourcefulness to set up the GoFundMe and to find him a place to live. Mostly, I give thanks that David now has a “real” place to lay his head.

This kind of feels like God was at work.

Peace,

Pastor Phil