"I do not agree with the big way of doing things. To us what matters is
an individual. To get to love the person we must come in close contact
with him. If we wait till we get the numbers, then we will be lost in
the numbers. And we will never be able to show that love and respect
for the person. I believe in person to person; every person is Christ
for me, and since there is only one Jesus, that person is only one
person in the world for me at that moment." --Mother Theresa
Emmaus House in
Harlem exists to exemplify this kind of personal hospitality. We
believe in meaningful one-to-one encounters that encourage the best
behavior from all of us. We look for creative and consistent ways to
serve the poor, and yes, to be served by the poor. We have the major
lesson of gratitude to learn from them. Although we are not be able to
house residents at this time, we are engaged in intensive outreach
to the poor. We continue to provide much needed food and clothing
pantries, our prayerful traveling soup kitchen to those on the
streets, hospitable referral services and fellowship meals in our
modest dining area.
Moreover, we seek opportunities to listen and
simply be with each other, bearing witness to our common pains and
joys. Having an intimate place to "break bread" together affords a rich
banquet for human interchange.
We extend to you, dear
friends, the same kind of hospitality. We invite you to join us as
volunteers, as readers of our newsletter
"Breaking Bread at Emmaus",
and as
financial helpers. Please, keep us in your prayers!