Volunteering for Room in the Inn
This year St. Stephen will host women instead of men. You can read about this on our news page.
Other then hosting women, the details stay the same. During the hottest and coldest months of the year, St. Every Tuesday evening through Wednesday morning, St. Stephen opens its doors to people experiencing homelessness in our community. Through our partnership with True Worth Place, we provide transportation to our church, a comfortable space for a restful evening, including two hearty meals — and especially warm hospitality among St. Stephen members and friends. We welcome your participation in this important mission! And your services will be greatly appreciated by our guests!
PARTNER CHURCHES IN THE FORT WORTH AREA: If you’d like information on how to get your church involved, please contact any of the partner churches below and ask for their RITI coordinator.
• Broadway Baptist: 817-336-5761
• Calvary Luthern: 817-284-8724
• City Point United Methodist: 817-284-9371
• First Presbyterian: 817-335-1231
• First United Methodist: 817-336-7277
• Genesis United Methodist: 817-297-1840
• Holy Family Catholic: 817-737-6768
• Ridglea Christian: 817-738-0612
• South Hills Christian & First Congregational: 817-926-5281
• St. Andrews Catholic: 817-927-5383
• St. Peter the Apostle Catholic: 817-246-3622
• St. Stephen Presbyterian: 817-927-8411
• University Christian: 817-926-6631
To properly execute RITI each week requires approximately 30 volunteers. St. Stephen hosts RITI on TUESDAY evenings and below is a basic outline of how we organize and execute through volunteers:
TUESDAY AFTERNOON/ EVENING
Setup (4) – 3:30pm – 5:00pm: Make beds, set tables, prepare snacks and lay out toiletries, games, books & magazines for guests.
Drivers (2) – 4:00pm – 5:30pm Transport guests from True Worth Place to SSPC in church van.
Dinner Prep/ Cleanup (4) – 4:30pm – 7:00pm: Prepare and serve dinner delivered by church volunteers. Cleanup after meal is served.
Sack Lunch Prep (1) – 4:00pm – 7:00pm Prepare sandwiches and sack lunches for guests to take with them when they leave the next morning.
Dinner Host (4) – 5:00pm – 7:00pm Serve and share evening meal with guests while facilitating conversation and making everyone feel at home.
Evening Host (4) – 7:00pm – 9:00pm Spend time with guests— visiting, starting a movie, playing cards, dominoes, etc.
Innkeepers (2) – 9:00pm – 6:00am Stay overnight in Parish Hall and respond to any questions or problems that may arise.
WEDNESDAY MORNING Breakfast Prep/ Host & Cleanup (3) – 5:30am to 8:00am Prepare and serve breakfast delivered by church volunteers. Assist guests with stripping and storing beds. Cleanup after meal is served and guests depart.
Drivers (2) – 7:00am to 8:00am Transport guests from SSPC to True Worth Place in church van.
FLEXIBLE TIME JOBS
MEALS
Dinner (1–3) – deliver by 4:00pm Tuesday Cook/prepare & deliver to church kitchen the menu item(s) specified for Tuesday evening’s meal. 25 – 30 servings.
Breakfast (1–2) – deliver by 9:00pm Tuesday Cook/ prepare & deliver to church kitchen the breakfast meal (e.g., breakfast casseroles). 20 servings.
LAUNDRY
Pick up and wash a tub of laundry (6) Pick up Wednesday a.m. or after and return to church no later than the following Tuesday a.m.
You can sign up for any of these jobs for a specific date online via Sign Up Genius.
Thanks to Dan Fergus, who saw a problem and was determined to promptly fix it— and thanks to the generosity of members and friends of St. Stephen, who funded and helped to construct—we now have collapsible bed frames that enable our guests (and innkeepers!) to sleep elevated from the floor at a normal bed height! We know this will provide a more comfortable experience for our guests, and hope it will encourage more to volunteer as innkeepers, as it is now easier to get in and out of bed! Thank you, Dan and all who helped make this happen! MANY THANKS to all who continue to make Room in the Inn a priority mission for St. Stephen.