Lighthouse Church introduces "Elisha Room"

Homelessness, family troubles, and sudden health or financial problems that cause a displacement aren’t just issues in big cities. Even in Clarion, there’s recently been a need to house people in transition who just need a place to stay for a night or two.

Seeking to fill that need in the Clarion community, the Lighthouse Church of the Nazarene has created a space they call the “Elisha Room,” after the room set aside to shelter the prophet Elisha in the book of II Kings in the Bible.

Pastor Dana Wendel said they intend the room to be used for displaced community members such as single mothers with small children, lone transients, or even to house a person who needs to temporarily separate from their family due to a domestic problem.

“We just want to help them in any way we can,” Pastor Wendel said.

Longtime Lighthouse Church member Marilyn Coon said that though the church may not see the impact the room has on each individual who uses it, she trusts that it will “plant the seeds of the gospel,” referring to the parable of the sower in Matthew 13.

For questions about the room, or if you know someone who needs a place to stay for a night, call Pastor Wendel at 515-293-3003. For the full story, see the November 2 edition of the Monitor.