Biking across the country with a tent, sleeping bag, some clothes and food, with no set itinerary, has an entirely new purpose for the Rev. Peter Lovett, pastor of Lowell’s Christ Church United. This cross-country trek, which he plans to accomplish over three summers, is for “all souls”– something that right now is closest to his heart.
Lovett has found a way to combine his love of biking, his passion to house the homeless, and his drive to repurpose the historic Christ Church United building so that it can weather today’s difficult economic climate and the challenges of a smaller church membership.
He’s been reaching out for sponsors for his 3,000-mile trip to raise funds for All Souls House, a $2.7 million project that will convert space in the East Merrimack Street church and administration building into five two-bedroom apartments for homeless families. The renovation will also allow for improved space for church meetings, fellowship, Christian education and a new kitchen.
One stark, vivid statistic indicates the difficulties involved in housing the homeless. As of April 2011, 1,192 families were housed in motels statewide, according to the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, a 29 percent increase over the 845 families who were in motels a year earlier.
“The cold reality is that the number of homeless families in Lowell, in Massachusetts and nationally is on the rise and the numbers are staggering,” said Lovett, who is the father of two children, ages 12 and 16.
When complete, All Souls House will make a difference to five of those families at any one time, he said.
“I was going to ride, again, in the Pan Mass Challenge, but I figured I’d switch teams and ride to raise money for All Souls House,” he said. “I’ve sent out letters to the people who have supported me in the Pan Mass Challenge, and ideally we’ll have the same level of support I’ve gotten for that. Right now, I’m up to $2,000 after one go-around; now I need to work on round two.”
Karen Stairs, who recently organized a 1950s Sock Hop fundraiser at CCU to benefit All Souls House, praises Lovett’s efforts.
“Each of us has a gift from God or a way that God lets us see his vision for what we do in his name,” Stairs said. “I ran the ’50s Sock Hop fundraiser and Pastor Peter will ride his bike to spread the word about All Souls House and ending homelessness. I love that he took one of his passions, riding a bike, and put it into a passion to spread the word about ending homelessness in the United States.”
During the latter part of July and into early August, while on vacation, Lovett will kick off the first leg of his three-part journey– and he may not be alone.
“Six or eight people want to go with me. It’s an alluring idea, getting on a bike and not knowing exactly where you’ll end up. It’s the journey, not the destination,” he said. The only requirement for any fellow bikers is that “there’s no whining.”
Lovett does welcome a team and hopes that the other bikers bring along sponsors, helping him achieve his goal of raising $30,000 or $10 per mile, he said.
After biking for about 10 days, Lovett aims to make it through New York state. Next summer, he’ll take a train or bus to New York and bike to Chicago. And the summer after that, he’ll fly out to California and head east toward Chicago to complete the fundraiser.
Along the way, he has a story to tell about All Souls and is planning stops in local churches. Many of those churches are dealing with the same issues as CCU, Lovett said, and may be interested in hearing how CCU is repurposing the building while also doing its part to end homelessness.
“This is a story that is replicable,” he said.
This summer’s bike ride to support those homeless families will not be his longest of the three, but it’s “all about putting a stake in the ground, getting on the map and making good on a pledge to begin keeping my end of the bargain,” he said.
“I like speed, I like being close to the ground, and I like meeting strangers and becoming friends. This is going to be a kind of a spiritual quest for me. I feel like I’m taking the church with me.”
To learn more about making a tax-deductible gift, visit http://AllSoulsHouse.org or www.WeWelcomeAll.org.
Full Story: Lowell Sun
Tags: all souls house, Christ Church United, homeless, homeless families, homelessness, in Lowell, Rev. Peter Lovett, UCC
