Sun Chronicle

Mansfield Faith
Common cause with homeless
BY MATT KAKLEY SUN CHRONICLE STAFF
Saturday, October 11, 2008 3:07 AM EDT
Pastor David Arruda of the Faith Fellwship United Methodist Church in Mansfield is living in a tent outside of the church.
Top Headlines
Common cause with homeless


MANSFIELD - Although he had only been living like a homeless person for less than a day, the Rev. David Arruda said depression already was creeping upon him.He was tired, sore and hadn't gotten very much sleep because of the street noise, something the homeless must deal with every day."This was just one night," said Arruda, pastor of Faith Fellowship United Methodist Church in Mansfield. "How can we expect someone who's been at this for months to be up and chipper?"To learn about what the homeless go through, Arruda decided to spend more than three days living in a tent outside the North Main Street church. His experiment began Wednesday night, and will continue until Sunday, culminating in a service and film screening on the topic of homelessness.Arruda said his goal is to increase awareness among local residents, showing them that there are homeless people everywhere, not just in urban settings.
"There are homeless in Mansfield, there are homeless in Foxboro, there are homeless in Norton," he said. "It's in every community, no matter what the economic bracket."Sitting in front of the church and eating a meal from a food pantry - Spam and crackers - Arruda reflected on the psychological and spiritual effects homelessness can have on people, and how a home goes beyond just a physical structure."It's not just a roof over someone's head," he said. "It's a place to rest. Not just physically, but mentally and physically."The pastor is also looking to show people that the stereotype of homeless people must change. The old belief that the homeless are older people with substance abuse or psychological problems has gone by the wayside, he said."The average age of a homeless person, worldwide, is 8 years old," he said. "They're people with mortgages they can't afford. They're the working poor.""They're the people asking, do we buy food or do we pay the rent? Do we put fuel in the tank or do we buy medicine for the kids?"Arruda said he's striving for "awareness of the end result, but also the other things that get them to the end result."Arruda will speak about his experience at a service at 7 p.m. Sunday at Faith Fellowship United Methodist Church, 9 North Main St. in Mansfield.The program will also feature a screening of the award-winning documentary "Lost in Woonsocket."The film chronicles a group of filmmakers as they began a bold humanitarian experiment roaming around the country, looking for perfect strangers who needed help. They end up stumbling upon a tent in the woods outside of Woonsocket, R.I., containing two men who had been missing from their families for 13 years.
The documentary from 2007 is for mature audiences and contains some strong language.The film will be followed by a question and answer session with some of the film's subjects.Admission is free, but donations will be accepted and seating will be limited for the intimate screening. For more information, call 508-339-6040 or visit the church's Web site at 11thhourchurchturnaround.blogspot.com.In Arruda's mind, the only way to solve the world's homeless problem will be a union of churches putting aside differences in faith and working together."Government can't do it," he said. "Money isn't going to do it, people are going to do it."MATT KAKLEY can be reached at 508-236-0333 or at mkakley@thesunchronicle.com.