HOMELESSNESS IS HELL

on the streets of atlanta, in the shadows of shiny skyscrapers, . . . within blocks of the birthplace of Martin Luther King, Jr., death stalks the poor. They feel it, as they rise from sleep on sidewalks and parking lots. They see it, as they wait six hours for treatment at the hospital. They smell it, as they sit in jail with thousands of other poor people. Death follows their every move. To be poor in America is to bear this cross, daily and always. behind glossy windows . . . and locked gates, on upper floors, inside speeding cars on the freeways of Atlanta, death stalks people who are not poor. They catch a glimpse of it sometimes and move away quickly. They make sure to  invest for their future and  pay insurance premiums on time.  They work more hours and return many phone calls.  To have money in America is to build bulwarks against this fear: fear of the poor, fear of death.

the open door community
recognizes this heartsickness. Hearing Dr. King’s call to action, we respond –
            with life,            with love,            with welcome.

we are a residential christian community
located in a spacious old apartment building near downtown Atlanta.  We have gathered here to live and work together.  Some of us were once homeless, while others are ministers, students, lawyers, parents, and business people. Some of us were once in prison, even on death row. Some are recovering from addiction to crack or alcohol, while others are recovering from addiction to wealth or power.  Some make their home here, while others visit. Together, we practice the way of discipleship – the way of Yahweh Elohim, who loves the poor, and of Jesus Christ, who walked with them.

founded in 1981 as a partnership ministry
with the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta, the Open Door Community draws inspiration and guidance from the  Catholic Worker Movement of Dorothy Day, Jubilee Partners of Comer, GA, and the Koinonia Community model of the 1960s.

the community offers hospitality to the homeless and ministry to the imprisoned. In addition, the Open Door has developed into a center of learning and theological study, a church, a publishing house, a  locus for activism and advocacy, a place of spiritual guidance and retreat, and a home in which to raise our children. Ours is a community of diversity – where people build relationships across boundaries of race, class, gender, culture, and sexual orientation. works of mercy are the daily practices of the Open Door Community: with the poor, the imprisoned, and the outcast.

walking a journey for justice,
the members of our community join in solidarity with marginalized people.  This shared journey brings Jesus’ and Dr. King’s radical vision of love to life.

MY GRIEF IS BEYOND HEALING, MY HEART IS SICK WITHIN ME