WINTER PARK — “I went to a sleepover in my church,” said Art Cross, laughing. Cross is a member at First United Methodist Church here. He and his wife, Lee, recently spent a night serving as hosts to homeless families as part of a program called Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN).

IHN gives congregations a way to work together to help families. It’s a “hands-on” way of responding to Jesus in Matthew 25 when he said, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me.”

“…these people are like us, only without addresses,” Lee Cross said. “ How can these children have their friends over to play? How can they concentrate on their schoolwork when they may not know where they will sleep? Our church, through the IHN, gives them a sense of having a place to stay that’s safe, with people who care about them.”

IHN is an ecumenical effort among Orlando-area churches. Throughout the year each takes weeklong turns providing overnight lodging and meals on their church property for homeless families. Ten churches are serving as permanent host congregations, including First, Winter Park, and three other United Methodist Churches—Oviedo’s First United Methodist Church and Conway and Broadway United Methodist churches. St. Andrews United Methodist Church here serves as a support congregation.

“Our first weeks of hosting were a resounding success,” said Charlotte Denmark, who works with Nancy Richter to coordinate the IHN ministry at First, Winter Park. “We’re committed to host families in our church for one week every two months.”

Like many of the churches First, Winter Park provides a place to sleep, meals, stories, games and companionship for children and parents. Most of the IHN families are considered “working poor”—they have jobs, but their income falls within the poverty level guidelines established by the federal government—and need only a few weeks’ help.

“Imagine you earn minimum wage and have no health insurance. The slightest emergency could put you and your children on the street,” said Sulli Stichcomb, a volunteer trainer for IHN and a new First, Winter Park member.

More than 50 First, Winter Park volunteers prepare meals and provide linens, lamps, personal items and other supplies to help make classrooms look like home for the week. Guests even find chocolates on their pillows at bedtime.

Some church members who plan only to drop off food find themselves staying to visit with the guests and enjoy playing with the children. “IHN is a way for new members to meet and work with long-time members, as well as our guests,” Richter said. “I see this as a wonderful benefit of the program.”

First, Winter Park member Ray Barcus spent the night with guests and provided transportation the next morning during one of the church’s recent host weeks. “It was great,” he said. “We even had a professional storyteller for the kids.”

Laurie Tucker, director of IHN for Orange and Seminole counties, says she has seen many success stories. One is of a woman from the Midwest who was laid off from her job last year. Armed with an associate’s degree she brought her young son to Orlando to start over, but she arrived two days before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Finding a job at that time was impossible. After a few weeks as a guest of IHN she began working in an accounting position at an area hospital, and she and her son are happy in their new apartment, according to Tucker.

Congregations interested in IHN should contact Janet Chilcote, missions minister at First, Oviedo, at 407-365-3255 or fumcoeli@aol.com.  Chilcote introduced IHN in Florida.