A home away from homelessness in Glen Burnie MD

In May of 2008, the Revs. Ed Jansen and Trish Gaffney opened the doors of Emmaus Center at 9a Central Avenue in Glen Burnie as a mission of St. Michael Old Catholic Church. We asked ourselves, “If Jesus were here today, where do we think we would find him working?”

Answering our own question, defined our mission. Because of this, we share a special call to care for the poor, the homeless and the outcasts of society. As the doors opened on that bright and cheerful day, we were frankly shocked at the number of life‐long Glen Burnie residents, now homeless, who came. Clearly we were meeting a need that was much larger than what we had ever imagined. And what was even more surprising was that the people who came through our doors were human beings just like us. Oh, they had their tale of woe, and many of them were decent people who were just down on their luck. As we listened to them tell their stories, we began to realize that most of us today are merely one or two tragedies away from being homeless ourselves.

In just under four short years of our existence, St. Michael Old Catholic Mission and Emmaus Center have become a central part of the work in Glen Burnie to improve the living conditions for all people who live here, raising people up out of homelessness and helping them to return to independence. A number of our community members, who were living in stairwells and behind business buildings when we first met them, are now restored to living normal, everyday lives. For those who remain unable to accomplish this yet, we provide an environment where they learn to work within the community life, actively participate in spiritual activities and counseling at no cost, and more gradually take on more responsibility for stabilizing their lives.

As Christians we see the work of St. Michael as a gospel imperative to care for the poor (in Matthew 25 Jesus speaks of the help we give to the poorest people, is as if we were doing it to Him and He shuns those who do not). We offer our love and help to the poorest who rely on us as a food pantry, as a church, as a place to come when they are desperate and to learn life skills that facilitate reintegration into a productive life.

Through life in community, including but not limited to Morning Prayer each day at 8 a.m., daily Bible Study at 11 a.m. and Mass each Sunday at 9:45 a.m., the people develop a sense of self-worth, and a range of positive relationship skills that assist them in rising out of the life situation they find themselves in and re-enter back into society. We believe that people will rise to a better life when they begin to believe they have something of value to give back by serving others.

· We exist to serve the poor

· We are rooted in Scripture, the historic creeds and traditions of the Early Church

· We believe each life is sacred

· We seek unity within the Body of Christ

· We gather as a community to give God thanks

· We study and pray the Scriptures

· We administer the Sacraments

· We proclaim God’s grace and forgiveness through his Son

Emmaus Center in the News:

Click here