We're Saving You a Seat!

-- Body & Soul Homeless Program description below --

For the past several years, I have had the joy of gathering with an extraordinary group of women on the second Friday of each month to explore books hand-selected by United Women in Faith — titles that are engaging, insightful, and spiritually enriching. Each meeting is a rich conversation where women of faith bring their unique perspectives, life experiences, and God-given wisdom to the text.

If you are looking for a community that feeds your mind, stirs your spirit, and leaves you inspired long after the last page is turned — look no further. The HTC UWFaith 2nd Friday Book Club is one of the best-kept secrets in our sisterhood, and we are letting the secret out!

The women in the group are from across our Conference, so some I only know from our time together on Zoom — yet we have gotten to know each other well over the months. Everyone is welcome.

But here is what I did not expect when I first joined: the doors this book club would open.

It began with Ruth Bowen, my United Women in Faith sister from Denton, who encouraged me to apply as a book reviewer for the United Women in Faith Reading Program. Before Ruth’s invitation, I had occasionally suggested titles to the Reading Program — but nothing more. Being selected as a reviewer is something I consider both a privilege and an honor, and every time I submit my feedback, I am filled with pride to serve United Women in Faith in this way.

Signing up to be a reviewer was remarkably easy, and the experience has been incredibly rewarding. The National UWF team selects the books I review — a mix of children’s and adult titles — and each review requires me to complete a detailed questionnaire with specific questions about the book and my recommendation on whether it should be added to the Reading List. I have recommended books both for inclusion and exclusion, yet every title has been a worthwhile read. One book I reviewed recently moved me to tears — a powerful and deeply affecting story. Talk about being at the front of the table! If you have a love for literature and a passion for ministry, this could be your calling too. I read and evaluate books before they are officially added to the UWFaith Reading List — what a gift it is to serve in this way. 

I hope you will join us in the Book Club — we are saving a seat by the window just for YOU!

-- Sharon Spratt, a longtime UWFaith member from St. Paul UMC in downtown Dallas and the  Metro East District where she is a CON member. Sharon also is on the board of Dallas Bethlehem Center, one of the National Mission Institutions in our Conference. 

A Weekend Respite for the Unsheltered and Systems of Grace:
Becky Baird's summary of September’s 2nd Friday
HTC UWFaith Book Club Discussion

Christian advocacy for the unsheltered requires moving past transactional charity to embrace radical hospitality and relational proximity. This paradigm shift took center stage as the September selection for the 2nd Friday HTC UWFaith Book Club, which featured Kevin Nye’s 2022 book, Grace Can Lead Us Home: A Christian Call to End Homelessness. Categorized under the "Education for Mission" tract, the one hour discussion of this book on Zoom was intentionally postponed from June to September to prominently feature the lived experiences and insights of Ms. Leah Parker. Ms. Leah was one of three foundational women -- also a pastor and a young intern from SMU’s Perkins School of Theology -- who launched the Body & Soul Dallas Homeless Mission at the historic St. Paul UMC in downtown Dallas back in 1997.

Nye’s book tells us that homelessness is not a monolithic moral failing, but rather an intricate web of intersecting systemic crises— including a lack of understanding and relating to unhoused people, severe shortages in affordable housing, inadequate mental health infrastructure, and racial disparities.

Ms. Leah brought these systemic realities into sharp focus during her discussion of the Body & Soul Dallas ministry by highlighting a stark local demographic: a recent survey revealed that 59% of the unsheltered population in Dallas are Black males. Recognizing that systemic racism and economic displacement disproportionately impact Black men, Body & Soul Dallas is actively seeking Black male volunteers to serve as vital mentors and positive role models. This intentional strategy directly mirrors Nye’s call to dismantle societal stigma and isolation. By placing Black male volunteers on the front lines of service, the ministry fosters an environment of mutual identity, dignity, and representation, proving that effective advocacy requires understanding and reflecting the specific community being served.

Body & Soul Dallas serves as a living laboratory for Nye’s critique of the traditional, transactional models of church charity. Nye heavily admonishes ministries that condition their aid on behavioral compliance, religious conversion, or strict time limits, arguing instead for a framework of unmerited, trauma-informed grace. As a "drop-in" ministry that has operated since 1997—and recently formalized its impact by becoming a 501(c)3 organization in 2024—Body & Soul embodies this exact philosophy of radical hospitality. Every Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon, the basement of St. Paul UMC transforms into a safe, nurturing dining hall where up to 80 unhoused guests are treated as respected neighbors.

The presence of a volunteer chef alongside teams from area churches who greet, cook, serve, and clean creates a space where the artificial barrier between "server" and "served" is entirely erased. This humanitarian approach provides the physical, emotional and psychological respite that Nye identifies as a prerequisite for healing. Finally, while a hot meal and an essentials pantry cannot replace the permanent roof demanded by Nye’s "Housing First" ideology, Body & Soul Dallas functions as a crucial bridge to those very systems. By leveraging their extensive network of community contacts they have cultivated over nearly thirty years, the ministry effectively connects their weekend guests with wrap-around social services, proving that grassroots respite and systemic exit-strategies are not mutually exclusive, but deeply interdependent.

The heart of Body & Soul is reflected in Leah Parker’s practical, "boots on the ground" leadership. An example she shared was the necessity to modernize the program's marketing strategy. Leah collaborated with an unhoused local artist to create the ministry's logo. They selected a powerful design dating back to the Underground Railroad—a historic symbol used for generations by transient people to signify a safe space of refuge. Because Body & Soul completely dedicates itself to being a secure, nurturing environment for unsheltered guests throughout Dallas, this timeless symbol of safety is the perfect representation of its enduring mission.

There are many ways to volunteer your time at Body & Soul Dallas. Explore the opportunities at https://www.bodyandsouldallas.org/volunteer.