Newton Presbytery shared a story this week about Oxford Second’s support of Warren County Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN).  In the article, Henry Newbold, of the Communications Committee of the Presbytery Coordinating Team, shared about the program and Oxford Second's involvement:

"Known informally by its initials as IHN, and occasionally as “IN HIS NAME” throughout its service area, IHN of Warren County is a collection of roughly fourteen congregations which, on a rotating basis, house the temporarily homeless with the commitment of dinner and evening shelter...

"What is less known is the daytime component of this program and that should be of great interest to our churches. Homeless families no longer have a family base, so IHN provides just that with a Day Center so that school age children may remain schooled in their familiar location. That Day Center is the old manse of the OXFORD SECOND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. Long in disrepair and unused, a grant received from Newton Presbytery facilitated its renovation. Cooperation among area congregations provided the labor while the local HABITAT FOR HUMANITY joined the effort.

"The Day Center offers the opportunity for coached job search, including preparation of resumes, a response location, and opportunity for such normal daily tasks as laundry, infant nurture, and a solid breakfast. The cooperating churches provide dinners, relaxation opportunities, and night shelter via sleeping quarters."The program’s major benefit is its ability to keep the family unit intact while they are in the midst of the wrenching experience of homelessness..."