Hot Lunch Program at Outreach Ministry

I read the article “Heeding the Call to Help” (City Times, Oct. 23). I was surprised and upset at the incorrect remarks made by Garland Robinson concerning the outreach compassionate ministry of the First Church of the Nazarene of Los Angeles.

To note some of the inconsistencies and outright flagrant remarks:

He was not present on our site on Friday to minister to the homeless because we do not have a Friday service, nor have we ever had one.

We have no third floor to serve the participants with lunch bags, nor would we ever think of throwing the bags out of a window. In fact, we distributed the bag lunches from our front office.

It is true that there is a new development in our program. Due to internal restructuring and lack of funding, we made some changes. I was appointed to head the compassionate ministry of our church.

In my assignment, I was given the liberty to make some changes.

I decided to have hot-lunch service rather than a lunch-bag program. I felt it was more in keeping with the dignity of our street friends and more satisfying.

It was a hit and still is. It gives us more of an opportunity to be with our people and to share.

We have never in the 5 1/2 years that I have been here felt distance, fearfulness or threatening by our street people.

We were glad to have Mr. Robinson (who worked briefly as a volunteer), as well as any of our street people, sit, pray and have fellowship with us.

We have problems, but our street friends are not one of them.

FATHER DAVID IGLESIAS

First Nazarene Church

Los Angeles