http://www.northjersey.com/business/nonprofits/Homeless_shelter_kicked_out_of_home.htmlHOMELESS SHELTER KICKED OUT OF HOME Monday, December 29, 2008
Last updated: Monday December 29, 2008, 6:36 AM
BY JUSTO BAUTISTA
STAFF WRITER
The FAITH Foundation is looking for a home again after it was kicked out of the First Reformed Church of Hackensack following a Christmas dinner for the homeless where heated words were exchanged between church and foundation officials.
"Maybe it's God's way of telling us we were in the wrong place," said Robin Reilly, executive director of the non-profit group that helps the homeless.
Church officials countered that they weren't scrooges and said Reilly refused to follow church rules.
The foundation held a Christmas party for about 100 homeless people at the church. Behind-the-scene tempers were short when Reilly insisted that the homeless be fed before the singing of Christmas carols and a sermon.
The Rev. Timonty Ippolito, pastor at Faith Reformed Church in Lodi, which holds Sunday worship services at the church, said the "itinerary" called for "worship, word and prayer" first, telling the food servers in the chow line to "drop" the utensils.
Reilly said she was concerned that some of the homeless had not eaten "for 24 hours."
Ippolito said he would call the police if Reilly tried to interrupt the service.
While Ippolito delivered his sermon tempers flared in the back of the room when Reilly said, "This is not what I would call a Christian service."
That riled the Rev. Leonard Masquelier, the pastor at the Hackensack church, who roared, "Robin, you're out of here!"
That didn't sit well with Eric, a foundation volunteer and ex-boxer, who got in the reverend's face, blurting, "You don't speak to a lady that way!"
Two days after the event, the church council sent Reilly an e-mail, telling her "effective immediately, your organization is no longer welcome in our church facilities."
On Saturday, foundation volunteers moved five van loads of clothes, food and gifts out of the Hackensack church.
Reilly said the items are "hidden'' in a church which she declined to identify because she didn't want it to get into trouble.
Church elder Ted Kallinikos, who oversaw the removal, said Reilly "didn't follow anything we requested of her."
"We gave her three simple rules: respect the church property as if it were your home, no cursing" and follow the Dec. 21 itinerary, Kallinikos said.
Masquerlier said there's no chance the church would reconsider its decision. The church will cancel its variance request with asking the city to allow the foundation to use its facilities, Masquerlier said.
"She's doing a wonderful thing [for the homeless], but she refuses to follow the rules," the reverend said.
The city shut down the foundation's former location on State Street, saying its certificate of occupancy did not include serving food — food that Reilly said was often sent by the city as a helpful gesture.
Since the holiday blowup, Reilly said citizens, outraged at the way she was treated, have been sending gifts and donations.
Reilly vowed to continue her work with the homeless.
"We'll keep going," she said.
E-mail: bautista@northjersey.com
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