Faith receives considerable ink in December. Much of it this year focused on the role of faith in the public square. Battles over crèches and menorahs are standard fare in local newspapers; this year the topic drew national attention as the battle extended to the "people's lawn" at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

We tend to measure the nation's faith temperature by these stories—as well as by the studies chronicling the declining place of faith in the culture.

Martin Davis is director of the Congregational Resource Guide. Reach him at mdavis@alban.org.

For many congregations, however, these issues are aberrations, distractions from real, ongoing work. The demand for warm shelters climbs for individuals and families in search of food and a place to sleep. And this year, the demand is surging, thanks to another topic that received plenty of news ink: the recession.

In St. Paul, Minnesota, the economy has been particularly hard hit. Consequently, Catholic Charities, Union Gospel Mission, and other faith-based groups have been at capacity for months.

And still the homeless keep coming. Needs for support at San Gabriel Valley's Winter Shelter Program, operated by area churches on a rotation basis, are likewise bursting as the valley enters its cold months.

And in upscale Reston, Virginia, the need for basics—such as toothpaste, toilet paper, coats, and canned goods—at Reston Interfaith's Embry Rucker Community Shelter for the dispossessed has become acute. This work gets some attention. But it is hardly all that congregations do this time of year.

Emotional needs are every bit as demanding as physical needs. And because emotional needs rise during holiday time, congregations become especially important places for people who lack family and friends, or who are struggling with mental illness. While many faith communities have programs that deal professionally with these people, every congregation provides some level of support simply by being a congregation and welcoming all those who need a stable community in the midst of the unstable situations that lead to the winter blues—or worse.

Public expressions of faith matter, as does our ability to express that faith publicly. A new Pew Forum on Religion and the Public Life study released this week reminds us of how few people can worship openly, or without fear of retribution.

But more important for individuals in the society as a whole—whether people of faith or not—are the basic needs that congregations fulfill. It is a miracle, of sorts, that year in and year out—through recessions, depressions, and times of national crisis—congregations are there. Regardless of the faith that we have in them, congregations always have faith in us—especially the least of us.

We at the Congregational Resource Guide exist to aid you in continuing to serve. And in this season especially, when you are finding resources for those who need them most, even though your own resources are strained, we thank you. It is a privilege to serve and support congregations, which give so freely.

Blessings from the staff of the Congregational Resource Guide.

Marty Davis, Director

Claudia Greer, Resource Associate

Shawn Plunkett, Resource Coordinator

— Martin Davis, December 18, 2009