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Churches feel left out of August DNC plans

By Jean Torkelson, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published July 21, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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Volunteers Phil Morroni, left, and Paige Rigot serve the homeless Thursday behind St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church on the Auraria campus. The church serves meals seven days a week. Several churches plan to offer events and special services for the Democratic National Convention.

Photo by Matt MCclain / The Rocky

Volunteers Phil Morroni, left, and Paige Rigot serve the homeless Thursday behind St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church on the Auraria campus. The church serves meals seven days a week. Several churches plan to offer events and special services for the Democratic National Convention.

Churches schedule convention week

Denver's main downtown Catholic churches, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and the Church of the Holy Ghost will hold Sunday and daily Masses, will be open for prayer during regular hours and will continue regular outreach to the poor. Other churches:

* Trinity United Methodist Church, 18th and Broadway

Noon weekday concerts; tours; Delegate Service Day; law enforcement rest stop.

* Riverside Baptist Church, 24th and Alcott

Meals and rest stops for law enforcement.

* St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 16th and Grant

Hosting Indianapolis high school journalists.

* Colorado Convention Center

Interfaith gathering at Wells Fargo Theatre Aug. 24; spiritual reading and counseling at Reflection Room; midday panels.

* Meditate 08

Place for contemplation at Fishback Landing Park, Aug. 23-28.

More Denver Democratic National Convention 2008

More stories »

Downtown churches and religious groups are bracing for the good, the bad and possibly the ugly when the Democratic National Convention comes to town.

There are plans for extra concerts and spiritual counseling for stressed delegates. Some churches are throwing open their doors to provide off-duty law enforcement and security forces a place to crash.

But spiritual leaders are perplexed that city officials haven't been in touch to discuss all the variables that will be set in motion by 50,000 visitors and unknown numbers of protesters.

While the city finally released the list of street closures last week, churches still feel left out of the process and without answers to key questions.

For example, will regular worshippers be able to reach them? What about parking? And what about access for the poor and homeless who depend on the churches' outreach services and daily sandwich lines?

"That's been an ongoing hassle with the city," said the Rev. Kevin Maly, pastor of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 16th and Grant, which feeds up to 1,000 poor people every day. "We're getting nothing from them. They don't ever talk to us. It's an ongoing thing."

The city didn't respond to three requests from the Rocky for comment.

Burned by the city's silence during past events, Maly is in a fighting mood: "I am personally committed to challenging any attempts to limit access to St. Paul," he said, in a subsequent e-mail.

"It's pretty unclear at the local level," agreed the Rev. Chrysostom Frank, pastor of St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church, which is adjacent to the designated protest route along Speer Boulevard.

St. Elizabeth's plans to continue its daily noon Masses, even though they fall at the height of the protest hours. That is, as long as worshippers can get there - "and as long as I can get there," Frank said.

Another group at the epicenter of the protest route is SGI-USA, the Buddhist Culture Center at 14th and Speer. Staffer Terry Skinner said they, too, are wondering whether regulars - and visitors - will be able to reach the center for daily meditation.

And that might be too bad, given the political pressure in the air: "Maybe (meditation) would calm them down," Skinner said.

Riverside Baptist Church, on the southbound side of Interstate 25, is launching "an around-the-clock effort" to provide food and a place to rest for exhausted law enforcement personnel.

"We want to help them in practical ways," said Dennis Blythe, the leadership pastor. He said the church has gathered hundreds of volunteers and is ready to offer 7,600 meals a day and an open church through the night.

Arguably, no church is approaching the convention with more enthusiasm than the 149- year-old Trinity United Methodist Church.

Blessed with great location - 18th and Broadway - and a storied history, Denver's oldest church is seizing the moment to craft itself as the convention's go-to spiritual home.

"We want to have a big welcome sign on our building," Pastor Michael Dent said. "We want to be there for the delegates, superdelegates, the media, protesters."

Trinity will offer noontime concerts, building tours and a haven for off-duty security and law enforcement personnel.

Comments

  • July 21, 2008

    5:33 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    smidgen writes:

    seperation of church and state...The church pays no tax...They should keep out of politics!!!

  • July 21, 2008

    6:45 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Hambone writes:

    I work and the city hasn't asked me crap about my concerns nor have have they kept me in the loop before making decisions.

    And what's up with "marketing" churches? What a joke.

  • July 21, 2008

    7:17 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    MiHiman writes:

    This whole DNC hoopla is a joke!
    While "Life goes on" for the common folk that work around the clock just like any other day, we are expected to HONOR the people who choose to come to Denver and party.
    We have MANY groups who gather throughout the year in larger numbers than this convention....Ie: Peoples Fair...Gay Pride...Taste of Colorado...Sporting events of all types. No SPECIAL treatments are offered! They all spend money too. We don't spit and polish for the citizens who pay their taxes here all year, year after year.
    I think its sad and asking alot of citizens to cater and pretend that we are something we are not. We hide anything that might "show up in the national media" that doesn't look acceptable. What happens after the convention and we go back to dirty parks and homeless people, crime and traffic congestion. Denver isn't fooling anyone!!!!(especially the residents who want better things for our City 24/7/365!)

  • July 21, 2008

    7:49 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Darwin writes:

    smidgen writes: seperation of church and state...The church pays no tax...They should keep out of politics!!!

    So you are against churches offering food, drinks, and a place to rest to policemen, firemen, and EMT's?

    Perhaps it is Congress and the presidency who should stay out of "politics" and instead work together (a foreign concept to them) and govern as the people have elected them to do.

  • July 21, 2008

    9:24 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    blacksho89 writes:

    The head of the DNC, Leah Daugherty, is a Pentecostal minister.
    The Dems are in violation! Vote Republican for Freedom!

  • July 21, 2008

    9:52 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    sheepherder writes:

    I think freethought should open his home to the cops and feed them!

  • July 21, 2008

    3:20 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    MGD writes:

    Freethought also might want to feed the 100 homeless each day that St. Paul's feeds.