Granite City OWL

03/13/2026

Thanks to the students and staff from Trinity Academy in Jackson TN for all the hard work breaking down and cleaning up the OWL building.

02/05/2026

Just to update our community about the Overnight Warming Locations (OWL) impact so far. There are three locations: Granite City, Alton and Edwardsville.

So far this year we have add 29 activations, with 18 of them almost in a row, only a day here or there in between.

We have witnessed the mobilizing of community with hundreds of volunteers, the care for one another, and an abundance of meeting basic needs through donations.

There has been more than 6,000 meals made. Local restaurants have provided meals and most have been made by kitchen workers.

Our volunteers have worked hard to provide safe spaces for nearly 400 unique individuals this season. That’s no small task.

At the Granite City OWL we have had a high of 52 in a single night. Showers have been provided as well as clean warm clothes because of your donations. Hundreds of towels have been washed. Blankets and pillow cases have been taken to laundromats.

We could not do this amazing task to provide for the most vulnerable of our communities without you, the friends, churches, community organizations and local citizens. Thank you so much!

Our deep appreciation extends to the mayors, city councils, police, and ems for your support and encouragement. Also, thanks to our local library and township for providing day time warming locations and to MCT for providing transportation.

02/04/2026

Hope and Despair

It was Christmas Day, and the weather felt strangely spring-like. Karen, our food coordinator for the Overnight Warming Location, along with a few church families, wanted to serve a meal for the most vulnerable in our community.

We prepared a traditional Christmas dinner, hoping for a large turnout, but only about seven guests came. Still, the fellowship was rich. By midafternoon, we cleaned up and headed home, grateful for the small circle that had gathered.

As I sank into my car seat, ready to unwind, my phone rang. It was one of the men who often visited the Warming Location. His voice trembled as he asked if I could drive him downtown to visit his mother. Fifteen minutes later, he slid into the seat beside me—and immediately began to cry.

This was a man I had never seen cry. Years of addiction and homelessness had taken their toll. Though only fifty-three, he looked decades older—thin, frail, hollow-eyed. His suffering showed in every movement.

“What’s going on?” I asked gently.

Through tears, he told me that on Christmas Eve, he had attended a local church service for the homeless. “Pastor Phil,” he said, voice shaking, “I went forward for prayer and gave my life to Christ.” He wept again, but this time his tears carried relief rather than despair.

When he lifted his head, a grin spread across his face—a rare, radiant smile. “For the first time in months,” he said, “I have hope. I was ready to end my life. Every day for the last three months I have thought about killing myself. I hated my addiction, the pain I caused my family…but I believe God is changing my life.”

Yesterday, he entered a detox program and is planning to move into a rehab center. Before stepping out of the car, he turned to me and said softly, “You guys have saved my life.”

I smiled back, deeply humbled. “My friend,” I told him, “you’ve given me the most wonderful Christmas gift I could have received.”

He smiled again and walked toward the waiting arms of his mother—back into the light of hope

Two weeks ago, I arrived at the Overnight Warming Location around four in the morning. I poured myself a cup of coffee—the faithful friend of every OWL volunteer—and took a seat.

Across the room, one of our guests leaned forward on a table, motionless for several minutes. Concerned, I walked over to check on him. I knew he wrestled with mental health challenges.

When he lifted his head and met my eyes, I saw a depth of sorrow that words can’t describe. I invited him to sit beside me, and he quietly accepted. Moments later, tears began to spill down his face as he whispered, almost choking on the words, “My son committed suicide.” Then his sobs came in waves.

He leaned into me, put his head on my chest, his body trembling as he tried to make sense of a loss that no parent should have to bear. He spoke quickly—stories of distance, regret, and the phone call that changed everything. He had moved a thousand miles away and hadn’t seen his son in over a year. Now, that chance was gone.

I held him as he wept, his grief echoing through the quiet room. A volunteer brought a paper bag to help him breathe as panic set in. I whispered gently, encouraging him to take slow breaths. I knew I couldn’t take his pain away; all I could do was love him where he was.

After nearly an hour, the tears slowed. Worn out from his sorrow, he slumped into stillness. I guided him to a chair apart from the others, and there, for the next five hours, he slept—finally at rest.

Sometimes what we do isn’t about offering answers. It’s about sitting beside broken hearts and holding space for them to breathe again.

Hope and despair often share the same room. At the OWL, we witness both—sometimes in the same person, even in the same hour. The man who rediscovered a glimmer of hope after years of addiction and the father grieving the loss of his son remind us that love shows up in both triumph and tragedy.

We must meet people right where they are—on cold nights, in quiet tears, and in the trembling hands of those who serve. We may not always understand how hope takes root in the rubble of despair, but we can witness its quiet miracles.

Every cup of coffee, every shared meal, every moment of listening becomes an act of grace. And grace, even in the smallest measure, can turn despair into the first light of hope.

(Picture by Rafi Perez)

02/01/2026

We still have a few volunteer spots to fill overnight if any of our volunteers are available call Phil at (314) 496-4254

01/27/2026

Tonight through Monday night we will be open. We need additional volunteers to fill the overnight 3 hour shifts. If you can help text Pastor Phil Warren at 314-496-4254. Thank you in advance.

01/27/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/188JrgFZEh/?mibextid=wwXIfr

All 3 OWLs are activating again this evening (1/27)!

01/27/2026

Do Good.

The Apostle Paul writes to his young protégé and gives instructions to the community of believers. He said, “They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share.”

I write this from a heart that is overflowing with thanksgiving. In the last few days this community has rallied to support the Overnight Warming Locations (OWL). You had to be here to witness the extravagant giving for those who are the most vulnerable in our community. Cars were lined up with supplies, and our unhoused friends were eagerly unloading food, clothing, and many other needed items.

One young man had made several trips back and forth, and I was keeping the door open. His arms were full, and he paused in front of me. Tears were rolling down his cheeks. His lips were trembling. Then he said, “Why are they doing this for us?” His life was marked by hardship. He looked older than he was. I responded, “Because they love you.” He just shook his head and continued with his labors.

Another man wrote the following:
“I want to thank some wonderful people who opened their hearts and gave up days of their time to help us street people, the homeless. I want to thank Karen for all the wonderful meals… Mom, you have one of the biggest hearts, and we all know the hours you have put in. I watched you run yourself ragged so that we could eat. We all love you like a mother. We will never forget you… There are many others I want to thank who opened up their hearts and never treated us like worthless, drug-addicted criminals. You treated us like human beings, like family…we will never forget the blessing you were in our lives.”

Do good. Be rich in good works. Be generous. Be ready to share.

Mary Anne Radmacher wrote, “There is no small act of kindness. Every compassionate act makes large the world.” Granite City, thank you for your unbelievable kindness. Our storage room is full. We have food. We have toilet paper, cleaning supplies, coats, detergent, plates, bowls, spoons, and the list goes on and on. You have made the world larger.

On Sunday morning, the parking lot was covered with snow. I pulled to the edge of the lot and prayed. I asked God to send us someone who could plow a path so our volunteers could come in without getting stuck in the snow. Literally 30 seconds later, a lady pulled into the lot with her pickup truck and started clearing a path for us to get in. She said, “I just wanted to help.”

We could not do this good work without our volunteers. The hours get long. Sometimes our guests get unruly. It can be stressful. Yet, person after person comes through the doors and eagerly starts to serve. I cannot fully express my appreciation. Without the volunteers, people would not experience life-saving kindness.

An old man came in last week. He hobbled through the doors with his walker. His face was red from the frigid wind. His body was shaking. We got him some hot coffee and wrapped a red blanket around his shivering shoulders. A few minutes later, I came and talked to him. He shared his name and a little bit of his story. No family. No friends. Living on the streets and trying to survive. He said with a weak voice, “You saved my life.”

The three-part mission of OWL is simple. Get inside. Get connected. Get well. We are a place of refuge from the weather. We are a community together. We connect our guests to resources.

The cold days will end. Our guest will make their way back to the streets. But when they leave, they will know that this community has loved them and followed the commandments to… “Do good. Be rich in good works. Be generous. Be ready to share.”

Phil Warren, City Lead

01/26/2026

We are open tonight and likely all week!

01/23/2026

Open tonight!

01/21/2026

Time to be real: the next week and a half is about to be BRUTAL! We are likely looking at 11 straight days of overnight activations that allow our unhoused neighbors to sleep in a warm location, free from dangerously low temps.

Have you thought about becoming a volunteer but haven't pulled the trigger? Have you considered it but thought you couldn't commit to a whole winter season? Well, if you can, now is the time to put your name in - even if just for this upcoming stretch!

Here is how you can help:

- Sign up to volunteer using this link: https://owl-479483.churchcenter.com/people/forms/1048699 (ignore old dates for in-person trainings, just put in contact info, and mark overnight shifts, submit)

- Lookout for an email from our Volunteer Coordinator Joe Hackler with some training materials and next steps.

- Serve 1 or more overnight shifts during the upcoming cold temp stretch.

Friends, it is a struggle to adequately cover overnight shifts during normal times, so the next week and half will be even harder. Your help will allow us to continue making a difference by saving lives!

Thank you in advance! Please SHARE!