Scrolling through Facebook one day earlier this winter, Leslie Ball saw where donations were being accepted so guests in the Cold Night Out Shelter could go somewhere to take a shower.

She immediately thought about the church she attends, Rockford United Methodist Church, and how it has showers, a washer and dryer and a quiet place to take a nap in the fellowship hall.

She said it was built to be used by the church and community, so this was the perfect opportunity to help support a good cause.

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After receiving approval from the pastor, Ball was put in touch with the Rev. Dr. Sondra Gentry of Bethel Community Church, who is leading the Cold Night Out Shelter project in Seymour.

Starting Dec. 1, churches volunteered to serve as a host site when the outside temperature dropped below 32 degrees. That later switched to being offered every day, no matter the temperature.

On a Saturday earlier this month, three guests stayed at Rockford during the day, and Ball and her daughter were there with them.

The next morning at church, Ball gave her testimony and asked the pastor what members of the congregation could do to help with the project.

That night, a meeting was conducted at the church, and 17 people offered to volunteer in any way they could.

Since then, guests have stayed at the day site at the church from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays.

“We had a lot of people step up and immediately say, ‘Yes, let’s do this,’” Ball said. “There was no question. It was, ‘We’re going to do this, and then we’ll kind of figure it out as we go.’ We didn’t need to put a plan in place. We’re just, ‘Yes, we’re going to open the doors, and whatever happens, it’s going to happen.’”

Her parents, Pat and Larry Lewis, have been among the volunteers from the church. While church attendance only averages around 40, Larry said the members step up when needed.

“Our church is unique in that somebody comes up with an idea, and all of a sudden, it just comes together,” Larry said.

Gentry said she has found that to be the case with other churches in the city. Along with Bethel, churches that have stepped up to serve as a host site for the night shelter include Seymour Harvest, Seymour Christian, St. Ambrose Catholic, Cornerstone Community and Central Christian. The city also has allowed churches to use the Seymour Community Center.

Plus, there have been three volunteer training sessions so people could learn how they can help with the shelter. Those drew more than 250 people.

“People knock on Bethel’s door all of the time and just say, ‘Well, we thought you might need this,’ and they pull up with a trunkload of stuff,” Gentry said.

“I think it’s limitless, it is bottomless. It is absolutely limitless what people will do if you present them with an idea and the need,” she said. “This took off so fast. It’s always ahead of me.”

After going through the intake process at 4:30 p.m. daily at The Alley in Seymour, guests eat a meal before boarding a bus to take them to the host site.

Gentry said that has been going well except for the fact that some guests had nowhere to go during the day.

“You run out of places to be warm. If you go to the library and fall asleep, you can’t stay,” she said. “Trying to find somewhere to go from 7:30 to 4 is a long day. We had nowhere for them to go, and that became a real issue.”

Through research, she learned programs similar to the Cold Night Out Shelter operate a day site.

Gentry’s prayers were answered when she received the call from Ball. Before that, she said she didn’t realize the Rockford church had a building with showers, a washer and dryer and a place to sleep.

So far, Ball said the day site has gone well.

“We’re learning a lot and changing our food thoughts up and having lunch with them and breakfast and just hanging out and doing what we can to help,” she said. “We have had overwhelming support from our congregation for this, and it has just been a blessing.”

People from other churches who can’t help at the night shelter have even reached out to help at the day site.

Rockford plans to continue the day site as long as Gentry feels it is necessary.

“We’re hoping that we can grow this and be in a joint effort to help as much as we can,” Ball said.

All along, the plan has been to operate the Cold Night Out Shelter through Feb. 28. After a couple of meetings this week, Gentry will be able to determine if that’s adequate or if it should be extended.

From 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, people can stop by Redeemer Lutheran Church, 504 N. Walnut St., Seymour, to share their thoughts. Boards with questions on them will be placed around a room, and people can write their answers on sticky notes and place them on the boards. They also can eat a bowl of soup while there.

Also that day, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., a cookies and chats event is at the Rockford church, 1934 N. Ewing St., with the same purpose.

Then Friday, Gentry will meet with pastors and site coordinators to review the people’s thoughts on the project. So far, it has served 36 people, while 11 people have chosen to be baptized, and two have been reunited with family.

“There are just a lot of questions and challenges that are coming up,” she said. “Some people want it to continue year-round. Some people want it to continue another month. Some people think that it should operate more like an emergency to where people come in that night and not come back. … I know what I want to see, but I need to know what it is that Seymour wants.”

Gentry said she sees no reason in perpetuating the cycle of homelessness by the way in which a program is designed.

“I’m clearly not looking to do that. I’m absolutely clear about that,” she said. “I’ve been challenged about putting people out. That’s not the vision God gave me, so stick with the vision God gave you, and if you say that, you are a person of God. You stick with the vision God gave you, not what the world would like to see.”

Gentry said the day site is important because it can offer things guests can’t get at the night shelter. That includes classes and services to help them obtain jobs so they can earn money to put a down payment on a place to stay.

“The day site can do really supportive things that we really can’t do well at night,” she said. “They are here all day. They have more time. It’s more relaxed.”

Bell said she also has found that the guests want to do things for themselves. When she cooks breakfast, they step up to wash dishes after they eat. Later in the day, they may make their own lunch and do their laundry.

“They have been very thankful and very appreciative and really helpful. There wasn’t a question when I said, ‘It’s time to wash dishes.’ They went and they washed dishes,” Ball said.

“Everyone that I have encountered for the most part through this group are lovely people that have fallen on hard times, that have had a rough life and they just need a hand to get themselves back out there and into the work world,” she said. “If they ask for something, it is something very easy and very small. It has just been a lovely experience so far.”

The idea is to give them a sense of normalcy, Ball said.

“We are at least trying to allow them the freedom to be a part of our church family when they are here and do the things that we would all do,” she said.

From the start, Gentry stressed for the volunteers to make the people feel like guests in their home. She’s happy to see that has been the case at the night shelter and day site.

“That allows people to make some decisions about their lives and gives them some opportunity for things to change,” she said. “You’ve got to do the basic needs before anything else. You have to give them that floor.”

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The Cold Night Out Shelter project began from community discussions by Bethel Community Church in Seymour.

After speaking with the community and realizing the issue, the Rev. Dr. Sondra Gentry realized people of faith should step up to help with the homelessness issue.

From this, discussions began with various pastors and lay leaders. Each church is asked to host for one week during the time of Dec. 1 to Feb. 28.

Initially, the shelter only activated when the temperature dropped below 32 degrees. It later changed to be offered every night, regardless of the temperature.

Guests should first go to The Alley, 416 E. Second St., Seymour, between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. for supper and intake. Transport to the shelter leaves a little before 6 p.m.

The shelter is open for single men, single women and families. Beds are limited, so people should check in with shelter staff as soon as they arrive.

Just recently, a day site was added from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays at Rockford United Methodist Church.

Want to help? Contact Gentry at 317-590-2595 or visit facebook.com/coldnightout.

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What: Share your thoughts about the current state of the Cold Night Out Shelter and its future

When and where: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 504 N. Walnut St., Seymour, and 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Rockford United Methodist Church, 1934 N. Ewing St., Seymour

Details: Boards with questions on them will be placed around a room, and people can write their answers on sticky notes and place them on the boards. Soup will be served at Redeemer, and cookies will be available at Rockford.

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