Recognizing barriers to transportation, SS. John and Paul Parish reaches out in creative way while hosting rotating shelter 

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP — For 30 years, MCREST has been providing shelter to homeless guests to help them get back on their feet.

In December, one Macomb County parish helped those guests get back on wheels.

SS. John and Paul Parish in Washington Township hosted guests as part of the Macomb Country Rotating Emergency Shelter Team (MCREST), an alliance of more than 70 churches that provide temporary shelter and meals to homeless people.  

But when guests came to SS. John and Paul Parish with bicycles in disrepair, Christian service coordinator Caroline Seidel made a call.

“We just noticed as we were unloading the bikes of the guests that some of the bicycles were in disrepair,” Seidel said. “Tires were crushed or were not working properly.”

Seidel knew someone who could help the guests with their bikes: her son, Joe Seidel, an employee at Main Street Bicycles on 26 Mile Road in Washington Township.

“My dad called me and said one of the guys needed a new rear wheel, but when I saw all five of the bikes they had, I brought the bikes to the shop and worked on them,” Joe Seidel said. “One of the bikes didn’t really need that much work; it was a single speed with not a lot going on. For another, we fixed a wheel bearing; another needed a rear derailleur; another needed a new rear wheel.”

Joe Seidel explained one of the bikes had the wrong-sized wheel, so instead of fixing it, he elected to take a bike from the store’s donation pile to give to the MCREST guest.

“The parish paid for the parts, and I did the labor for free,” Joe Seidel said, estimating the total repairs around $140. “We had to order a wheel that was $40, but we were able to get the parts a lot cheaper than normal. It would be almost double if it was someone else trying to do it.”

Caroline Seidel said the MCREST guests were grateful to see the parish community go above and beyond the call of duty.

“A couple of bikes were in really rough shape with the wheel mangled; a car had backed over it. Another bike had the wrong size wheel, so when you put on the brakes, it was grabbing the tires instead of the rim, and that is why he had flat tires,” Caroline Seidel said.

April Fidler, executive director of MCREST, said it is not uncommon to see parishes do extra services when they host homeless people, citing occasions when parishes have offered haircuts or even a spa day for MCREST guests. But this is the first time she can think of a parish fixing up bicycles.

“With our homeless population, one of the main barriers is transportation to jobs or appointments,” Fidler said. “The folks we service, if they have bikes, they use it as their main mode of transportation. When they have a bike, they are grateful they don’t have to pay the $2 for the SMART bus. It may not seem like much, but the $4 for back and forth really means a lot and can be a challenge.”

Fidler said when the MCREST representative at the parish saw the parish offering to fix up the bikes, the organization put photos on its Facebook page.

“When people go above and beyond in caring for someone and doing something nice, that really makes a difference in a homeless person’s life,” Fidler said.

For Caroline Seidel, the impromptu bicycle repair was just one small act of kindness on behalf of the SS. John and Paul parish community.

“We have a really welcoming parish,” Caroline Seidel said. “I heard from a guest who came to this parish for the first time and said we are a warm, welcoming place. When we host MCREST, everyone in our core base of volunteers really looks forward to hosting the guests and making them feel at home. When we saw the opportunity and the need arise, we stepped up to serve, to show what we are all about.”