AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A local church in downtown Augusta is opening its doors to serve anyone in any time of need during the colder weather.

Sounds of church bells and delivery trucks can be heard towards the end of Reynolds Street.

“We’re a downtown parish,” said Rev. Dr. Eric Biddy of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.

It’s where the heart of the need is.

“The desperate poverty, anecdotally seems to be getting worse,” he said. “We’ve noticed, increasingly, more and more people sleeping on the church grounds. For instance, started happening a lot more than it used to. More people coming to the door, seeking help. The folks usually who are housed, but just barely, you know, they’re precariously housed. How do they keep their lights on?”

Day to day, Biddy looks to help that need.

“We come in and we don’t know what needs are gonna present themselves to us. We look first at what need is right in front of us, what is the good right in front of us that we can do? And a lot of times that’s just taking what we have and trying to put it to work,” he said.

So, St. Paul’s puts it location to use to address the need.

“We’ve been blessed with this beautiful building and it’s in a central location,” said Biddy. “This space sitting here in the heart of downtown is climate-controlled. It’s warm in the winter. It’s cool in the summer, and so we keep our doors open for anyone to come. Our phrase is to have your heart and your toes warm.”

It isn’t an official warming center, but it can serve as a gateway to escape the cold.

“Folks are welcome to come in on their own for quiet time, safe from the weather, anytime the doors are open,” said Biddy.

The church goes beyond just a place to defrost.

“How can we love our neighbors as ourselves, we didn’t have to look hard for needs that we can address. Address housing and food presented themselves to us immediately,” he said.

They’re solving this by welcoming those in through their doors, feeding, and giving a place to warm to anyone who may need it.

“We try to invite people in to break bread with us, which is some of the holiest things a Christian can do is to invite strangers to come in and break bread together,” he said.

To find out more information about the church, visit their website. To find warming centers across Augusta, visit the city of Augusta’s website.

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