During the late summer of 2008, a member of our church, Monty George, attended one of The Sophia Way monthly lunches at Bellevue Congregational Church. It was during this meeting that she discovered that the Sophia Way shelter at Bellevue Congregational Church was the very first and only shelter offered for women living in homeless on the Eastside. The number of women who were struggling for safety, shelter, and a warm meal was increasing, especially during the winter, and Bellevue Congregational Church was getting near capacity. More shelter facilities were needed. Monty knew that Redmond United Methodist Church already had a successful, long-term relationship with Congregation For The Homeless Men and had opened the church fellowship hall for a winter shelter. We hosted 23 men every January for 31 days and the numbers were growing each year. Monty decided to approach The Sophia Way about becoming a host church. In September, she shared some information and reached out to the church for help through our Sunday bulletin. Eight members from the congregation were present at the first meeting. This was the start of RUMC's involvement with the Eastside Emergency Shelter. In October of 2008, we happily opened our doors to welcome the women. RUMC continues to open its doors to the EWS, which now includes homeless families and works closely with Catholic Community Services, providing for the homeless and their needs.