| Washington church responds to cold-weather death BY MELISSA LAUBER UMCONNECTION STAFF  During this winters extreme cold spell, a man died and a congregation was awakened, said the Rev. Eugene Matthews, senior pastor of Asbury UMC in Washington, D.C. On Jan. 17, a homeless man, one of three or four who regularly spent the night on the churchs front porch, was found dead by the churchs custodian. The temperature that night was 18 degrees. The 39-year-old man from Guatemala was named Juan Pastor, Matthews reported. From an autopsy, city officials have determined that hypothermia from exposure to cold weather was the cause of death.  Matthews wept when he told the congregation about the death. He then issued an altar call. About 50 to 60 of us took it personally and went forward, said William Johnson, a long-time member. From that group, a ministry team was organized. The United Methodist Men will provide watch care at the church on cold evenings, offering homeless people referrals to area shelters and contacting the hypothermia hotline to assist people who dont understand the need to get out of the freezing temperatures, Johnson said. A blanket brigade was also developed and a small group is investigating the possibility of expanding the churchs feeding ministries to include some sort of shelter program. If no one from Pastors family comes forward, Matthews intends to hold a funeral service for him. The church has a cemetery plot that they will use to ensure he gets a proper burial. Asbury is situated in one of the more affluent areas of the city, near the new $600 million convention center, at the corner of 11th and K streets in northwest Washington, Matthews explained. Although a handful of homeless and formerly homeless people do attend the church, Pastors death alerted the congregation to pockets of poverty in the community. We were awakened, said Matthews. We still have a long way to go, but our eyes have been opened to things we had not seen. According to the D.C. Department of Human Services, on the coldest nights of the year, the city offers more than 800 beds to homeless people. The citys 24-hour hypothermia hotline at (800) 535-7252, reports fielding more than 200 calls a day recently. The hotline personnel dispatch vans to take the homeless to shelters. Matthews said he and his congregation are sometimes haunted by Pastors death. They recall seeing him eating at the breakfasts the church serves to the community, and handing out blankets and warm clothes to him and his friends, who spent many nights on the churchs landing. Since his death, members have learned that Pastors nickname was El Indio, because of his Mayan background. He struggled with alcoholism and spoke two or three Indian languages and Spanish. | 
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