Copyright © 2004 The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee

Ron Fender is dedicated to giving the homeless a voice.

Fender is a postulant in the Brotherhood of St. Gregory, an Episcopal monastic order based in New York State, and his ministry involves working and living among the homeless. He works as outreach case manager for the Chattanooga Community Kitchen, a Jubilee Center of the Episcopal Church, and he lives in St. Matthew’s Shelter for homeless men.

Fender’s latest effort is “Unsheltered Voices,” a full-color arts journal featuring drawings, poetry and photography by homeless individuals.

“When people think of the homeless they think of people panhandling,” Fender said. “Through art you can first of all show industry — homeless people doing something.”

In other cities the homeless have turned art projects into money-making endeavors. In Knoxville, for example, the homeless use shredder paper and discarded flowers to make objects like candles and jewelry.

“I would like for us to look for ways to do that,” Fender said. The idea would be to “make and create art and put it in the marketplace.”

“Unsheltered Voices” is planned to be a quarterly publication, and Fender already has enough material for the next issue. The journal received support from Allied Arts of Greater Chattanooga and Ruth Holmberg, former publisher of the Chattanooga Times, as well as the Community Kitchen. The magazine represents the revival of a previous Community Kitchen publication that was more journalistic in nature, Fender said. It is also the title of a 15-minute video produced by Fender that shows the life of the homeless in Chattanooga.

“When Ron came we were able to plug a hole that had been there a long time,” said Charles Hughes, executive director of the Community Kitchen. “We wanted an outreach case manager who would be effective, and we wanted a creative arts program.”

Some members of the homeless community don’t come to the Community Kitchen on a regular basis, he said. “In the past we have tried to go out to them but were viewed as some kind of official. With Ron being actually homeless, they see what he does on a daily basis, and they trust him. They really identify with Ron.”

“I try to be kind of a presence out in the camps,” Fender said. “I try to stay out there as much as possible.”

Outreach is one aspect of his work. Another is helping the homeless obtain access to services ranging from health care to housing. A third aspect of Fender’s ministry is taking care of the feet of the homeless. For example, recently he soaked, massaged and otherwise treated the feet of a man who had walked to the Community Kitchen from Georgia. They “were pretty much like hamburger,” Fender said.

Fender joined the staff of the Community Kitchen in October 2002 and has accomplished much in that period of time, according to the agency’s 2003 annual report. At his suggestion, a family day center room was converted into a respite room for those discharged from the hospital. He also instituted a Homeless Education for Local Police program.

Fender serves on Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker’s Blueprint Committee to End Homelessness.

Fender, a native of Asheville, N.C., had a varied vocational background before joining the Brotherhood of St. Gregory. He worked with migrant farm workers and adults with developmental disabilities and as a hospital chaplain.

A playwright, set designer and director, Fender worked with many theaters, including the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Chattanooga Theatre Center. But he says he doesn’t miss theater work.

“That was such a part of my life for so long,” he said. “I feel so separate from that world now. Being at the Community Kitchen, I deal with real life.” He contrasted that with going to the theater and hearing “some spoiled little actress telling me she didn’t like the color of her dress.”

In July Fender said he “will be clothed in the habit,” which means he will begin wearing the white habit of the order. “It will be interesting to see how people respond to me in my robes. Most Episcopalians don’t realize we have monastic orders, nuns and friars.”

Fender has two more years before he takes his vows. “They (the brotherhood) make it very tough,” he said. “You don’t just run away and join the monastery. It took me three years until I became an aspirant.”

Fender is one of 42 brothers; Thomas Lawrence, who is based in Nashville, is the only other one in Tennessee.