Small Acts of Big Defiant Love

“…but I do understand this. Jesus taught me to love my neighbor, clothe the naked, feed the hungry, care for the widow and orphan. Nothing anybody does can prevent me from doing that. So that’s what I am going to continue to try to do. Show up for those around me. Care for their needs. Through that kindness and generosity, those small acts of love are actually big acts of defiance towards the hatred and violence we see today”

…… written from a man a God I deeply admire. Let’s all strive to live like Jesus.


A Reminder about Cold Weather Protocol

Again this Weekend.

We will gather downtown unless we experience extreme weather with temperatures below 0 (zero) degrees and severe snow. If it is below 15 degrees we will operate a modified service as outlined below

  1. We will offer hot drinks and a snack (granola bar etc)

  2. We will offer bagged lunches

  3. We will distribute service readings and communion

  4. We will offer hot soup

We will not encourage folks to linger too long and will plan on staying one hour.

Last Week’s Update…stay connected!

Hey Family!

Street Church was beautiful… and a bit snowy!

Logistics

  • Served: 100ish

  • Last week's leaders: Bryan, Jody, VOX

  • Next week's leaders: Kenny

  • Next week's preacher: Kenny

Gifts

  • Last week’s: Stuff

  • Next week's: nada. 5th week and TOO COLD

Looking Ahead

  • Please sign up for January and February lunch dates here:

Service

Not the day we had planned! Nobody would leave!

Jody met me at storage and we had extra time to sort coats, clothes, and blankets after we loaded. We handed out jackets to folks who needed. The blankets never made it out of the truck.

Jody and I were greeted by Charlie and William, our two most faithful. A huge crowd from CrU joined us including my daughter. I can’t tell you the joy of seeing my kid and her community. They crushed it!

While I was briefing the students, one of our regular ladies  was cussing it out at a female officer. It seems someone accused her of something  in the library and they were trying to figure it out. The officer pulled me aside to get her baseline. I would never expect this but you know our people. More police showed and left but not after we gave them all handwarmers. The lady stayed with us and was calm…. It was a bit difficult leading that circle!

We set up the coffee station with snacks and the lunch table. A table for communion and the cross, one speaker on a stand, and a bin of hats, a bin of wool socks, and a box of gloves…. And hand warmers and reflective emergency blankets.

We didn’t have a service because it was too cold to safely keep people outside, but freely distributed what we had and served drinks while waiting for sandwiches and soup. It was Ciera’s (from VOX) birthday so we gathered around and prayed over her. A church was walking by with hats and coats and a large container of soup! They asked if they could serve the soup so we all feasted and we connected with the pastors…. Faith Revolution Church in East Hartford….

They Rocky The Buss Driver drove the bus past, blasting her horn and yelling out the window while other regulars waved out the windows. “Headphones Chris” showed up, and even Carmin in this weather! Manny who came up for prayer last week and was deeply moved came back, and Patricia has her streak going…

We didn’t set up chairs hoping that folks would grab lunch and go but no such luck. They just stuck around and sang and danced. As Geoff mentioned at the close the worship was sweet today. It really was.

As we were wrapping up we couldn’t wipe the tables because the wipes froze but that was fine because the coffee froze on the table anyway.

…my wife called me over to talk to a guy who owns the company selling “Obama phones” asking about us. He’s a local guy and gives lots back and asked if he could help folks out with phones…

A Jamaican guy rode his bike up and motioned me over;

“Where is that Indian woman who prays up a storm? I wanted to thank her, she healed me. And she prayed for work for me and that’s why I haven’t been back for almost two years. I work on Saturdays but I woke up today and rode my bike down here because I wanted to say thank you.

Police thanking us,

Bus drivers praising us

Phone companies,

churches…

and then there was this exchange.

Two guys walked past trying to hand out tracts.

I asked them what church they were with and they said some place in Bolton but they come to Hartford twice a month to “preach the Gospel”… “we are usually up there by the bus stop”

“Oh, you are the guys with the signs calling people to repent!”

“Yeah, that’s us”

“Huh. Nobody listens you, that’s why they are here. Jesus didn’t come to judge but to save. You never invite people into his love”

…and we talked, or they talked rather about sin and hell and judgment all while wearing a “Jesus saves” tee shirt over his coat..

We closed the day in our circle, it was massive because of our friends from CrU. We were in 8 degree weather for over two hours in crazy cold weather and no one complained. We smiled and loved and danced and talked.

A very good day indeed

  From the Community Churches

No picture this week, so I wanted to share this one of a perfect avocado I had last week! Why? Let me tell you why! You never know what you are going to get once you open your avocado up…. same thing with memory care ministry for sure! But truth be told, it is always just what we are supposed to find…

We had two services last week, neither of which I could get a picture of… we met at Brookdale Chatfield and had a lovely time with the Independent Living Community, and then served at Farmington Station with the memory care. One friend keep singing loudly with a huge smile, raising her hand and glowing in worship… most of which in words only decipherable by herself. So I sang softly and she sang quiet with me so that others could join the worship… and we all feasted on communion with open hearts and lips…

I was asked to bring an Ash Wednesday Service to Arden Court to start of Lent as well as starting a Gospel Hour Sing of the Independent Living Community at Farmington Station.

The Street Church Collective

Arden Court Community Church (Farmington)

Brookdale Chatfield Community Church (West Hartford)

Farmington Station Community Church (Farmington)

Farmington Station Gospel Hour (Farmington)

Harbour Community Church (West Hartford)

River Ridge Community Church (Avon)

The Street Church (Hartford)

West Hartford Health and Rehab Community Church (West Hartford)

GIVE HERE TO SUPPORT US FINANCIALLY

SIGN UP HERE TO HELP SERVE.

SIGN UP HERE, TO PROVIDE FOOD DONATIONS  

Help Us Load Up @ 10am 164 South Street in West Hartford

visit our website thestreetchurch.org to learn more

or feel free to contact us at

admin@thestreetchurch.org

Bryan
Street Church Administrator & Volunteer Coordinator
(860) 578-2961 TEXT ONLY
bryan@thestreetchurch.org

How to do Street Church in sub-zero temperatures

A Reminder about Cold Weather Protocol

We will gather downtown unless we experience extreme weather with temperatures below 0 (zero) degrees and severe snow. If it is below 15 degrees we will operate a modified service as outlined below

  1. We will offer hot drinks and a snack (granola bar etc)

  2. We will offer bagged lunches

  3. We will distribute service readings and communion

  4. We will offer hot soup

We will not encourage folks to linger too long and will plan on staying one hour.

Last Week’s Update…stay connected!

Hey Family!

Street Church was beautiful… and a bit snowy!

Logistics

  • Served: 65+

  • Last week's leaders: Bryan, The Chineses Baptist Church,  Benson

  • Next week's leaders: Bryan, Jody

  • Next week's preacher: Bryan

Gifts

  • Last week’s: Underwear

  • Next week's: socks

Looking Ahead

  • Please sign up for January and February lunch dates here:

Service

I was met at Storage by Nick and Jennifer Yang from the Chinese Baptist Church of Greater Hartford. This church provides the meal and brings a team each third Saturday of the month. They Yang’s have taken point at their church to set things up. We encourage folks to do the same where you are.

We arrived early again and the crowd was a slow gather because of the weather. I haven’t seen Mr Torres in a few weeks and I am wondering where he might be. Please keep him in prayer along with a few others who have accents that keep many in hiding these days. Geoff Griddley and I had spent the day before at a seminar of how to allow the Five-Fold gifting to operate within the Church. Not all folks grew up with this language in church so let me briefly share;

“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christmay be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”                                                                                          

Ephesians 4:12-13

The “modern” church typically does not operate by relying on the gifting of the Holy Spirit’s empowerment on just plain old people like they did in the primitive church. Training is good, seminary is good, but will never replace or gain the response that spirit-filled ministry will.

The Readers had to keep shaking the snow off from their papers and did so without missing a beat and if I could sum up the Spirit on the people in one word it would be “thankful”.

So having been released myself the day before, we allowed the Spirit to flow freely and did He. After the message I gave a call up for prayer and a large group came forward whom I turned over to Brother Benson and Karen Cupit knowing they have prophetic giving in prayer, and those with shepherding gifts went deep with men fresh out of prison, and ladies battling illness, others in abusive relationships or struggling with identity…. and we prayed and prayed and prayed…

and I could not stop the groups so I walked around in front of them to offer up communion and the line got long and I handed over the cup and let others serve and watched as underwear was shared under trash bags covered in snow.

Chantel was back with us with a huge supply of baked goodies she collects from places to share.

… and people just came up and thanked us over and over. It was humbling, as it always is. and beautiful, really beautiful.

Bryan


 From the Community Churches

Lovely service this week at West Hartford Health and rehab, but I have to say I was REALLY distracted by the activity director’s dog what was watching me the entire service through the crack in her gate!

The Street Church Collective

Arden Court Community Church (Farmington)

Brookdale Chatfield Community Church (West Hartford)

Farmington Station Community Church (Farmington)

Farmington Station Gospel Hour (Farmington)

Harbour Community Church (West Hartford)

River Ridge Community Church (Avon)

The Street Church (Hartford)

West Hartford Health and Rehab Community Church (West Hartford)


GIVE HERE TO SUPPORT US FINANCIALLY

SIGN UP HERE TO HELP SERVE.

SIGN UP HERE, TO PROVIDE FOOD DONATIONS  

Help Us Load Up @ 10am 164 South Street in West Hartford


visit our website thestreetchurch.org to learn more

or feel free to contact us at

admin@thestreetchurch.org




Bryan
Street Church Administrator & Volunteer Coordinator
(860) 578-2961 TEXT ONLY
bryan@thestreetchurch.org

Upside-down Kingdom of God

If you have never been downtown with us, you have never had the unmistakable joy of holding church on the corner of Main Street in Hartford on the front steps of City Hall with a clear view down the street of the State Capital Building…that gold dome in the background…. This is where the church belongs

Hey Family!

Street Church was beautiful!

Logistics

  • Served: 100+

  • Last week's leaders: Bryan, Kenny, Geoff, Benson

  • Next week's leaders: Bryan

  • Next week's preacher: Bryan

Gifts

  • Last week's: Hygiene

  • Next week's: Underwear

Looking Ahead

  • Please sign up for January and February lunch dates here:

Service

We pulled up and the guy who cussed me out last week rolled up to me before we started, apologizing  and asking for help getting clean from Crack. Br Benson spent the entire time helping him do an intake and as we were packing up our church, the EMT’s were packing him into the ambulance to go to detox.

And I preached on the Baptism of Jesus and a woman named Carey picked up her crutches and walked up and asked to be baptized and gave her life to Jesus…and gave her family, food, and some clothes because she is sleeping outside.

A dad stopped with his daughter on the way to the Wadsworth and did one of the readings, intrigued by it all…

A man walked up with a story of his child being born premature and still in the NICU, but had premie diapers in his car and wanted to donate them…. His wife barely survived so I was able to pray over her and thank them for the diapers

kids drew on the sidewalk with chalk and helped hand out communion and hygiene kits,

and we all ate soup and loved each other…

I called anyone whom the Holy Spirit was speaking to to come forward and walk into new life. Casey had to pick up her crutches and slowly work her way over but she did and we waited.

and while we were taking our photo, the oddest character pulled up in a beaten truck covered in messages in sharpie about how God is the only true king and leader and how human leaders only establish governments for personal gain. I agreed with some but I could not tell where he was going so I simply sang Gospel a but louder than he was speaking….

But what the heck,

The day I preach about the message of John’s repentance and his unsettling look and actions and words this bizarre man shows up for the first time preaching the message of repentance and that all worldly power has tried to lay claim to our allegiance and it shouldonly be given to God

Bryan

        From the Community Churches

“In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work

we must help the weak,

remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said:

‘It is more blessed to give

than to receive.’ ”

                                                                                   Acts 20:35

Let me let you in on a thought I often have and wrestle with as a person being in “vocational” ministry*. I am surrounded by hundreds of people who hold down full-time jobs and lives and give of themselves freely to serve the one’s God asked them to for free, and most often than not, at a personal expense if they provide the food.

You keep me humble. As a matter of fact, while in seminary I was tasked with developing a “rule of life”, a way of living as the man of God I am created to be, and one of the things I keep doing is to serve other ways apart from anything connected to my vocational piece.

I know you all serve God and not me, but your lives in Christ inspire me… like the three who were with me yesterday. Two retired ladies who are using the ending of labor as a means to labor more for the Lord… and another new friend who wants to give part of her day off as an OR Nurse to serve the elderly whom God loves.

This is powerful work and it is spreading again. We have been asked to bring a Gospel Singalong to another facility for the independent residents where we serve the memory care. Of course, you know that Gospel Singing is nothing less than preaching the Gospel in song form… so that adds another platform God has brought us to…. The Farmington Station Gospel Hour… To God be the glory! If you love to sing, join me!

Bryan

*fancy way of saying I am paid to do it

The Street Church Collective

Arden Court Community Church (Farmington)

Brookdale Chatfield Community Church (West Hartford)

Farmington Station Community Church (Farmington)

Farmington Station Gospel Hour (Farmington)

Harbour Community Church (West Hartford)

River Ridge Community Church (Avon)

The Street Church (Hartford)

West Hartford Health and Rehab Community Church (West Hartford)

GIVE HERE TO SUPPORT US FINANCIALLY

SIGN UP HERE TO HELP SERVE.

SIGN UP HERE, TO PROVIDE FOOD DONATIONS  

Help Us Load Up @ 10am 164 South Street in West Hartford

visit our website thestreetchurch.org to learn more

or feel free to contact us at

admin@thestreetchurch.org

Bryan
Street Church Administrator & Volunteer Coordinator
(860) 578-2961 TEXT ONLY
bryan@thestreetchurch.org

If you’d prefer to not receive these emails, please click “Unsubscribe” below.

 

baptism, returns, and The Beatles....

The woman helping give out a squirt of hand sanitizer during communion was baptized just last week. She lives down the street in an apartment but like many others who have found their way to us lately she was drawn in by witnessing Jesus on display.

You can tell when it sticks. They come right back…. and when you do, you are just another member of the Family of God so you get to help serve the Banquet.

Patricia is so thankful to be here.

 

Last Week’s Update…stay connected!

Hey Fam,

First Saturday of 2026 and Street Church was beautiful!


Logistics

  • Served: ~90

  • Last week's leaders: Bryan, Kenny, Geoff

  • Next week's leaders: Bryan

  • Next week's preacher: Bryan

Gifts

  • Last week's: Hats and gloves

  • Next week's: Hygiene

Looking Ahead

  • Please sign up for January and February lunch dates here:

Service

It was a great day to be with God's people as always. Kelsey, Bryan and I packed up the van. Bryan did a great job prepping the storage unit the day before so it was an easy load. We were able to talk to Will at U-Haul for about 20 minutes which was a blessing as he's been going through a bit of a hard time as U-Haul manager; he had to fire a lot of people and is now working a ton (77 hours last week). There was nobody in line waiting to pickup a truck as we were talking to him - which never happens - so it was clearly a divine appointment.

We got downtown and had a small but mighty team join us. Ed, Brendan, and Benson - trusty weekly servants - showed up, as did our Puerto Rican grandmas, Maria and Carmen! We hadn't seen either of them in a while. It was very pleasant to have them both back with us. Patricia and Chrissy, both of whom were baptized last week, joined us again as well.

We had a lovely time of fellowship and catching up with folks. Geoff opened us up in prayer as Evelyn, Ed, Ben, and Brendan gave great readings, while I was blessed to give a message on Ephesians 1 about how God chose all of us and adopted us, regardless of our past, present and future actions, because of what Jesus did for us. It was well received.

We gathered in groups afterwards and prayed for our nation which was much needed. Before communion, Brendan stepped up and shared that we wanted to get baptized. He lives across the street and has been coming every week for a few months now, bringing some Powerade drinks leftover from his job. It was the 32nd anniversary of his mother's passing, and he had his mom's Bible with him yesterday. He was moved by the occasion and by the Spirit to give His life fully over to Christ. Praise God!

We shared a time of communion together, ate lunch, and gave out hats and gloves to help keep our friends warm. As we were packing up, a young man named Juan stopped by. He was brought by a friend. He works for a local roofing contractor and had been kicked out of his uncle's house. He's living in his car so he was looking for things to keep warm. He had a kind spirit about him, and was thankful for the food and sleeping back we could give him. I pray he comes back next week.

[added by Bryan]

As we were packing up, we noticed there was a police truck and ambulance in front of the public library. This is a normal gathering place for the homeless and when there is “fire and a bus” out front, I will go over and check to see if it is one of our folks and if I can be of help. It turned out to be a regular who had been with us a that day, and had an “episode” of mental health and when approached asked to have help at the hospital. I knew the ambulance driver from earlier calls but not the officer, but he knows us and that the person had been with us. You are all making this city a livable community. You are beautiful.

May God bless you this week.

                                                         Kenny

        From the Community Churches

It was busier last week than expected at the Community Churches. One of our regular dates fell on New Years Day and most days are the same to our friends in memory care I went in for the service. The staff were grateful as always as regularity is a grounding force with most of our friends… one new friend sat in the front row and when we were finished she thanked me profusely for showing up, explain that she was just visiting and she was from Germany. We were both very excited to hear me share a little German I had learned from old neighbors… just enough to make a person feel welcomed and not an outsider.

Then two days later I was called in by staff for a couple of pastoral visits with residents on hospice. So many of the elderly have been outside of church community for so long not because their faith slid, but they can no longer drive, or are incontinant  and have a difficult time, or can’t see well or hear so they slowly disappear and are seldom seen by pastors. One person had been a Sunday school teacher forever and their spouse was now going to a Jehovah’s Witness Bible Study just for company. I prayed deep prayer over one in the bed and the other standing up and tears were all around.  The next room had a similar story of church walking away, but they had been deeply devout too and was an avid singer… a catholic and loved the Beatles so I sang their favorite song “Let it Be” over them… and the largest smile crept across his face, lips moving, and he tried his best to sit up and sing with me…

These are very Holy and thin spaces.

I am thankful I have been asked to enter in.

Peace,

Bryan

Community Church @ Brookdale/Chatfield -memory care (West Hartford)

Community Church @ Brookdale Chatfield-independent living (West Hartford

Farmington Station Community Church (Farmington)

The Gables (Farmington)

River Ridge Community Church (Avon)

West Hartford Health and Rehab Community Church (West Hartford)

GIVE HERE TO SUPPORT US FINANCIALLY

SIGN UP HERE TO HELP SERVE.

SIGN UP HERE, TO PROVIDE FOOD DONATIONS  

Help Us Load Up @ 10am 164 South Street in West Hartford

visit our website thestreetchurch.org to learn more

or feel free to contact us at

admin@thestreetchurch.org

Bryan
Street Church Administrator & Volunteer Coordinator
(860) 578-2961 TEXT ONLY
bryan@thestreetchurch.org

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Christmas on the Sidewalk

…and the Word became flesh and moved into the neighborhood…

It is such a joy watching our friends move from the outside of the circle,

to the inside of the prayer circle…

to wearing light up Christmas glasses as friends

Last Week’s Update…stay connected!

Hey Family (from Bryan)

Merry Christmas!

Logistics

  • Served: 100+

  • Last week's leaders: Geoff, Bryan, Kenny, Deb

  • Next week's leaders: Ruth

Gifts

  • Last week’s: Street Church Hoodies, cookies, snack bags

  • Next week's: Underwear

  • Looking Ahead

  • the next few weeks we are short on food

Service

Merry Christmas Friends!

It was an amazing Christmas Party last week! A huge thanks to friends at the Greater Hartford Chinese Baptist Church (especially Nick and Jennifer Yang) who brought the lunch and soup and a large team to help load up! This church has long been a friend of ours and we apprecite their love, compassion, faith, and muscle!

We loaded up on time and headed out… and there was a slight mishap with the ChickfilA but Daryl got on it and delivered the food himself just before we started. As we were setting up early (lots to due), a tall skinny guy came into our activity, put down the cans he was collecting, and jumped in with crazy amounts of joy…. we learned his name was Jamie, and I remembered I had met him a few months back when he passed out during our service. He was really high on fentanyl and I didn’t have to give him Narcan… anyway we spoke and he has not been around because he is clean! He grabbed the box of ornaments and decorated the tree asking folks to come help, then he went around with candy canes passing them out, and all the while praising Jesus. My mind was blown.

Then this nice girl with magenta hair walked up to me and said “I know you meet a lot of people and probably don’t remember me…” and that always leads to a great story…which it did! She and her husband had had car trouble and since they were living we helped them out. She had come back to say thank you and to fill us in on where they were. “You have no idea what you did by taking a chance on us.” That right there is what Jesus did with me! She grabbed candy canes too and handed them out to people walking by and met a couple who asked what was going on so she told them better than I ever could…

There seemed to be a stead stream of folks who just stopped to say Merry Christmas and bless up for what we do… people who had served with us, some who had heard me preach at their church, friends of friends, bus drivers, security drivers from the library. It was beyond words.

I preached on the scandal of the story being told to the shepherds and how it was scandalous love that had told us too, the ones sleeping out who were called the riff-raff by the high and mighty… well the joke is on them because Jesus says the rich now are really poor.

Kenny led us in communion and Jamie, who had decorated the tree, came forward to give his life back to Jesus with real tears, and the magenta hair girls (I will remember her name later), and another girl, Lilliana who was sitting on the sidelines. Kenny noticed her looking and started talking with her. It was her first day and she had been baptized a long time ago but she said “I just don’t know what to do. How do I pray? How do I live this faith out?

Then we feasted on Chickfila and soup, handed out brand new Street Church Hoodies and snack bags from the kids at Wintonbury Church, ate too many cookies from our Chinese Baptist Church friends….

and the peace was there the entire service.

love to all,

b

From the Community Churches

Mary and I had our final sing-along service for the month with our friends at The Farmington Station. I have to fess. up, it wasn’t really a sing-along… it was more of a sing to… not me to them, but them to Mary and me.

That is the beauty of The Gospel and music, neither of them are affected by age. Even when memory fails the part of our brain that stores music still has recall, and when or memory of God fails, his goodness is not effected either.

I would give them the first word and note and them shake my bells and let them sing the rest. It was lovely.

Then I preached on the Christmas Story and we prayed and took communion. and it was good.

Blessings,

Byan

The Street Church Collective Community Churches

Arden Courts Community Church (Farmington)

Brookdale/Chatfield Community Church (West Hartford)

Clairbridge Community Church @ Brookdale/Chatfield (West Hartford)

Farmington Station Community Church (Farmington)

River Ridge Community Church (Avon)

West Hartford Health and Rehab Community Church (West Hartford)

GIVE HERE TO SUPPORT US FINANCIALLY

SIGN UP HERE TO HELP SERVE.

SIGN UP HERE, TO PROVIDE FOOD DONATIONS  

Help Us Load Up @ 10am 164 South Street in West Hartford

visit our website thestreetchurch.org to learn more

or feel free to contact us at

admin@thestreetchurch.org

Bryan
Street Church Administrator & Volunteer Coordinator
(860) 578-2961 TEXT ONLY
bryan@thestreetchurch.org