Have you met Chris and her three-legged wonder dog yet? She has a gifting of prayer and hugs and a smile that makes you want to become friends and send a Christmas Card and her dog has three little legs and a heart the size of Texas
Last Week’s Update…stay connected!
Hey Family!
Amazing as always when hungry people gather to worship Jesus!
Logistics
Served: 100
Last week's leaders: Ruth, Bryan
Next week's leaders: Bryan
Next week's preacher: Saint Patrick!
Gifts
Last week's: Merch, wool socks
Next week's: nada
Service--
Fantastic Weather! Ruth has become a New Englander as she did not wear a coat and was going on about how warm it was... and it was only 50 degrees!!!
Ruth, her dad, and a mom with her son "Mighty Joe" joined us. Joe moved from shy/distracted/ uncomfortable to fully engaged and a total joy. It was a reminder of the power of love and acceptance in this family. Love has transformational power.
Ruth's dad was with us too and it's cracks me up to see them working together. Ruth shared a bit of the depth of trust she has in her dad during her message. I will never be able to grasp what this family did by sending Ruth away from home, family, and country at such a vulnerable age to have a life in America… just as God has asked of Abram.
We loaded quickly thanks to Joe, I swung around back to pick up wool socks and we still all arrived early. We were met by a huge group of 20 students from CrU, a Christian Ministry doing fantastic work on college campuses. Derrick, a student who is a regular with us on weekends had shared about Street Church at their weekly meeting about what is happening and there was a huge response. Please continue to pray for this bunch UCONN students. They are charging after God together and the love is spilling out all over the place.
One of the recently baptized (like, last week) folks returned last week and shared that God is giving them apartments and work!
Our friend Randell showed up again as promised when I saw him mid-week. I offered him a jacket to replace the one he lost in jail and he very politely declined it saying he did not like it. So glad he was able to choose and say no. This is a community where people are being transformed. My youngest daughter has not seen him since his transformation and she was speechless. “He was so nice and polite!”
Christine the “hugger" and her three-legged wonder dog made the rounds spreading the love. I noticed a number of the UCONN students holding him as they miss their dogs... what better mascot for Street Church than a beautiful dog with three legs! As out closing circle, Greg, aka “Brother Bensen” reminded these students how much encouragement they are giving by showing up; “when I was homeless and an addict I had no one come to help me and talk to me! You guys show up and love and it changes hearts and people and me!”
Ruth gave a powerful message on dedication and action to God based on loving trust of the Father, sharing from Scripture and her own account of leaving family and home and country at such a young age and setting out for a foreign land. It was anointed and moved us all. I gave a call after her and two came forward to recommit lives to Jesus and wanting to walk in obedience. We all gathered around them and prayed deep prayers and I and others were given prophetic words to pray over them. Our King is so kind to the brokenhearted!
Friends who we (I) was worried about for weeks were back. One asked for prayer for because their heart that hasbeen filled with a deep, palpable sorrow and sadness that they had never felt that before. I was deeply taken back as every time I ask how they a huge smile grows and they respond “I am good! I trust God and He has always been faithful!” They exude trust and confidence. I called Ruth over to pray over them as she has walked in the same valley. Here is a place where fears and pain can be voiced and you are not condemned as being unfaithful.
The prayer time before communion was SOOOOO engaged! I am sure it helped having 20 college students bold in their faith milling about with us but it was a sight to behold. Everywhere you looked there were people conversing with the Living God. There is a movement happening in our midst and it is personable and real.
Lunch and giveaways went well and with so many the huge lunch line that moved along without any upheaval. Random folks dropped off donations of a big sack of candy, pastries from Panera, and a platter of wraps from the UCONN School of social work that is behind us. As always the lunch line grows during the service, but as long as they are quiet and respectful it is ok. Many came to Jesus because they were hungry too…
Come and see… the woman who came up to rededicate her life for Jesus was a first time visitor brought over from the library from a guy named Tony whom Lisa and I "graduated" high school with FORTY-TWO YEARS AGO. “Come and see” he told her
One of the regular ladies who is homeless and blind (can you imagine?) shared that her friend who was was baptized two weeks ago will be away for awhile. She made the choice to go to rehab. To God be the glory.Look at God.
Be amazed family, be amazed and stay amazed in awe and wonder, not at me or any of us, or what we do or how God has formed us to do it, but at Him who is loving us so well, and his power and majesty.
Love you all to the moon and past it!
Bryan
From the Community Churches
“Since we are living by the Spirit,
let us follow the Spirit’s leading
in every part of our lives.”
Galatians 5:25 NLT
I never thought I would be singing Bob Marley and the Wailers song, “Three Little Birds” with a blind Jewish lady in a memory care facility some day, but there I was doing just that.
Our services in memory facilities are a bit hard to describe. They are a combination of stand up comedy, tent-revival-preaching, liturgical/sacramental worship, charismatic experiences, Gospel sing-alongside, and ad-hoc pivots to whatever might happen or be said that day…. and just joy. Lot’s and lot’s of joy covered in a homie gravy of love.
Several staff come for communion and prayer because they work weekends and some just to see what the commotion is about. Visiting family members sit wide-eyed at the sight of it al...It doesn’t matter. It is for freedom Christ has set me free and I am simply trying to free others…
as a matter of fact there was a new resident who told me a number of times that he was a prisoner and had lost the team he came from…. this is after I looked over and he was giving me the bird, so I just told him it was ok, he was safe with us there. I don’t get it, but God promised to be with us always and that means always, even when our faculties fail us. It is about His promise to us, not our ability to do anything for him or ourselves.
I am not sure what happened but I was given some words to share and my friend Jen who helps me and I both shook and were covered with goosebumps when the words left my lips. There was a noticeable tremble through the residents too. We both tried to remember what was said in the parking lot before we left but could not for the life of us figure it out and that was ok… it was a word for them from Him.
God loves to give his children gifts, all of his children.
Keep praying these folks up.
blessings,,
bryan
The Street Church Collective communities
Arden Court Community Church (Farmington)
Brookdale Chatfield Community Church (West Hartford)
Harbour Community Church (West Hartford)
Farmington Station Community Church-memory care Farmington)
Farmington Station Community Church-independent living (Farmington)
River Ridge Community Church (Avon)
The Street Church (Hartford)
West Hartford Health and Rehab Community Church (West Hartford)
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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