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
We will offer hot drinks and a snack (granola bar etc)
We will offer bagged lunches
We will distribute service readings and communion
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 Fam,
It was cold but actually not that cold on Saturday. The sun was out and the wind was low. We did an abridged service yet stayed all 2 hours. Notes below.
Logistics
Served: ~60
Last week's leaders: Kenny
Next week's leaders: Kenny
Next week's preacher: Kenny
Gifts
Last week's: Blankets
Next week's: Hats
Looking Ahead
sign up for food here
Miscellaneous
Kathy dropped off a bunch of winter hats.
Service
It was a great day to be with God's people as always. Bryan and I loaded up the van pretty quickly. We had our cold weather protocols in place so we took about 1/2 of the items we normally take. While Bryan was waiting to pick up the van, there was a young woman in line at U-Haul who was renting a truck to move out of her house as she is going through a divorce. She was having a tough time so Bryan grabbed some tissues and prayed with her and her dad.
Also, Will, the manager of U-Haul, said he wants to join us on Feb 14 and donate the use of the van. Wow - what a gift. God is active in all places, we just have to remember to keep looking for him and having the courage to step into those moments.
Bryan had the rest of the day off as he's taken a lot of Saturdays recently for Street Church. I headed downtown on my own (but not really, as I had God in the passenger seat and He gave me the confidence everyone I needed would meet me at City Hall). Sure enough, as I pulled up, we had Benson, Malaree, Jordan Terry (a UConn alum who used to come with Cru, and now has been coming almost every week for the past few months on his own), Liz, Kathy, Brittany and her mom (Lynn), and our sweet Puerto Rican grandmother Maria all there waiting. I haven't been amongst our Street Church family since the beginning of the month so it was a wonderful sight for these sore eyes.
We unloaded the van and awaited our friends. Since we were in cold-weather protocols, we did not have a service, but we served hot chocolate and coffee, lunches and soup, and gave the daily readings to all who came by. We also had blankets for those in warming centers and tents.
We were planning to be out there for only 1 hour but there was a steady flow of people for our entire time. Of course, we had the usual folks come by at 1p when our message usually ends and lunch is served. It was warm in the sun so we didn't mind hanging out for all of our friends who came by then. Kathy, Brittany, and Lynn were quick to offer prayer and hugs to many. Jordan and Benson held down the food and soup, Liz and Patrick were fantastic baristas, and Malaree welcomed everyone with her usual smile and a water and snack as they entered.
It was a great day to be downtown, as it always is.
From the Community Churches
Mary and I met up for the service at Arden Court. She loves to change up the slik flowers we bring with us each week and since this is “Valentine Month” she had pretty red and pink flowers.
This church LOVES to sing! The pastor who was here before me was actually a friend of mine from our Junior High School days in West Hartford, Pastor Christoper Adams. He was known in this part of New England as “the Singing Chaplin” and used his gift in many places. Sadly, he suffered and died at 59 years of age last year. It is an honor to take the helm here for him.
It being “love month” we sang lots of love songs! Love to our country, love to our flag, love to our Darling Clementine, our Bonnie over the Ocean, the doggy in the window, and This Land that Belongs to You and Me.
Singing patriotic songs in elder communities hits different. Some have seen the World War, others Korea, Bay of Pigs, and all the recent battles in the deserts of the worlds. They watched with horror as The Towers fell and marched into the dogs for people of different colors… some where bitten and chased and bricked, hated and hunted, and yet here we all are together because of Jesus and ‘Father Time”…
and then we sang love songs of Jesus, and read Scripture and feasted at The Lunch Counter of God TOGETHER… no black or white, just us. God makes sure I never loose the wonder of this generation.
And we praised Jesus and shouted amens, some lifted hands in praise others made the sign of the Cross, hands reached out to take the wafers and mouths opened to have the Host placed on their tongues.
As Mary and I walked around the room I asked each person if they would like to recieve communion like I always do and one woman in the back said “no thank you, I don’t do that because I am Jewish, but thank you. I was raised to love and respect everyone of every faith, regardless of all things.”
She was beaming.
“Ma’am”, I said, “can I put you in my truck and we gave drive across America? I’ll give you a mic and you can just tell people that!”
She smiled and laughed at me and said “oh, you don’t want me, you want a young person! I’m 93!”
and I thought to myself no, no I don’t, because this generation does not know what love and sacrifice looks and feels like.
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)
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visit our website thestreetchurch.org to learn more
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Bryan
Street Church Administrator & Volunteer Coordinator
(860) 578-2961 TEXT ONLY
bryan@thestreetchurch.org