Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”
He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”
Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers.
For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my
brother and sister and mother.”
Matthew 12:47-50
Last Week’s Update…stay connected!
Hi fam,
We had a great day at church today. The Holy Spirit fell in a profound way! More below.
Logistics
Served: ~80
Last week's leaders: Kenny, Bryan, Geoff
Next week's leaders: Ruth Chichi, Jody
Gifts
Last week's: Socks
Next week's: Holy Spirit and love
Looking Ahead
Service
The day started with Bryan, Josh and I at U-Haul loading up. Bryan had organized the unit earlier the week, the lunches were packed from last week, so it made for a quick and easy load. I got to know our new friend Josh a bit more. He just graduated from UConn and is continuing for one more year getting his Master's in Accounting. He found out about Street Church through Vox a few months ago and has been coming almost every Saturday. It's awesome to see him catch the vision.
On the way down to Street Church, Bryan and I got to talk about things weighing on our hearts, both collectively and individually. It's nice to have a brother who shares a similar vision for many things in life but also isn't afraid to speak truth in areas my heart might've gone astray. Those truck rides down to City Hall are holy rides for sure.
Downtown, we had a great crew waiting for us. It was the fourth Saturday of the month, which meant many from Vox showed up. We're so thankful for their enduring partnership, especially those who frequently come and have become part of the family of Street Church. I got to talk with Chris, who formerly cleaned toilets on the Peter Pan buses, but is now looking for work and striving for sobriety. Thankfully, we have two people - Brother Benson and Cheryl - who are active in the social work community of Hartford and they helped him with his next steps.
The readings were beautiful: Evelyn, Max, Kalia
(Howard and Iyanna's oldest daughter), and David read.
Today reminded me why the readings are among my favorite parts of
Street Church.
Most Sunday churches reserve public readings for those who are the most confident, eloquent, and presentable. But at Street Church, we believe the word of God is for everyone to be read by anyone, from kids to those who can't speak well or have difficulty reading.
It's a wonderful experience.
I was privileged to give the message and have Howard pray over me beforehand. I spoke about the importance of persistence in prayer, a common theme found in today's readings. Often, I've found the "best" sermons are when the messengers preach to themselves, and I was certainly doing that today. God gave me the words to speak as I went along, and I felt assured in the Spirit.
We had a time of prayer with new prayer cards. Everyone was so engaged in it, and I'm excited to continue in this format. Then the Holy Spirit fell in a profound way. Bryan called up anyone who wanted to give their life to Christ or renew parts of themselves. We had so many people come up and get re-dedicated. Carmen, our Puerto Rican grandma who comes every week in the snow and heat despite health issues, was there with her grandkids from Puerto Rico, and she couldn't look happier. She came up to get prayer for her health issues and the Holy Spirit radiated through Bryan, her and Benson. After finishing, Eric prayed with her and was also almost knocked over from the overflow! It was powerful.
We had a great time of communion where David handed it out. He's another guy who's only come twice but seems to be a guy who'll stick around for a long time. We also prayed for Max, who has been with us since last summer but is going home to Massachusetts next week before embarking on his final year of school. He's been such a light to our family, and we hope to see him again soon.
Overall, it was a blessed day to be downtown as always.
With love,
-Kenny
From the Community Churches
“In Acts 2:42, Luke gives his readers a description of some of the practices of the early church. He says, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship (koinonia), to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Most commentators note that the “apostles’ teaching” is something like Bible study or listening to a sermon. The commentators also agree that the “breaking of bread” is most likely shorthand for the Lord’s Supper. But what does Luke mean by “fellowship?”
Fellowship cannot be reduced to, as one writer suggests, “idle chitchat over steaming coffee before or after a worship service.” Fellowship, on the contrary, is gathering around what we believe and then living out that belief for the world to see. We believe the apostles’ teaching about Jesus’ death and resurrection; we come together around one table, breaking one loaf of bread to proclaim Christ’s death as a community; and we pray for our world, our city and our church. Koinonia for Luke, then, is the common Christian life recognized in belief and practice.”
The Community Church at Brookdale/Chatfield
The Clairbridge Community Church @ Brookdale/Chatfield
The Farmington Station Community Church
The River Ridge Community Church
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Bryan
Street Church Administrator & Volunteer Coordinator
(860) 578-2961 TEXT ONLY
bryan@thestreetchurch.org