January 15, 2026

Upside-down Kingdom of God

January 15, 2026

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

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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Church Army CT Admin

January 8, 2026

baptism, returns, and The Beatles....

Church Army CT Admin

January 8, 2026

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

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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The Street Church
108 Whitman Ave
West Hartford, CT 06107-1754

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Church Army CT Admin

December 26, 2025

Christmas on the Sidewalk

Church Army CT Admin

December 26, 2025

…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,

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

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

Church Army CT Admin

December 18, 2025

The kids are alright

Church Army CT Admin

December 18, 2025

So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David’s town,

for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there.

He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant. While they were there, the time came for her to give birth.

She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger,

because there was no room in the hostel.

Luke 2:5-7

Last Week’s Update…stay connected!

Hey Family (from Bryan)

What a wonderful day downtown today on the 2nd weekend of Advent. Notes below.

Logistics

Served: ~85
Last week's leaders: Geoff, Bryan
Next week's leaders: Everyone who shows up!

Gifts

Last week’s: Underwear and blessing bags from a life group at Valley Brook
Next week's: Christmas gifts (shhhhhh)

Looking Ahead

Christmas party is this week! Come, let us adore Him together!

Service

A new family member joins the party!

Geoff and I started the day off at storage. It was an easy load with the mid-week prep. I spend a few hours each week at storage, condensing bins, taking inventory, packing lunches. It is my sanity, actually. I think about you all and the folks downtown, pray, complain to God, minister to folks who have storage units, minister to the staff. It’s good for me to lift boxes… Geoff and I sat on coolers and talked and prayed. I had a pretty heavy heart and mind. We do that in the leadership family. We are committed to Jesus and each other. We are not a service provider. We are a very unique church.

Geoff and I got downtown at a good time. There were not too many folks around, it was a cold day, but as always there were more than enough to do what we do because we are simply living out the yes to Jesus.

Nothing more, nothing less.

We went around the circle and got names and prayed and “Big Ed” (my new name for him) took the lead on tent set up, my wife and girls along with Malaree stepped into coffee, Kenny and his girlfriend showed up along with his parents who were visiting from out of town…. always good to see them!… so the set up was fast and easy.

I continued our theme preaching through Advent, addressing the light not being overcome by the darkness and gave the invitation for anyone to come to Jesus and surrender their will. I waited, smiling. It feels awkward at times but we let the Holy Spirit take his time, and a man quietly walked through the crowd and came to me.

He had never been with us before.

This is why we are outside worshipping Jesus,

preaching the Gospel,

feeding the hungry,

clothing the ill-clad.

The fountain was off for the winter, so I took a bottle of water and symbolically he died to himself…. it’s the Blood that saves us, not the volume of water. And he BEAMED with joy. We gave him his bible and prayed, and a book to help him walk out his faith, and he said he will return.

As I returned to the service, I noticed Brittany, who was here with us from VOX last week for the first time had returned with her mother. They were praying over the new brother and helping him settling into the family.

A visitor one week, brings family the next, helps a new believer understand walking with Jesus. This is what disciples do.

As we were eating lunch, our friend of a couple of weeks who had come with her two kids she had gotten back from DCF came back with the other three. She and Malaree praised God together and wept with joy and I got to meet them all by name and welcome them….”So glad you are here! You are the ones we were praying for!”

Mr Torres started off peaceful and then got a bit loud but that is ok. We would not kick him out if his dormant cancer returned. Everyone jumped in to hand out lunch and hygiene, including a number of folks who are homeless because this is their church and we are not there to serve them, but to live as family with them.

Please, join us this Saturday for our annual Christmas Party, We have a lit tree we decorate, gifts to hand out, chickfil a to eat, my favorite… carols to sing… O come, all Ye Faithful, joyful and triumphant come ye, oh come ye to the steps of City Hall… come and Behold Him, born the King of Angels!

love to all,

From the Community Churches

We had a lovely service at West Hartford Health and Rehab Community Church. There were more than I could get in the photo but the numbers don’t matter. I want to share pictures each week to keep you family members faces fresh in your minds. As Mary and I were walking in we rode up in the elevator with the mother or one or the residents. She know of us and told us that her adult child is aways taking about the church…. gossiping about Jesus…. That is the impact. We bring the Good News and it spreads among family and staff.

I RAN out of the service Saturday just in time to make it to Wintonbury Church to speak to the kids who gathered food and hygiene items all year to make STUFFED bags to hand out to our friends downtown. They ask me to come and share about our friends, and God’s heart for the marginalized….

This is what God asks us to do, make the community livable again! Kids loving the marginalized, the marginalized loving their kids, those in memory care spreading the good news to their families.

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

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.

You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website.

Bryan Bywater

November 29, 2025

Thankful

Bryan Bywater

November 29, 2025

Shout praises to the Lord!
With all my heart
I will thank the Lord
when his people meet.
The Lord has done
many wonderful things!

Psalm 111:1-2a

We all know and love Eric.

I remember a few years back when we asked folks to offer up a thanksgiving to the Lord for his goodness over the past year Eric came forward and took the mic and then put his head down and spoke words that quite frankly changed my life.

“I want to thank the Lord for this past year

because I didn’t have an episode and try and hurt myself.”

I have learned all these years that to live among the thankful people you need to be with the outcast and marginalized. You will here prayers like “thank you for the rain so the crops did not fail”, “Thank you for putting me in jail so I didn’t die on the street”, “thank you for narcan”, “thank you for my keys to my apartment”….

I ask you all to be bold at your table today and give thanks for a few things;

Thank God for your mental health, and for those who are suffering from mental illness.

Thank God for the seat you are sitting on, and for those who don’t own a chair.

Thank God that you will be sick of leftovers, and for those who are sick because they don’t have any “first helpings”

Thank God you were stressed out with all the preparations, and for those who wish they were.

My family and the Street Church Family are thankful for you all.

Last Week’s Update…stay connected!

Served: 96

Last week's leaders: Ruth and Bryan
last week preacher: Kenny
Next week's leaders: Bryan
Next week's preacher: Bryan
Last week's: hygiene products
Next week’s:TBD

(from Ruth)

Arrived at U-Haul around 10 along with Jon, Bryan and Kenny. Bryan and Kenny talked at an event last week and their words did not fall on death ears as a mother and daughter team showed up. They felt moved by Kenny's words and that God was calling them to action hence they came to help load up the truck. I went around to get the truck while Bryan opened storage and started organizing things. Once again packing went smoothly and we ended way before 11. Jeff came to lend a hands for which we are very grateful but this time his presence alone was welcome as we circled and prayed getting ready to head out.

Downtown we were joined by people from VOX Church, a large group from Jack and Jill (a group dedicated to raising up young male and female leaders of color), and another church who had contacted us earlier in the week looking to help. ( (from Bryan) "Unfortunately they arrived with their photography team and as it seemed clear us our church was not a good fit. I told them I was offered and asked them to please leave. It was difficult but our main church are those downtown and as we teach those who come to be with us we are a worshipping church to join, not poor people to hand out too. "

There were a lot of children downtown this time around and we could tell God called everyone to be peaceful as there was no shouting or cursing the kids and everyone there were able to participate and receive the message. Kenny preached on the greatest love story ever told which is Jesus dying on the cross for us. Amongst all he said what stuck with me was that Jesus died for ALL people and ALL the sins. As humans we like to rank what sin is worse than others, but God made no such distinctions they are all bad and Jesus died for them all. We are so blessed that our sins don't make us be left out.
VOX church invited everyone to a thanksgiving pancake breakfast at 8 am at 129 Lafette street. All are welcome to celebrate the holiday together and break bread "pancake" together as a body of Christ. Remembering that Jesus is the one to be thankful for first and foremost.

Bryan, Kenny and I headed back to U-Haul where we were able to have a good conversation about what transpired with that other church and gained better understanding on how to Shepherd and rebuke well.

As always God met us where we were at and provide once again a room for everyone to hear and learn about him and learn to love like him. And I am grateful he's giving me more confidence when it comes to driving the truck .

I wish everyone a happy thanksgiving.

Ruth

From the Community Churches

These week we worshipped at Farmington Station and Chatfield Community Church. Mary came to Farmington Station directly from physical therapy! This is what “Christian Retirement” looks like!

Farmington Station was a packed house as always. I am especially thankful for the family members who are visit to be with their grandparents or friends or spouses and worship together. One couple has been married for 60 years. I would be 103 if Lisa and I make it that far! During our time of prayer, Mary asked if there is anything to pray for and one of the staff with wet eyes asked for prayers for Ukraine and her family that are there.

Chatfield was small in size but that never matters to us. It seems as if the scheduling is difficult but we continue to show up. We asked our friends to help hand out readings, take one if they like, and to set up and take down the communion table. It is healing an offers dignity when you ask resident to help. I personally love to have folks in wheel chairs help me to fold the table linen.

Thanks for all the prayers! The Family says hello!

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

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