How our Neighbors Lead Us #Loveyourneighbor On January 17, 2021, Street Church gathered on a cold January morning and celebrated its first baptism of our friend, Sue. It was a joyous occasion, one that will forever live in this pastor’s mind as a mountaintop moment of faith. On this day, Sue professed her faith and joined the family of Christ. Over the last year, she has showed up week after week to share her gifts living into the commitment she made on that day. Through her spiritual gift of hospitality, and her love language of baking, she has blessed us immensely with birthday cakes, pastries, and other goodies throughout the year. Often, she serves as a liturgist reading our scriptures and prayers, sharing her voice with the congregation. Sue also does behind-the-scenes work for Street Church, helping to coordinate bus rides to services. She has cared for her community by sharing what she has, and she is an exemplary model of what it means to show up as a disciple of Christ for the church and the community. "Bear," another one of our lay ministers in the community, shows up weekly at 8:30 AM to open up the doors of the church. Every Sunday, he gets the coffee started and makes sure the lights and the heat is on. He is the first person the meal groups see when they prepare meals for Sunday morning, and he is the last one to leave the building each Sunday. "Bear" has grown over the last year, as he has learned what it means to lead for the sake of Christ who is at work in us. As one of the original neighbors to help us gather folks around scripture, he is an example of the way that we grow from one spark to a flame. While this past year has brought a lot of loss for our neighbors, some have used that grief as a motivation for change. Our friends Chris and George have overcome so many struggles. Yet, they have remained active in our ministry, ensuring that the worship service flows smoothly with setup and tear down. Despite their struggles, they used the legacy of friends lost as a motivation to transform their own lives and work towards sobriety. It has not been an easy battle, but one that has brought them to a place where their leadership shined during the surprise winter storm last week. It was those two who made it possible, at a time when roads were impassible for many staff and volunteers, to opening up the Day Center to make sure that folks would be cared for during the impactful snowfall.
George even stepped in when a couple, whose tent was smashed by a tree, needed a ride to a nearby hotel where we were providing shelter. We panicked for a minute, as he was low on gas and, of all times, we couldn’t find a gas card in the whole building! Luckily, we had Sunday’s Street Church offering on hand, and there was money available to help George with what he needed to safely transport them. Recently, Chris has also been using his gifts to lead our neighborhood outreach mission. He has big visions for connecting with neighbors and helping them know that Christ is with them through his presence and resourcing in the neighborhood. Both men have come so far and God will continue to use them to lead us ahead. There are many other neighborhood examples of those who have come though the trenches and risen above the noise. I had the opportunity to take one of our friends, Marvin, out to lunch for his birthday, where he shared with me his hopes for this upcoming year. This was such a big deal for him, considering where he was just a year ago when I met him. Rachel has mourned deeply for close to a year after the tragic loss she faced. Regardless, she and her significant other have persevered with their start-up called H.O.P.E Cleaning. Rachel also hopes to help us start a Micah Street Church women’s ministry in the new year, starting with "Gal-entines Day 2022." Advent 2021 was a brilliant display of how our community has grown since last year. We showcased the FXBG Street Choir at "A Street Church Christmas" in Market Square and joined our community in song as we kicked off the holiday season. We shared in a communal lament when we honored the 31 lives we have lost this year in our community as we held a neighborhood vigil for Homeless Person’s Memorial Day. On Christmas Eve we celebrated the joy of the season as we brought the nativity story to life and rejoiced in Christ’s birth among us. The beautiful thing about this community is that as we continue to let our neighbors lead us, we see God in the ways that they are showing up for one another. As we gather, sow, and grow, the spark is lit just a little further as they teach the community what it means to lead by example. Their experiences have shaped them in a way that gives them a unique perspective and gifts to serve. This past Sunday we celebrated another baptism and I can’t wait to see what story God is writing for our neighbor who has recently "joined the family," and how God will lead through her next…
The beautiful thing about this community is that as we continue to let our neighbors lead us, we see God in the ways that they are showing up for one another. As we gather, sow, and grow, the spark is lit just a little further as they teach the community what it means to lead by example. Their experiences have shaped them in a way that gives them a unique perspective and gifts to serve. This past Sunday we celebrated another baptism and I can’t wait to see what story God is writing for our neighbor who has recently "joined the family," and how God will lead through her next…
Chelsea Morse Community Ministry Chaplain Micah Street Church chelsea
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