“Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will raise up the age-old foundations; And you will be called the repairer of the breach, The restorer of the streets in which to dwell.”
(Isaiah 58:12-Street Reach mission verse)
(Isaiah 58:12-Street Reach mission verse)
Last week I was able to return to Tennessee with our church youth group for our annual mission trip. We work with a small church in the middle of some of the worst streets in Memphis. This church, Brinkley Heights, has been one that started with a church building that was, for the most part falling in. The small congregation some of whom were homeless themselves, wanted nothing more than to reach out to their community by feeding & clothing those in need...but they didn’t have any money themselves…how would they help? They did have one thing…their strong, childlike faith in God. This church had crack houses around it that have now been shut down & they were able to purchase them, repair them & use them to serve the community with the love of God.
Our youth have been serving with this ministry for the last four years; I have been with them for the last three. The first year that I went with them, the thing that stuck in my mind the most was that when they decided to build a new church building, they didn’t build a church…they built a community center…& as strange as it sounds…they built it for the surrounding community to use daily. When you walk up to this modest building, you don’t see a gaudy, overpriced facility, with stained glass & a huge sanctuary with a “family life center” & gym…no, you see, as I said before, a small community center. Inside there is a gym, nothing fancy, but the people in the community love to be there & it doubles as there sanctuary. Down the halls they have a few classrooms where they have a few classes, mostly elementary if I’m right. Everything they do is to show the love of God & to serve & better educate their community.
Last year they started on a new school on their lot that will run from kindergarten through 12th grade. When we were there last year the “Carpenters for Christ” crew was there building it. They are waiting on financing now so that they can finish it. Another cool thing is that they aren’t going into debt to pay for this stuff, they wait until they have the money & then they build…weird concept huh?
The program that they us to reach the community & children, is called “Street Reach”, during the mornings our youth would work sites where they conducted Backyard Bible clubs & in the evening they would either visit a nursing home, clean up streets, cut grass or go to a local community center & play with the children…some even helped with a block party for another church. It was really cool how all those churches in that area worked together to reach Memphis.
During some of the backyard Bible clubs there were many children saved, by hearing & accepting the gospel that was brought to them by some of our very own youth. Something else I enjoyed was seeing how much love the youth showed those children. The majority of these kids…sorry Mrs. Villia…I meant children, Mrs. Villia was a black lady from the nursing home that while I was speaking with her quickly corrected me when I asked her if she have any “kids”…she looked dead at me through her 80 plus year old eyes & said, “No…but I do have several children…I ain’t no goat.” So let me rephrase that before I get in trouble…the majority of those children, come from homes where love is by no means readily shown, if at all. But when they received it from the youth, they soaked it up like a “Sham wow”…they just couldn’t get enough. Our whole trip was basically built on showing the children & the community, true unconditional love. We wanted the people of that community to associate love with the name of Jesus. Those children at least on our site, looked daily across the street at closed businesses & a liquor store, which seemed to be the hub of that area. There were all kinds of adults sitting around all day long most drunk, yelling across the street to each other, drug deals here & there, people bumming a few bucks for more alcohol.
This little park area in front of this run down trailer park, smack dab in the middle of a run down neighborhood, that seemed as though the hope had been just sucked out of it… this small park…will be a place where Jesus will be throughout the summer, showing true Agape, unconditional love. The children can look around them & see what the world has to offer, then look at the “Street Reach” team & see the love & hope that only Jesus can provide.
I walked over one morning to where some of the men sat everyday under & drank in the shade of a large oak tree. I sat down on one of their milk crates before they arrived, kicked some of the beer cans & liquor bottles out of my way & just imagined what they were feeling & think while looking out into that community…my heart sank. It was depressing, hopeless & it seemed there was no way out. But then I heard a child's laughter, I turned & watched as the children of Leahy’s Trailer Park arrived with smiles on there faces, looking for another big dose of the love of Jesus & I saw hope, I saw a way out…through the hearts & minds of those children…not “kids”, but children. This is the vision of “Street Reach” & a little church called Brinkley Heights…keep them in your prayers.
Our youth have been serving with this ministry for the last four years; I have been with them for the last three. The first year that I went with them, the thing that stuck in my mind the most was that when they decided to build a new church building, they didn’t build a church…they built a community center…& as strange as it sounds…they built it for the surrounding community to use daily. When you walk up to this modest building, you don’t see a gaudy, overpriced facility, with stained glass & a huge sanctuary with a “family life center” & gym…no, you see, as I said before, a small community center. Inside there is a gym, nothing fancy, but the people in the community love to be there & it doubles as there sanctuary. Down the halls they have a few classrooms where they have a few classes, mostly elementary if I’m right. Everything they do is to show the love of God & to serve & better educate their community.
Last year they started on a new school on their lot that will run from kindergarten through 12th grade. When we were there last year the “Carpenters for Christ” crew was there building it. They are waiting on financing now so that they can finish it. Another cool thing is that they aren’t going into debt to pay for this stuff, they wait until they have the money & then they build…weird concept huh?
The program that they us to reach the community & children, is called “Street Reach”, during the mornings our youth would work sites where they conducted Backyard Bible clubs & in the evening they would either visit a nursing home, clean up streets, cut grass or go to a local community center & play with the children…some even helped with a block party for another church. It was really cool how all those churches in that area worked together to reach Memphis.
During some of the backyard Bible clubs there were many children saved, by hearing & accepting the gospel that was brought to them by some of our very own youth. Something else I enjoyed was seeing how much love the youth showed those children. The majority of these kids…sorry Mrs. Villia…I meant children, Mrs. Villia was a black lady from the nursing home that while I was speaking with her quickly corrected me when I asked her if she have any “kids”…she looked dead at me through her 80 plus year old eyes & said, “No…but I do have several children…I ain’t no goat.” So let me rephrase that before I get in trouble…the majority of those children, come from homes where love is by no means readily shown, if at all. But when they received it from the youth, they soaked it up like a “Sham wow”…they just couldn’t get enough. Our whole trip was basically built on showing the children & the community, true unconditional love. We wanted the people of that community to associate love with the name of Jesus. Those children at least on our site, looked daily across the street at closed businesses & a liquor store, which seemed to be the hub of that area. There were all kinds of adults sitting around all day long most drunk, yelling across the street to each other, drug deals here & there, people bumming a few bucks for more alcohol.
This little park area in front of this run down trailer park, smack dab in the middle of a run down neighborhood, that seemed as though the hope had been just sucked out of it… this small park…will be a place where Jesus will be throughout the summer, showing true Agape, unconditional love. The children can look around them & see what the world has to offer, then look at the “Street Reach” team & see the love & hope that only Jesus can provide.
I walked over one morning to where some of the men sat everyday under & drank in the shade of a large oak tree. I sat down on one of their milk crates before they arrived, kicked some of the beer cans & liquor bottles out of my way & just imagined what they were feeling & think while looking out into that community…my heart sank. It was depressing, hopeless & it seemed there was no way out. But then I heard a child's laughter, I turned & watched as the children of Leahy’s Trailer Park arrived with smiles on there faces, looking for another big dose of the love of Jesus & I saw hope, I saw a way out…through the hearts & minds of those children…not “kids”, but children. This is the vision of “Street Reach” & a little church called Brinkley Heights…keep them in your prayers.
Vern
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