Yesterday I had some things I wanted to post for today, but now I don't even remember what they were. I need to start writing things down! What I do know is that it is hard to concentrate right now because I'm listening to a 5 year old girl rap in the middle of McDonalds...
Where to begin? Well, I had my second bible study with the guys from the streets. The first one I had 3 guys, this time I had 11. Of those 11, 5 were from another church supporting me, 4 were not Christians, and 2 don't really know what they are. We had a great discussion about Jesus' encounter with the rich man and distinguishing Jesus between Lord and teacher. It was a great discussion and a lot of bball afterwards! One of the guys admitted he didn't understand everything (he has never been in a church, so knows nothing about the gospel, pray for him... his name is josh). Josh stayed in the gym the next night until 12:30 AM--for the last 45 minutes it was just us 2, so we got to talk about his life (particularly his future). And from my discussion with him, and some others, I've realized that these people have dreams and skills. Josh is attending Temple University in the fall and wants to major in something that's uncommon and wants to try to walk on the basketball team. Some guys who come through will get on the piano and drum in the chapel and improv music that blows me away! Yesterday, I saw kids who BUILT THEIR OWN STEREO SYSTEM for their BIKES! I was riding with a guy (Jose) to get all the shirts for the jerseys and saw these bikes with a stereo system (including mini-subwoofers) attached to the back of their bikes... I asked Jose where you buy something like that and he said these kids don't--they make them themselves. Unfortunately, most of them are high school drop outs. High School dropouts are building their own stereo system for their bike that sound better than what you can buy for your car--that's potential right there. These kids have dreams, these kids have skills, so what has gone wrong? Of course, you could come up with several answers--but I say this to let you know that there is hope... and as i pursue my career to teach in inner-city, my goal is to get these kids to see their potential and that they can be successful in life.
Now, about Jose, the guy who took me to get the shirts... God has blessed me tremendously with some believers my age to provide friendship and support. Jose, Joey, PJ, Jose #2, Mark, etc... just a handful of guys from a church that meets in their home (I mentioned their church/group in my post last week) who have done nothing but lend a helping hand. They help me come up with ideas, they help get these jerseys made, they help by bringing some water/gatorade, they help by bringing me 24 bibles, they help by checking up on me to make sure I'm safe, they help by making Christian rap CDs to pass out for outreach, etc. This is exactly what they said, "We here to serve you man." They tell me that they've been wanting to do something like this, but have never been able to wrap their finger around it... My prayer for someone to take over after I'm gone has already been answered. These guys are going to continue the league and continue the bibe study--funneling the guys into a program they're going to call "The Next Level." Point is, God has blessed me with these people and it's a sign that this ministry is being taken to "the next level."
And now you probably want to know how the league is going... It's awesome. These guys are so excited to have something like this, and they're always asking when the jerseys will come in. I have gotten all the gym shorts and all the shirts (and now I'm down to $130)... so now all that is left is to get the shirts screen printed--once these teams have their jerseys I'll be sure to take team photos and post them on here. My fiancee is visiting this upcoming week, so I'll be able to have her take pictures as games are going. This past Thursday was the first night of games... we made do with a portable scoreboard (with flip #s), my phone for a timer, and an air horn for the buzzer... and did not keep track of fouls because we had no #s. But to make you feel more a part of this ministry, I'll update you with the scores!
Game 1:
Tioga Heights A--34
DBB--68
Game 2:
Tioga Heights B--44
Next Level--52
Game 3:
Dynasty--63
Unforgettables--38
Game 4 (OT):
P.U.C. Da Movement--41
Jewtown--45
It was an exciting night, and you know the league is off to a good start when the last game of the night goes into overtime!
PUTTING THIS LEAGUE INTO PERSPECTIVE:
Let me provide another reason as to why this league is advancing the Kingdom... When I took that ride with Jose, he took me to the court he played at when he was younger. He explained to me that this court was run by drug dealers and every summer put on a tournament... they paint the court, get jerseys, get trophies, etc.. the whole deal. So drug dealers can do things for the community too... But I can offer the SAME thing PLUS living water that comes from Christ. I give them basketball, but then they get prayer and devotionals before each game and a bible study on tuesday nights. That's what this ministry is about... getting to them before the evils of this world does. As my brother Dan put it, I'm doing a "preventive ministry" as opposed to the numerous "recovery ministries."
Continue your prayers!!
With love and blessings from Christ,
Bracken
Misc. news:
1) Chuck Malloy called while I was writing this to let me know that his mother-in-law bought some cases of gatorade for me, and he is going to buy some as well for me to pick up Tuesday--Thank you Lord Jesus
2) I continue to hear over and over how I need to not trust anyone, I'm in the ghetto, watch your back... etc. Thing is, when you have an incarnational ministry and you build relationships, these guys in the ghetto will watch my back for me
3) So far the worse that has happened: the brand new game ball I bought got stolen. During one of the games, the ball went through the windo and into the playground outside... I didn't have a key to the gate, so apparently by the next morning someone had jumped the fence and took it.... Oh well
4) I hope I didn't forget anything!
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Saturday, June 7, 2008
pictures of the Christian hip hop venue I organized and God blessed
top picture is a pic of me with the gospel rappers I flew in from Cali. From left to right: Brotha Ruff (aka Gospel Gorilla), N.I.C. (Noticed In Christ, aka Nicalodean), me, BFade, and Explicittrell (unfortunately, JNezz, minister and organizer of the Pray Area Movement in Cali is taking the picture)... the wall behind us with all the grafitti is actually the wall at the court I play at--I don't have a picture of the court yet, but I will!2nd picture is one of a few of the guys from my "Jasper St. gang"--this was right before the 2nd show we put on outside... at that point we were blarin music and grilling hot dogs for people walking by
3rd pic is us playing ball after the hip hop show was over...
4th pic is from the first night when we had the show inside... all those youth standing up there responded in some way (accepted Christ for first time or rededicated lives ,etc.... it is with these kids I am starting the bible study "Walking in Salvation")
Last picture is the rappers with Yvette, who talked a lot about in last week's post.
pics from "Sake of the Call"
top pic is Ed Bouldac, organizer of this event--it was great seeing different churches and what not coming together to bring the lost to Christ. 2nd pic is just a small fraction of the crowd there--they were spread out, sitting in chairs, on benches, on the ground... 3rd pic is my set up! the bottom and last one is a picture of those who responded to an altar call after a skit (some are Christians praying over the others)... I got pictures of all the skits, dances, musicians, etc... but I won't put them all on here! If you have facebook, it's all in an album in my profile!more pictures
Don't know if mentioned this before or not, but I got a lot of baseball equipment from WKU and my former high school (Dunbar) donated to this team at Mastbaum HS... the top picture is a pic of the school (see the fence at the top? Yup, there's a court on the roof!)... the bottom pic is a pic of some the guys from the team... my HS gets a new uniform every year and they always have 8 different varaitions of uniforms to wear for a game. What you see them wearing is what they've been wearing since before 1996
pictures
Here's the gym at the church and my room on the top floor of the church... I basically turned my room into an office as well!Week of networking and word spreading
In just a matter of one week so much has happened. Even just today there is so much to share. I just left a Community Outreach Event at Harrigate Park (about 6 blocks from my area of ministry). Early in the week, the S.A. (Salvation Army) got a flier about this event called "For the Sake of the Call"... it was an outreach event inviting any church to come out and set up an information booth to let locals know what is available to them. The event had live musicians (genres ranging from rap to R&B to a general praise and worship band), interpretive movements, skits, and all kinds of activities for kids (face painting, water games, bible stories, etc.), and good food and drinks! As a representative of the S.A. I provided brochures about the church, along with gospel tracks and pocket bibles (I had 200 pocket bibles donated by Gideonites from my Bowling Green church--First Baptist; I'd say about 100 are gone now :)). This park is along Kensington (I have mentioned that this is an area of extreme poverty) so it was a great outreach for prostitutes, drug addicts, alcoholics, etc... The guy who organizes it, Ed Bouldac, has been clean from drugs for 12 years and 5 months and leads a 12 step recovery program at a church nearby--throughout the day he held a meeting for addicts every other hour where "clean people" shared testimonies and prayed for each other and offered where addicts could get help. I got to hear stories of people who have been clean for as early as 32 days to as long as 31 years! God really moved today--I'll have some pictures uploaded in the next post.
Ok, so in the last post I mentioned how I met a guy who's cousin was a pastor of a church nearby and that he'd be willing to help with anything... well I met him (Joey) this past Monday, and he has been a big help. The next day his mom and dad drove over to the S.A. with Five 32-packs of water and five 28-packs of gatorade for my "Gatorade Missions." His dad also has a friend who will look at the scoreboard in our gym to see if we can get it working again. They will also be helping with the basketball league we have starting up by providing a team and hopefully some volunteer work on game nights. The league is becoming more and more of a reality and these kids from the streets are excited. We currently have 8 teams... I will be coaching/playing with my "focus group" (I call them my focus group because they are to me what Jesus's 12 disciples were to him I guess you could say)... their team name is P.U.C. Da Movement (stands for Problems Under Control). Another way Joey is helping is with jerseys for the teams. He told me that God has blessed them with equipment used for screen printing to make shirts (equipment that was just given to them out of the blue)... so as long as I get the shirts, they can make them free of charge! Games start this Thursday, so it's exciting... pray that it all comes together. I need to get jerseys together and get the scoreboard working; those are my primary needs. Also pray for Joey's church--2 weeks ago was their 2 year anniversary and they meet in his parent's home. It has grown to the point where people are squeezing for room upstairs! They have been praying for a building to move into and it looks like God may have answered their prayer. An Adult Video store has closed down, and they may be taking it over. THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO SEE! An Adult store being turned into a church--that's progress :).
I have also been shifting my area of ministry from the outdoor courts to open gym at the church. I continue to have people tell me to "be careful," "don't get shot," "watch that your stuff doesn't get stolen," etc... but brothas and sistas, I have news... when you become an incarnational ministry and you connect, build relationships, and GO, you'd be surprised how God protects you and how much respect you get from others and the kinds of relationship that is built. I have a tremendous amount of respect from the guys in this area... I've had random people stop in and tell me they remember when they used to play in this gym years ago when it was a dollar to get in on Thursday nights. Now I have it open every weeknight for free and the guys love it! Word has spread and I now average up to 15-20 a night (last week it was around 10). Basically, with this open gym and bball league, I'm giving some of these guys the best summer of their life and I'm giving them somthing to do to stay off the streets at night.
Now... how am I connecting all this to ministry? Well, I build relationships with them, talk to them, and invite them to bible study. This past Tuesday was my first one (before I was getting 20 a night) and I had 3 guys come. Then when it was over, I had a few guys come (one that I had met from my first trip a year ago and hadn't seen since my trip 2 months ago) who said they heard I was doing a bible study and open gym and they want to come by. I also had some of my other guys say they wanted to start coming. This is the bible study I explained in my last post about "Who is Jesus?" My experience in ministry has been great because I feel like I'm doing the ministry Jesus did. He had his 12 disciples he taught in depth (I have my Jasper St. gang) and he ministered to the masses (I have been able to do some of that to the K&A area as a whole).
But God is good to me also. I had asked my older brother to pray for me that I would have some believers welcome me into their home and feed me every once in a while and just give me a change of scenes. Well, thanks to Barb Ellis and her contacts, my prayer was answered the next day. She had called a friend, Chuck Malloy, in order to help me with my ministry and the bball league. Well he called me and in the midst of our convo, asked if I would come over to his house for dinner somtime! AMEN! God is good!
I have learned today the difference between my ministry and other ministeries happening here. What I've encountered, between the S.A., the outreach event today, and what I've heard about other ministeries around, I discover that those ministeries target a truly hurting community, a community full of prostitutes, homeless people, addicts, etc. Today at the outreach event I saw people admitting that they're in pain and they need to change, etc. But my ministry has been with youth who won't admit they're in need of a spiritual healing. They believe they're okay on their own. Remember their team name? "Problems Under Control." Thus, my ministry is tough... pray that God uses me to get them to realize that they don't have control until God has control; that they DO need Christ in their life.
Well, that's all I can think of... oh, by the way, I have finally made it to a Phillies game. All the pastors of S.A. in the Eastern Penn/Del district got together for cheesesteaks, phillies game, and ice cream. What's neat, is the three wealthiest SA pay for everything (one for the lunch, one for the game, one for the ice cream)... As our pastor told me "In other words, we never have to" :) Phillies played the Reds... and though I wore a Phillies jersey, I still found myself rooting for the Reds!
Look for another update next week! God bless!
Ok, so in the last post I mentioned how I met a guy who's cousin was a pastor of a church nearby and that he'd be willing to help with anything... well I met him (Joey) this past Monday, and he has been a big help. The next day his mom and dad drove over to the S.A. with Five 32-packs of water and five 28-packs of gatorade for my "Gatorade Missions." His dad also has a friend who will look at the scoreboard in our gym to see if we can get it working again. They will also be helping with the basketball league we have starting up by providing a team and hopefully some volunteer work on game nights. The league is becoming more and more of a reality and these kids from the streets are excited. We currently have 8 teams... I will be coaching/playing with my "focus group" (I call them my focus group because they are to me what Jesus's 12 disciples were to him I guess you could say)... their team name is P.U.C. Da Movement (stands for Problems Under Control). Another way Joey is helping is with jerseys for the teams. He told me that God has blessed them with equipment used for screen printing to make shirts (equipment that was just given to them out of the blue)... so as long as I get the shirts, they can make them free of charge! Games start this Thursday, so it's exciting... pray that it all comes together. I need to get jerseys together and get the scoreboard working; those are my primary needs. Also pray for Joey's church--2 weeks ago was their 2 year anniversary and they meet in his parent's home. It has grown to the point where people are squeezing for room upstairs! They have been praying for a building to move into and it looks like God may have answered their prayer. An Adult Video store has closed down, and they may be taking it over. THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO SEE! An Adult store being turned into a church--that's progress :).
I have also been shifting my area of ministry from the outdoor courts to open gym at the church. I continue to have people tell me to "be careful," "don't get shot," "watch that your stuff doesn't get stolen," etc... but brothas and sistas, I have news... when you become an incarnational ministry and you connect, build relationships, and GO, you'd be surprised how God protects you and how much respect you get from others and the kinds of relationship that is built. I have a tremendous amount of respect from the guys in this area... I've had random people stop in and tell me they remember when they used to play in this gym years ago when it was a dollar to get in on Thursday nights. Now I have it open every weeknight for free and the guys love it! Word has spread and I now average up to 15-20 a night (last week it was around 10). Basically, with this open gym and bball league, I'm giving some of these guys the best summer of their life and I'm giving them somthing to do to stay off the streets at night.
Now... how am I connecting all this to ministry? Well, I build relationships with them, talk to them, and invite them to bible study. This past Tuesday was my first one (before I was getting 20 a night) and I had 3 guys come. Then when it was over, I had a few guys come (one that I had met from my first trip a year ago and hadn't seen since my trip 2 months ago) who said they heard I was doing a bible study and open gym and they want to come by. I also had some of my other guys say they wanted to start coming. This is the bible study I explained in my last post about "Who is Jesus?" My experience in ministry has been great because I feel like I'm doing the ministry Jesus did. He had his 12 disciples he taught in depth (I have my Jasper St. gang) and he ministered to the masses (I have been able to do some of that to the K&A area as a whole).
But God is good to me also. I had asked my older brother to pray for me that I would have some believers welcome me into their home and feed me every once in a while and just give me a change of scenes. Well, thanks to Barb Ellis and her contacts, my prayer was answered the next day. She had called a friend, Chuck Malloy, in order to help me with my ministry and the bball league. Well he called me and in the midst of our convo, asked if I would come over to his house for dinner somtime! AMEN! God is good!
I have learned today the difference between my ministry and other ministeries happening here. What I've encountered, between the S.A., the outreach event today, and what I've heard about other ministeries around, I discover that those ministeries target a truly hurting community, a community full of prostitutes, homeless people, addicts, etc. Today at the outreach event I saw people admitting that they're in pain and they need to change, etc. But my ministry has been with youth who won't admit they're in need of a spiritual healing. They believe they're okay on their own. Remember their team name? "Problems Under Control." Thus, my ministry is tough... pray that God uses me to get them to realize that they don't have control until God has control; that they DO need Christ in their life.
Well, that's all I can think of... oh, by the way, I have finally made it to a Phillies game. All the pastors of S.A. in the Eastern Penn/Del district got together for cheesesteaks, phillies game, and ice cream. What's neat, is the three wealthiest SA pay for everything (one for the lunch, one for the game, one for the ice cream)... As our pastor told me "In other words, we never have to" :) Phillies played the Reds... and though I wore a Phillies jersey, I still found myself rooting for the Reds!
Look for another update next week! God bless!
Sunday, June 1, 2008
good start
Praise be to God!!! Where do I even begin? Well, first I should start off by thanking Hannah Groves for providing me with a username/password to access AT&T WiFi at McDonalds so I won't have to pay everytime I use the internet here.
Other than that, lots have happened... let me try to organize this. Okay, first... a follow up report with Yvette (the woman who went from saying she was going clubbing to passing out bibles/gospel tracts the next day). Before I came back up, I cleaned out my room and brought lots of clothes, games, and books to donate to the Salvation Army. A couple books I found were those "Chicken Soup for the ____ Soul." So I thought I'd give those to her--give her some encouraging stories to read as a mother. So I walked over and gave those to her (she really appreciated them), but then she kind of spilled her heart. She told me that since the gospel rap shows, she's had to tell her friends "no" to lots of things because, as she put it, she "don't feel right doing it anymore." The spirit of God is moving her. However, the power of Satan is attacking her. Since those nights, she has had numerous bills come her way that she is unable to pay (she is a Nurse's Assistant, but they only schedule her for weekends). She is struggling to make ends meet and they are threatening to cut off her electricity and water. Please pray that God meets her needs... As a matter of fact, if you would like to help in some way just call me (859) 539-7838. I will talk with our pastor to see if the church can help somehow. I am currently getting her an application to work in the after school program with our church--hopefully a position will open up for her. Pray for her.
Okay, next on the list: Sunday services! At last, my fourth time here and I finally was able to make it to a Sunday service. We had a turnout of 20 or so (they tell me the attendance is 60 when it's not summer)--but this crowd of 20 was a blessing to me... I was given the chance to testify to what God had me doing and my plans for the summer. I am proud to tell you that one member is going to donate lots of water to aid my basketball ministry! I also have a father who wants to get together with me to talk and hang out and all the others were so kind to me, welcoming me as family. I especially want you to pray for Amani (I don't know how to spell his name)... he must be about 10 years old and he came to church on his own will--he had no family or friends with him. Then when I talked about starting a discipleship group with young adults, he asked where and when cause he wants to come!!! That boy there is going to be a leader for Christ in this community, pray for him. We also had the Soup and Salvation service this afternoon at 3. At this service we had about 35-40, all adults who are homeless, alcoholics, drug addicts, etc... Many of these are currently in rehab and a volunteer picks them up from the center to bring them. We have a group come in, sing songs and give a message and then we feed them. Interestingly, of these 40 or so people, only 3 were women (something to think about). I had the privilege to meet Frank (his first time there because one of the ladies was walking behind him on the streets and told him to go!--imagine that, look what happens when you talk to people, haha!). Frank shared some burdens and we got to talk about some spiritual matters and then I gave him a ride home--hopefully there will be more rides home to come.
Don't stop reading yet, this is where my main ministry comes into play. There's still so much more to say! I have seen my "target group" a few times this past week. I open the gym every night and some nights they come, some nights they don't. Occasionally I get a call from one of them to go play ball with them. So the relationships are being established. However, I wish there was more consistency--but I'm sure that will come. Okay, now I want to explain a little scenario. Every thursday another church uses our gym... this guy John has a group of about 13 kids come in to play and he tells me he's been trying to start a league. Well... twice now I've had "my gang" in to play when they've been there and they scrimmaged. So I talked to John and said, "let's make it official! Let's start the league next Thursday!" So, first games are this Thursday. I hope to have 2 teams and he will have 2 teams. I have also been gathering contacts with surrounding areas/churches so I can get them to put a team together and I will go to other parks nearby to start teams (well, really just one other park I know is a big hit). I plan on getting jerseys for my teams, something they can have pride in and feel unity (the second time they scrimmaged, one of the guys told me at the end "they've been getting our hopes up about this league for nothing."--getting jerseys will show them how serious I am about being intentional with them, etc.). To do that, I know I will have to sacrifice some things (limit how often I buy drinks to use as ministry at the parks, etc... I don't have the funds for everything... if you still want to donate, not too late!) I also need to get a scoreboard or somthing like that to make it as much of a "recreational league" as I can. So... how am I going to tie all this into ministry? Glad you asked! I'll break from this part to explain my "bible studies."
I currently have 3 bible studies in the making:
1) "Journey of a Disciple"--learning what it means to be a Disciple of Christ (the call, the cost, the change, the commitment and life that follows). This starts Wed. June 11 at 6 PM and is for members of the church. Originally I was targeting young adults, but I've had some older age and younger age at church this morning wanting to go... so it'll be interesting to see the age range that comes! I hope to equip them with a "Great Commission" attitude to take to the streets.
2) "Walking in Your Salvation"--This is for the youth that dedicated their life to Christ at the gospel rap concerts. Neat story... Karen, a worker at the church and young lady who drove all these kids to the show, told me that they were all upset she didn't pick them up for church last week (it would have been their first time there). So I'll be coordinating with her to start this bible study for them. This will be about growing them in Christ, understanding what it means to be a Christian, having Christ at the center of your life, etc.
3) "Who is Jesus?"--Discovering who Jesus is through encounters people had with Him and the claims/confessions about him. This was my favorite bible study I've covered (lead by Tommy Johnson, my campus minister), so I will use it to be a seekers study for non-Christians. This is the bible study I hope to begin with "my gang" and through that basketball league starting up, I hope to use that as a venue to my bible study--taking time before the game or before any open gym to do a 45 min bible study with them. PRAY PRAY PRAY for them and for that study. On the note of this bible study, check out what just happened an hour ago:
So I went to Franklin park (my original park and where the heart of my ministry is) a couple hours ago and found a whole new gang (most came from 8 blocks away). So I played with them and really got to know a few guys, specifically Mark. I start to tell them how I'll have the gym open at night if they want to play (they loved that idea--some of these guys are tryng to stay out of trouble so it gives them something to do at night). And then I told them about the league. Well Mark's cousin is a co-pastor at a church and so Mark called him up and his cousin wants to help out! I've got his # and I'll be calling him tonight. But even better, I proceeded to tell these guys I'm starting a bible study if they want to join right before playing ball at the church. Guess what? Our first study is Tuesday at 8:00 PM. I had one guy say, "Man, I need something like that." So, I'm going to do the "Who is Jesus" with them and try to integrate "my gang" into it... PRAISE GOD, can I get an "AMEN"? AMEN!
Now, I don't know yet how to upload pictures onto here, but as soon as I find out, I will... I've taken pictures of the church and I will take some of the neighborhood so you can get an idea of where I am and what kind of place I'm in.
If you want to make a donation, check out my blog title: "how to donate"... I guess that's all until next week!
P.S. I couldn't tell you how many times I've heard "you're in a very dangerous place... you know what you're getting yourself into?" Well, I hope my mom and my fiancee don't read this! It's crazy where God will put you when you dare to make a difference and to carry the cross... heck, my brother is going to Darfur Sudan in November! It's all good though. :) PRAY PRAY PRAY
Other than that, lots have happened... let me try to organize this. Okay, first... a follow up report with Yvette (the woman who went from saying she was going clubbing to passing out bibles/gospel tracts the next day). Before I came back up, I cleaned out my room and brought lots of clothes, games, and books to donate to the Salvation Army. A couple books I found were those "Chicken Soup for the ____ Soul." So I thought I'd give those to her--give her some encouraging stories to read as a mother. So I walked over and gave those to her (she really appreciated them), but then she kind of spilled her heart. She told me that since the gospel rap shows, she's had to tell her friends "no" to lots of things because, as she put it, she "don't feel right doing it anymore." The spirit of God is moving her. However, the power of Satan is attacking her. Since those nights, she has had numerous bills come her way that she is unable to pay (she is a Nurse's Assistant, but they only schedule her for weekends). She is struggling to make ends meet and they are threatening to cut off her electricity and water. Please pray that God meets her needs... As a matter of fact, if you would like to help in some way just call me (859) 539-7838. I will talk with our pastor to see if the church can help somehow. I am currently getting her an application to work in the after school program with our church--hopefully a position will open up for her. Pray for her.
Okay, next on the list: Sunday services! At last, my fourth time here and I finally was able to make it to a Sunday service. We had a turnout of 20 or so (they tell me the attendance is 60 when it's not summer)--but this crowd of 20 was a blessing to me... I was given the chance to testify to what God had me doing and my plans for the summer. I am proud to tell you that one member is going to donate lots of water to aid my basketball ministry! I also have a father who wants to get together with me to talk and hang out and all the others were so kind to me, welcoming me as family. I especially want you to pray for Amani (I don't know how to spell his name)... he must be about 10 years old and he came to church on his own will--he had no family or friends with him. Then when I talked about starting a discipleship group with young adults, he asked where and when cause he wants to come!!! That boy there is going to be a leader for Christ in this community, pray for him. We also had the Soup and Salvation service this afternoon at 3. At this service we had about 35-40, all adults who are homeless, alcoholics, drug addicts, etc... Many of these are currently in rehab and a volunteer picks them up from the center to bring them. We have a group come in, sing songs and give a message and then we feed them. Interestingly, of these 40 or so people, only 3 were women (something to think about). I had the privilege to meet Frank (his first time there because one of the ladies was walking behind him on the streets and told him to go!--imagine that, look what happens when you talk to people, haha!). Frank shared some burdens and we got to talk about some spiritual matters and then I gave him a ride home--hopefully there will be more rides home to come.
Don't stop reading yet, this is where my main ministry comes into play. There's still so much more to say! I have seen my "target group" a few times this past week. I open the gym every night and some nights they come, some nights they don't. Occasionally I get a call from one of them to go play ball with them. So the relationships are being established. However, I wish there was more consistency--but I'm sure that will come. Okay, now I want to explain a little scenario. Every thursday another church uses our gym... this guy John has a group of about 13 kids come in to play and he tells me he's been trying to start a league. Well... twice now I've had "my gang" in to play when they've been there and they scrimmaged. So I talked to John and said, "let's make it official! Let's start the league next Thursday!" So, first games are this Thursday. I hope to have 2 teams and he will have 2 teams. I have also been gathering contacts with surrounding areas/churches so I can get them to put a team together and I will go to other parks nearby to start teams (well, really just one other park I know is a big hit). I plan on getting jerseys for my teams, something they can have pride in and feel unity (the second time they scrimmaged, one of the guys told me at the end "they've been getting our hopes up about this league for nothing."--getting jerseys will show them how serious I am about being intentional with them, etc.). To do that, I know I will have to sacrifice some things (limit how often I buy drinks to use as ministry at the parks, etc... I don't have the funds for everything... if you still want to donate, not too late!) I also need to get a scoreboard or somthing like that to make it as much of a "recreational league" as I can. So... how am I going to tie all this into ministry? Glad you asked! I'll break from this part to explain my "bible studies."
I currently have 3 bible studies in the making:
1) "Journey of a Disciple"--learning what it means to be a Disciple of Christ (the call, the cost, the change, the commitment and life that follows). This starts Wed. June 11 at 6 PM and is for members of the church. Originally I was targeting young adults, but I've had some older age and younger age at church this morning wanting to go... so it'll be interesting to see the age range that comes! I hope to equip them with a "Great Commission" attitude to take to the streets.
2) "Walking in Your Salvation"--This is for the youth that dedicated their life to Christ at the gospel rap concerts. Neat story... Karen, a worker at the church and young lady who drove all these kids to the show, told me that they were all upset she didn't pick them up for church last week (it would have been their first time there). So I'll be coordinating with her to start this bible study for them. This will be about growing them in Christ, understanding what it means to be a Christian, having Christ at the center of your life, etc.
3) "Who is Jesus?"--Discovering who Jesus is through encounters people had with Him and the claims/confessions about him. This was my favorite bible study I've covered (lead by Tommy Johnson, my campus minister), so I will use it to be a seekers study for non-Christians. This is the bible study I hope to begin with "my gang" and through that basketball league starting up, I hope to use that as a venue to my bible study--taking time before the game or before any open gym to do a 45 min bible study with them. PRAY PRAY PRAY for them and for that study. On the note of this bible study, check out what just happened an hour ago:
So I went to Franklin park (my original park and where the heart of my ministry is) a couple hours ago and found a whole new gang (most came from 8 blocks away). So I played with them and really got to know a few guys, specifically Mark. I start to tell them how I'll have the gym open at night if they want to play (they loved that idea--some of these guys are tryng to stay out of trouble so it gives them something to do at night). And then I told them about the league. Well Mark's cousin is a co-pastor at a church and so Mark called him up and his cousin wants to help out! I've got his # and I'll be calling him tonight. But even better, I proceeded to tell these guys I'm starting a bible study if they want to join right before playing ball at the church. Guess what? Our first study is Tuesday at 8:00 PM. I had one guy say, "Man, I need something like that." So, I'm going to do the "Who is Jesus" with them and try to integrate "my gang" into it... PRAISE GOD, can I get an "AMEN"? AMEN!
Now, I don't know yet how to upload pictures onto here, but as soon as I find out, I will... I've taken pictures of the church and I will take some of the neighborhood so you can get an idea of where I am and what kind of place I'm in.
If you want to make a donation, check out my blog title: "how to donate"... I guess that's all until next week!
P.S. I couldn't tell you how many times I've heard "you're in a very dangerous place... you know what you're getting yourself into?" Well, I hope my mom and my fiancee don't read this! It's crazy where God will put you when you dare to make a difference and to carry the cross... heck, my brother is going to Darfur Sudan in November! It's all good though. :) PRAY PRAY PRAY
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