the Journey

If you're free early on Sunday morning... church on the streets

That's our gear right there for the 8 am service in Linn Park. The van was donated- and then painted. The Trailer was built from scratch (see the video below). 

Each week, we take church outside to the streets before our 10:30 service at the warehouse, inside. There are many homeless in Birmingham (2,400, according to The Birmingham News), and so we go to them, and to many families who know that we will be outside and will be available to assist whatever needs may arise. 

In the past year, we have used this venue to take people off the street and provide them with housing and jobs. Others have been placed into the program at The Village. Others have been assisted in other ways...

If you're free that early, feel free to join us. It's one of the highlights of Noah's (5) week. And, at this age, he is already convinced that he can help a homeless person find Jesus, find housing, and find a job... b/c he's been with me when I've done it. 

(You can email me if you want more info.)

Here's what The Trailer looks like from concept to implementation:

As well, here's a short overview of what we did with the Trailer one Sunday when it rained and we had to take the thing under the bridge, under I-20/59 near the west side of the Civic Center/ 19th Street)- yes, we do this rain or shine, regardless of how hot or cold it is....

Rewind of the 10/24 Southtown event / Bless the Streets

There's Lenny hanging with some of the kids during the Southtown event. I posted a bit about this on Monday, in which we featured the video of Trey dancing... here's a few more thoughts:

* Short-Tee did announce that we were looking to put a Hip-Hop Church downtown, somewhere. It will most likely be at The Downtown Trading Company site if/when it happens- due to the proximity it has to "foot traffic" and people that can walk to it from their homes. That announcement raises more questions that provides answers, but he tossed it out- and I've gotten 17 questions a day on it... so, I'm giving my 2-cents. 

* I had prayed that this event would allow us to interact with Southtown- but that it would also help me network with other leaders to carry forth the vision that God has given us for the city. I'm praying for 50 leaders (not participants- but LEADERS). We have a few. Saturday, God brought more:

    Pastor Short-Tee and his bride, Paula.

    Theo Soul, and his wife Marsha.

    Major. (LIsten to him here: 02 Track 02

    Jimmy & Krystal.

* We were also blessed by a group that Chief Roper sent our way : )

* Here's what this group committed to doing- they're going to loop the city, hitting a few key spots every 2-3 weeks, consistently. They will take the church outdoors to get a presence in the community, meet the neighbors... building the church outside of the four walls.

* I know. That sounds exciting and vague- all in one. More details to come.

The Downtown Trading Co.- thrift store, community center?, and church?

OK. Actual picture taken this week. You can provide the caption. I didn't know if we were getting a ticket... if the officer was just sitting there... or what. It happened after we couldn't park directly in front of our trading co. building due to city workers on the street cutting through gas lines...

The end result was not ticket. But, still...

Here's the latest on the trading company- I'm sharing so that you can pray.

1) We are moving towards opening soon. In fact, we need to actually get rid of some stuff immediately so that we can open. However we organize it, there's stuff stacked on stuff. And, our garage (that was supposed to be a sorting area where we could also park work vehicles) is now full. Look for a "yard sale" blow-out, give-away- or something like that very soon.

2) We're going to use the space for more than just the "store." It's evident after being there for just a few weeks that we can use it for meetings and other things... like a community center might be used. This means the following:

* We will likely begin holding a women's Bible study there on Saturday mornings in the near future. And, 

* Pastor Short-Tee and others have spoken of launching a Hip-Hop Church (not a typo- I did use the word Hip-Hop) before "church" out of the space in the near future as well. If we do it, we'll gather a launch team, etc., and look at a Sunday evening blow-out. Odd thing is... we already have the sound equipment that can stay there, we have been given furniture that works perfectly... we have the space... This would be a no-cost launch!

Pray. These are all incredible opportunities.

"Bless the Streets" in Southtown- 10/24 re-cap... kinda...

Saturday, October 24, 2009, we hosted a "Bless the Streets" event in Southtown. The event lasted 1.5 hours (from 2:00 to 3:30 pm), and included 3 rappers, a dancer- see Trey above- and about 300 hotdogs). The event was a combination of three things converging: 

1) PING has been eliminated from the Southtown equation- and there is a new group, T.R. McCoy (think, "The Real McCoy") that is in. They are very friendly towards us- and wanted to set up a time when they could announce to the neighborhood the new things they would be providing. The line-up they have planned is excellent.

2) We have been providing GED classes every Tuesday evening at Southtown- and still do- and we hosted a Prayer Force United prayer walk back in June... this was a good time for us to come back and publicly, outside of class on Tuesdays, say, "Hey, we're still here... we haven't forgotten about you."

3) Pastor Short-Tee is hosting the Gospel Hip-Hop awards this Saturday evening (October 31st- yes, on Halloween) at the BJCC. A week of ministry leads up to that event- and he wanted to bring some artists to do some street ministry. By the way, I've been asked to "present an award" at the main event on Saturday : )

All three of these factors converged- and it seemed like a good idea to set Pastor Ron loose with The Trailer again (which is now getting all kinds of ministry mileage, thanks to his efforts). I'll blog some ideas from the event later this week. For now, enjoy Trey dancing on the video above.

Stompin' the devil in Wylam: prayer walk update from 10/17

The six minute run above highlights the walk in Wylam from 10/17/2009. Make note, that the next walk will be in the Norwood area on 11/21/2009 (again, a Saturday). This will be the last prayer walk for the year. After taking December off, we'll be back up & running in January 2010.

Here are a few thoughts from the Wylam walk:

* At this walk in became obvious that the prayer group that is forming, now some 300 or more strong, plus visitors, is becoming a family. It's, in a sense, turned into a mobile church made up of 7 or 8 churches, all represented in the caraving group that prays over our city once a month, in the specific areas denoted by Chief Roper.

* We befriended Saint Paul AME Church in Wylam, where Pastor Richardson leads the charge. He is a spunky and spiritual follower of Christ (if you meet him, you'll see what I mean) who is mighty in the Scriptures and has a great vision for the area. You'll hear more of him.

* I also met Captain Henry Irby of the West Precinct. We took The Trailer to feed the firemen of station 1 & 2 this past week; we'll likely be making similar trips to bless the men in blue at the West Precinct under Captain Irby soon, as well. In my opinion, they have the toughest area of Birmingham.

* Interestingly enough, we learned that crime is down in Birmingham (by double digits! in every area) and UP in Mountain Brook and Vestavia. Maybe we can go pray there, too?

* Chief Roper is attributing the drop to prayer. "Our officers must work... but we must pray, too," he says repeatedly.

* Also, remember that the crime drop represents people. When murder is down by 30% (as it is), that means 30% more wives and mothers who are not alone. When rape is down, that means 25% less abuse and after-effects...

* Pray over the park in the Wylam area. It seemed to be an area of gang activity. Pray that it would be safe, and be filled with kids and their parents playing...

* Pray for, as odd as it sounds, the blue house on the left, first street we turned onto... something stirred in my spirit as I walked by. I think it's an opportunity for something in the future...

* See you Saturday, November 21, in Norwood. Details will go on the Prayer Force United site soon. 

Prayer transforming the city? Video post

Here's a great snippet of the Prayer Force United Ministry that we've been involved with since the June prayer walk in Southtown. I believe the continued prayer is responsible for opening doors there... and, I believe that it's having a major factor in the drop in crime in our city. 

There's still much work to be done. Enjoy the 7-minute video- and come join us in Wylam on Saturday, October 17th. 

The Trailer- in action (22-second video)

Here's a few seconds of the Linn Park service from this past Sunday. This is before everything really begins... I shot 20 seconds, after I figured out how to use the video function on the phone. Then uploaded, without editing, straight to YouTube from the phone. 

At this service (which begins at 8:00 am each Sunday, usually in Linn Park- under the 19th Street cross of Interstate 20/59 near the Civic Center if it's raining, such as this past Sunday), we worship... someone preaches... then we serve food off the trailer... I'll get an edited version up soon.

The Downtown Trading Co.- almost ready to rumble

Next Saturday, October 10, UAB Into the Streets (a project fueled by Mission Birmingham) is sending 50 volunteers to assist with the last push on the grand opening of The Downtown Trading Company. Some will paint, others hang the massive sign, others will sort and fold... others will go into the neighborhood... The event will run 8 am until 2 pm, with a prayer and lunch at 11:30. Come all day- or simply come pray and eat. Either way, I wanted to give you some thoughts on the "why" of the new project:

We read that, in the Early Church, no one was in need. We read, “With great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great power was among them all. There was not a needy person among them...” (Acts 4:33-34a).

Acts 2:43-45 says that, as a result of the generosity, “awe came upon every soul.” As well, “many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And, they were selling their possessions and belongs and distributing the proceeds as anyone had need.”

We see that the Church, in this passage, did a two things (among all the other incredible ministry):

First, they shared what they had. If they had two coats, they gave one away. If they had other items, they didn’t hoard and store them- they passed them on.

Second, they even sold extra things that they had- so that the money from the sell of those items could be used to help those in need. We even read that “as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold” (Acts 4:34b). We might even say that their definition of a “need” was very different than ours. They seemed to have simplified greatly- in order to help those in great need.

Right now, we’re tackling the first- simply creating a vehicle to share, to give, to exchange...

Paul wrote, “To each is given... for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7). It is our belief that everyone has something to offer- and that, at any given time, any of us could be in need. 

We also read that, “Since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up [people]” (1 Corinthians 14:12). Does this not fit with what Acts says, that there was great power... maybe because of the great grace of giving that was evident in the Church?

We’re told that we’ll always have the poor with us (Mark 14:7) and that we should open our hands to them- not growing weary or hard-hearted (Deuteronomy 15:10-11). The Downtown Trading Company is a method to not just learn these Scriptures, but to live them...

Gospel Hip-hop, Pastor Short-Tee, & Southtown

Today, Pastor Rodney & I met with Ronald Mitchell. His organization, T.R. McCoy, has the contract for the Southtown Community Center- as of this coming Thursday, October 1. He was a very gracious man- and eager to work with us. Moreover, he is wanting to move ahead with the GED classes, the job development classes, and the worship services... in the gym!

This will take some time, and some planning. We'll be able to talk more about the details after Thursday, when he receives his contract- and the keys. Keep praying.

There's more...

A few months ago, I was approached by Pastor Short-Tee, a short rapper who loves Jesus and speaks faster than the micro-machine man of the 1980s. He heads the Gospel Hip-Hop awards- and was looking for some street projects for his army of musical artists to do on October 24th. Moreover, they wanted to do something that would 1) support an existing ministry, and 2) be an ongoing effort that would last. They wanted to invest in something that would be standing a year from now, when they all come back...

So, at the meeting today, I proposed to Mr. Mitchell that we bring these guys in, set up the fabulous Trailer that The Village men built, and throw a small block party- complete with Pastor Ron's grilling, some rapping by Short-Tee & the others... and the opportunity to share some time with the neighbors- and let them know the whats, whens, hows, etc., of everything yet-to-be-determined.

It's a go! 

Mark that date down. Set it in stone. 10/24/2009. Time: TBA, Location: Southtown.

And keep praying. God is good.

Mind-dump- week of September 27, 2009

 [A snap of The Downtown Trading Co.'s garage.]

It's a bit difficult to believe that the final full week of September has come- and gone- but, alas, it has... I am enjoying the Fall (when it's not as humid as it was this past week), the falling leaves, and (dare I say it) football. Here's what else is rolling around right now:

* We have been praying about moving full speed ahead with ministry in the Southtown neighborhood- about 1/2 mile from our church facility. What seemed like an open door was met with resistance early this year. Now, the doors are open again. And open more than ever before. I have a meeting tomorrow to iron out some of the details- and will be sharing more about what, when, how, etc., as soon as possible.

* Pastor Rodney is back from Taiwan (and blogged about the trip thoroughly). He said that he felt he needed to go there in order to learn more about what to do here- specifically in Southtown. Ironically, while he is away praying and seeking the Lord, the doors open. God's timing is great.

* There is discussion, too, as to what to do in North Birmingham.

* We have The Downtown Trading Co. (the website is abysmal- but will be working in full form soon) set to open around 10/10. That's a pic above on this post. This will be a great opportunity to see- and live- Acts 2 & Acts 4 in real life. I'll post more about that later this week. Check back.

* We are a bit overwhelmed with that project right now- in a good way. Monday, we began moving everything to the site (corner of 15th Street North, 8th Avenue North). In the process, our "stuff" doubled. Literally. We received donations that we weren't expecting. 

* I was blessed to attend the 50-year reunion celebration for Hilldale this weekend. I had no idea how much that church has meant to me. It was good to see everyone. Really good. God has been so good to me through them.

* One of the best points about that church were some of the traditions that were created while we were there. I will be talking about this more in the near future, too. I'm now anxious to bring some of them downtown... Sounds odd, I know... but is incredible in actuality.

* It was good to be away and rest. God is stirring something in me, already, though, for next Sunday!

* I am grateful for the new staff hires (Sasha & Pastor Ron) that have taken a great deal of the load off me. This has freed me to study more, to learn more, and to slow down more. Pastor Ron is pastoring the men at The Village; Sasha is directing the day-to-day operations and leading the staff.

* I am enjoying teaching the Thursday night studies for The Village more than ever before. Probably because I have time to prepare, plan through, and pray... Five men were saved this week, during the class. We're going to be baptizing on the first Sunday in October. By the way, we upload all of those classes online.

* The Gospel Hip-Hop awards are at the end of this month (yes, you read that correctly). Pastor Short-Tee (you read that correctly, too) has asked if he can come do street ministry with us, perhaps in an area in which we are trying to break new group. HIs group will partner with us somewhere downtown over the weekend of 10/24. Not sure where... we'll plan it this week. God is good- and He did say that if we asked for Him to send laborers into the harvest that He would. Let's keep praying that He sends more like this.

* Pray for God's resources to flow. There is much work to be done; and He has the means.