coincidence or God-incidents re our street ministry?

January 18, 2010

Saturday morning I was chatting with C, an old friend who is now director of a street mission in a city not far from here. He asked me to put him in contact with Pastor P, the director of the street mission here. And then, just a couple hours later, Pastor P dropped by to ask me to put him in contact with C! So I’ve given them each other’s contact info. Coincidence that they should both contact me the same day for the same thing? I don’t think so! God-incident, more likely!

January 19, 2010

Only a few people at Another Chance Street Ministry morning coffee time this morning – mostly because a lot of people didn’t know it was on. Pastor P was away last week (he really, really needed a rest), so the Monday, Tuesday, Friday coffee times were cancelled (though the previous Sunday breakfast went ahead). Then we had Sunday breakfast again this past weekend – but then we had to cancel Monday coffee because the church fellowship hall we “borrow” was being set up for a funeral tea. Quite a few people turned up for coffee, and finding it was cancelled, thought it must be cancelled again for the rest of the week. So Pastor P went out on the streets this morning, and told everyone that for sure it is open on Friday – and then he got a cell phone call that it wouldn’t be available on Friday because the church is setting up for their annual “Bobbie Burns Dinner.” So Pastor Psays he will just serve coffee on the street corner, from his van – which is what he did anyway for 4 or 5 years until this “church facility” was offered. They are very generous to allow us to use it for free – but it is hard to be consistent when it is not available for a variety of reasons… and because of the nature of the ministry, reaching out to people whose lives are often very fragile, consistency is so important.

So this has Pastor P really convinced that we need to push forward to somehow get a building that can serve as a mission center (there is nothing like this, in a town with a population of about 35,000 – and which doubles in the summer months, with the numbers of needy doubling at the same time). There is an empty storefront in the downtown area with a “for rent” sign in the window, and Pastor P asked me to check it out (he has a family emergency he has to deal with… ). I have wondered why Papa kept us here, and even had us buy a house here, when we totally expected to move on now that our kids have graduated high school. But I’m beginning to think maybe it has to do with this “ministry” thing… A lot of little details seem to be coming together for this street ministry, more than coincidental for sure!