Street church coffee time - thank You, Father!

24 March 2010

Up at 4:30 this morning. Made “clean-out-the-fridge” sandwiches (egg salad, meat spread, bologna … all stretttccchhhheeed with chopped up veggies, pickles, etc!)… (and left-over pannini rolls, hot dog buns, and Italian bread…). And of course I prepared the usual couple dozen boiled eggs, and the large thermos of hot water for cocoa, and some cookies… for Another Chance street church/coffee time this morning.

Enjoyed my walk there… it was about 0 C and early dawn when I left, but by the time my half hour walk was up, with a clear sky and sun rise, our outdoor parking lot location warmed up pretty quickly! About 40 to 50 folks are turning up for coffee et al most mornings. The two large thermoses of coffee that K brought were both emptied in about 25 minutes (about 40 cups of coffee), so we went over to the little restaurant nearby, and got them refilled again “at cost!” Awesome! R brought another big container of pasta salad, and of course there was lots of cereal and milk, and juice… so a great feast was enjoyed by all.

These morning “coffee” times started about a year and a half ago, and we thought maybe 4 or 5 people would turn up, two mornings a week. Well! Now we are doing 5 mornings a week (in addition to full breakfast on Sunday mornings, which often bring 80 to 100 people, and up to 200 in summer) and we are averaging anywhere from 30 to 50 folks for coffee (and whatever food we happen to bring along). While the majority are men, we are getting more women and children, too.

And it’s not only about food. People hang around for an hour or two, and many offer to help set up and clean up, and Pastor P always leads in prayer a couple times, and everyone stops and participate, or respectfully listen quietly. And there is always discussion going on about our Lord, and witness to what He is doing in peoples’ lives. And there is counseling and listening ears for those who need it.

I have always loved baking, and family time. And now that my five kids are grown up, I’ve sometimes felt pretty lonely. But Papa has filled my “empty nest” with a big new family! Awesome.