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For about half the
year before I left on the World Race I was actively involved in a Church in
downtown Wichita called Church on the Street. It’s been growing rapidly since I’ve been gone. It’s a wonderful Church and an incredible
family of believers. They welcomed me
with open arms when I returned home. Here’s an article that was posted into the local paper today.
Takin’ it to the Streets
BY JOE RODRIGUEZ
The Wichita Eagle
On a 15-degree Sunday with a fierce wind gusting, more than
100 people gathered outdoors at Heritage Park in downtown Wichita.
Several huddled in circles, talking to one another as they
bounced slightly in an effort to stay as warm as possible. One man, looking for
work, approached another and asked if he was hiring. And several others picked
through clothing items that a Christian ministry had brought to give away.
Soon, a group of men and women arrived, carrying folding
tables, pans of warm food and a sound system — a microphone and speakers.
They set up the microphone beneath the gazebo at the park.
They began serving hot chocolate and coffee, while others set up a food line.
It was 12:30 p.m.
Time for church.
‘Where we feel
called’
For more than two years, Church on the Street has held
services at the park, on William Street near Main.
Church on the Street is an all-volunteer church started by
three people — Michael Young, who died in March, Debra Jones and Gwen Hagan —
friends who said they always had a vision of working with people in difficult
situations, such as the homeless.
Jones said they received a powerful message when deciding
what to do.
“God told us to,” she said. “When God speaks,
you work.”
So the church formed. Each Sunday — rain, sleet, snow or
heat — the volunteer pastors and other church leaders transform the park into
a sanctuary.
The service isn’t long — it was just 15 minutes on Sunday’s
brutally cold day. And after the service, church and other volunteers serve a
meal to everyone who comes.
As word has spread about Church on the Street, the numbers
have grown.
Eight came to that first service in October 2006, church
leaders said. But on nice-weather days, the service can attract 300 to 350.
Brenna Powers, senior pastor of Church on the Street, said
that the church is not a homeless ministry — it’s open to anyone. Yet most of
the people who come are homeless, church leaders said.
“This is where we feel called, and people come,”
Powers said. “If people stopped coming, we’d maybe do something
else.”
And the support is also growing.
When Diakonos Brotherhood Ministry, a Christian outreach,
learned about the church a few years ago, ministry members began bringing
clothes, blankets, water and other items to give away at the park.
Larry “Sweathog” Simmons, vice president of the
brotherhood ministry, said he’s impressed with the church’s commitment.
“They’re down here every Sunday, rain, hail, sleet or
snow,” he said.
Jones said the church never takes an offering. It’s
supported by donations that come in as more people learn of the church’s work,
she said. Last month, for example, GracePoint Church gave the church a donation
as part of its outreach project called Unleash Wichita.
“God told us if we did not seek the money, the money
would come to us,” Jones said. “And the money has always come to
us.”
Worship, then meal
The worship service has included Communion and baptisms.
But on Sunday, the service was limited to prayer and a
sermon by Cliff Bragg, one of the church’s four volunteer pastors.
His message on Sunday focused on seeking God first, not
material things.
“The great things, the trueness of life, comes from
wanting nothing but to be close to God,” he said.
After that, he led the Lord’s Prayer.
And then it came time for lunch.
People stood in line as volunteers served the day’s meal,
which included ham and macaroni and cheese.
Hagan, one of the church leaders, acknowledged that there
are some people who may come to the service for the meal only. But she doesn’t
think that’s representative of most who come.
“Who would come here just for a meal in these
temperatures if they weren’t getting anything out of it other than a
meal?” she said. “I’m sorry, I think it’s more than just a meal. I
really do. And I know a lot of them have said this is their church, this is
where they get fed spiritually, as well as physically.”
The spiritual part was the draw for 55-year-old Richard
Shockley.
Shockley came to the church soon after it started, and said
it was Young’s preaching that drew him.
“He gave the word in a manner that all men could
receive,” he said.
Shockley has since joined the church as a member, and comes
each Sunday to volunteer.
As a result, he said he’s built a closer relationship with
God.
Dale Kaziol, another church member, said he’s also become
closer to God since attending worship at the church.
“They’re wonderful people,” he said of the church
staff. “It’s in their hearts. They ask nothing from anybody.
“I feel (God) every day now.”
