Category: Word on the Street

Street Church: Expecting the Impossible

“I just don’t understand why he hasn’t changed, yet…” A disgruntled member said to me.

“He comes every week and you would think that God would have gotten through to him, by now?”

Every week that we show up to Street Church and host our outdoor worship service, is a miracle! We are a mobile church, with no walls, who relies on the goodness of neighbors for our space, food, music, transportation, and even set-up, cooking, and clean-up. Our collective homily is also a miraculous encounter with the Divine as we come together to hear what God has to say to us through our experiences in conversation with the Word of God. We are a group filled with the battered and torn, the privileged and the impoverished. We have become a unique and diverse place where the professional therapist sits with the day laborer and the addict in recovery sits next to the retired elementary school principal.

This is one of the few places where people from very different backgrounds sit down to share a meal together and find ways to share our ever-evolving story that God is unfolding before us. Every week, we experience a miraculous encounter and we have the opportunity to work together in a very divided world. God “equips the saints” who have been often labeled “too far gone” to make the fractured whole again.

In our scripture reading this week, we focused on the gospel of John’s feeding of the five-thousand (John 6:1-21). In this telling of the miraculous event, we wrestled with how we could apply this miracle story to our lives. I asked the Body to share the last time they experienced a miracle and one responded with:

“I woke up this morning-and that is saying a lot.”

Another piped up, “I made it to church this morning!” It was our friend Arritt, who walked from the neighborhood of Mayfield to get to church even though his ride fell through. Instead of staying home because of the mishap, he got to stepping towards Jesus!

I found that to be quite the… exercise (pun intended) in dedication to worshiping God. Don’t you think?

As we reflected on the power of the miracle stories of Jesus, I asked the question if we believe that miracles are possible today? How often do we doubt or worry if God will come through this time, and somehow, God shows up in the unexpected encounters? How do we understand miracles when we have members of our community still wrestling with disease and sickness? How does God work towards healing for those who have been deemed “un-saveable” by a society who has discarded or forgotten them.

As an ecumenical body of Christians, we wrestle with what it means to “bring people to Christ” so that they can find healing. Unfortunately, this tag-line has a sour taste of forceful evangelism (even if our intentions are good). In Jesus’s time, people would literally bring the sick to him to be healed. Likewise, at Street Church, we attempt to create hospitable and safe space where people can come "get their fill" and encounter a God who invites them to come as they are and to to find healing and wholeness through a faithful relationship with Christ.

When working with those who are struggling with addiction, we know that it is not our job to “fix,” but instead to encourage and support our people. We meet them where they are and offer holistic tools to move from “bad” to “better,” when they are ready to take that step. Unfortunately, we do not always get to see them “healed." Yet we continue to care for this group of people because it is our Call and passion as Christians to care for the least and the lost, not to "fix" them. Being a trauma-informed ministry means recognizing that being in recovery is a lifelong battle and a daily (sometimes hourly) choice for sobriety. The disease of addiction can be very hard to rationalize, but the reality is, it’s not rational, it’s a debilitating sickness that is layered, like an onion, for care.

Healing starts with love.

Yet even when we are "woke" and trauma-informed, it can still be a human response to look around and get frustrated when people seem to be staying at the status quo for their own lives…even when they come to church.

When we read the gospel miracle story, it is easy to shake a fist at God and question, “can you help us heal this sickness, God? Where is our modern day miracle for healing addiction which continues to kill and plague our people?” Yet, God can sit in the silence of our wondering and wrestling.

When people come to Street Church, we set the expectation up front that this is a place where you can “come as you are.” However, that doesn’t mean you have to stay there. In our ministry, we ask that our friends try to put their "selves" aside for worship to be present and fully experience God in their own personal way. It is not our job to set timelines; that is between them and God. What we can do, however, is offer a safe place to go and give them the bread of life, Jesus, who seeks to bring wholeness and satiation in areas of our life when we are so desperately seeking worthiness or healing from other vices.

The miracle occurs when we come to the Table together and experience God’s real and present Grace with us, consumed by us, revealed through our love and compassion for one another.

In our gospel story, Jesus is with his disciples as the crowds continue to grow larger and larger, who want to experience his healing power and teachings. On this particular day, the crowd got so overwhelming that the disciples looked at each other and felt defeated before they even started. One retorted in response to the gift offered by a small boy of five loaves and two fish, “what are they among so many people? (John 6:9)” In other words, “what in the world can we do when faced with an overwhelming amount of need in front of us?”

What we need to realize is that it is not about us. It is about God. It is God who is at work in the simplest ways, all around us, that make the ultimate impact on the whole.
It is the power of the Holy Spirit, who brings the power of transformation when we show up (even when we walk from great distances) to offer what we have, even if it’s just ourselves.

God can do the impossible with the improbable. It is in the ordinary elements, whether it is bread and fish, or us, that God truly has the capacity to do the extraordinary.

We come to Street Church and wonder how this small group, made up of neighbors and community members, will meet the great need of the Micah Neighborhood. What we have come to realize is that we do not do it alone and we are called to come alongside what God is already doing in our community. We are the five loaves and two fish. We are the small offering that God can multiply and expand with Blessing.

You are part of that invitation, too.

Our role is to come as we are and let God use us for the miraculous, and for the good of the Body of Christ.

Thanks be to God, Amen.

Would you pray with me? Miraculous God…Thank you for reminding us that through the healing name of Jesus, we have the capacity to come alongside what you are already doing in our community. Remind us of your power and your Grace in moments when we feel inadequate and don’t feel like we are enough. Thank you for your abiding love that reminds us that we are, in fact, enough. Use us and continue to work through us, the improbable, to do the impossible in your name. Amen.

+Pastor Chelsea

July 29, 2021

Street Church: Sharing the Load

“If you go see Mr. Campbell today, bring him a vanilla milkshake from Carls; he loves them.”

We had just finished worship and everyone was cleaning up around us. It was a joy to see all of our people working together and ensuring all of the pieces of our mobile worship service were put away. We had a wonderful service where many gifts of the body were lifted up, including our neighbors Adam and James joining our worship band on the tambourine.

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While I was hot from the outdoor worship and wanted to go home to recharge, something was telling me that I needed to go make a visit. I have learned to listen to that voice. I dropped off our leaders, and went directly to pick up a small shake (and a strawberry cone for myself, of course!)

When I am driving around town, I often will see our neighbors walking, biking, or moped riding around the streets of Fredericksburg. Growing up as a military kid, I never quite laid down roots, so it is nice to get to know a town and the people in it.

Our little city has become even smaller as I see many of our Micah family members in and around different parts of our community. Yesterday, as I was pulling out of Carls, I noticed my friend Debbie walking to an unknown destination. She had just changed after church and I pulled over to ask where she was heading. Since the bus doesn’t run on Sundays, she was walking close to four miles to meet a friend.

“That’s a long walk in this heat,” I said, “Come on, hop in…”

Debbie is one of our older Micah clients. She is a grandmother and mother of other clients in our community. She is a sweet woman who cares for those around her. Deb has been living out of her car for some time, until it had close to 300K miles on it and it died on her. She has been working diligently and living at one of the hotels until housing can become available for her (and possibly some new wheels).

I love drives like these with our clients. Oftentimes, it is where I get to know them best because there is something about a passenger seat that opens up people’s souls. I always feel grateful when I have the privilege to hear their story.

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As Deb talked, she shared that she had experience working in hospitality, elder care and had compassion when people were hurting. She told me a story of working at a nursing home as part of the cleaning staff and secretly fed an old woman who did not look like she was being cared for well by the staff. Deb’s compassion touched my heart. It occurred to me as we were driving, that perhaps she would be a helpful person to bring along my visit to see Mr. Campbell. I asked her if she would like to join before I dropped her off and she told me she would love to go and pray for someone else hurting in the community.

Mr. Campbell was wrestling with an amputation decision after a severe case of frost-bite this winter. It was my assumption in coming into the room that he would be post-op upon my arrival. Unfortunately, this was not the case and Mr. Campbell was wrestling with a lot of fear and pain.

As we announced ourselves in his room, I immediately noticed a Carl’s ice cream shop painting right in front of his bed (what a tease!). I was grateful for Meghann’s recommendation to bring the delicious treat.

As we talked and checked in, I offered the shake and saw the first smile creep across his face. We were finally welcomed in his space. While he could not take the shake in by straw, we fed him sweet spoonfuls of goodness. He recognized Deb, was grateful for her presence and shared his frustrations earnestly. We asked if we could pray for him and he welcomed a prayer of healing, comfort, and courage. As our visit was completing, we asked if we could come back to see him. He obliged and said, “you better!”

He told us he had made the decision to go through with the surgery on Wednesday. We said we would be back to celebrate with more Carl’s.

While leaving the hospital, Deb turned to me and said, “I really liked doing that, Pastor Chelsea. It made me feel like I was giving back.”

As we were leaving, Deb shared a little more about her story. Grappling with her experiences should have made her hard as nails, yet here she was, caring for others in the way that she should have been cared for in her lifetime.

Then I realized… Jesus was in the car with me.

Jesus, who came with a compassionate heart, who was later rejected, crucified, and yet still came back to save the same people who hurt him (and others who had yet had the chance to do the same). Grace superseded vindication – and love won.

There are many times in this work that I think to myself that in order to be “successful” I have to be the bearer of all of this ministry “weight.” It should be me to make every hospital visit and house call. What I am beginning to realize, however, is that this Call is not reserved solely for the office of “Pastor.”

Quite frankly, it is a prideful sin to think that we are the cornerstone of our ministry and even our life. That is like a house built on sand-it will sink quickly.

Jesus came so that we could find freedom and peace in letting go, and letting Him be the bearer of the weight of the world.

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Likewise, we are called to share the load of caring for others in our community by equipping all the saints for ministry in the world; and when I say all, I mean all of the saints. At Street Church, we strive to lift up and recognize the gifts of our neighbors to care and support one another, who have a deeper and more intimate connection with the experience of homelessness and other trials faced by our population.

This is accompaniment.

It is an opportunity to come alongside the work that God is already doing in our community and finding the ways that we can participate as the hands and feet called to do God’s work with our neighbors. It is a recognition that everyone has something to offer God and the world. They have so much to teach us.

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As the body of Christ, we are what the apostle Paul claims as the “…household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:19-20)”

Together, along with the generation of saints who came before us, we are called to build the kingdom of God here, as it is in heaven. We share the load and we are united by Christ.

While God rarely calls the equipped, God always equips the called.

As a community, we are learning what it means to come alongside one another and lift up the gifts displayed in our community and help uncover the gifts that have yet to be seen. We acknowledge that our mission is being done in and through Christ, who is our rock and redeemer, the cornerstone of our ministry as One.

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I learned that Mr. Campbell died early Monday morning.

While it breaks my heart that we did not get the chance to have a follow up visit with him or get to welcome him to Street Church upon his discharge, I know that God was present in that room (and I’m glad I listened to that voice to go visit). I give thanks that we shared a sweet "last supper" of sorts and that I had Deb to share the experience with me.

We had the chance to read Psalm 23 and say the Lords Prayer together, holding hands and covering him in God’s grace. I rest in knowing that he knew he was not alone and that friends in the community were praying for him, encouraging his recovery. While he never made it "home" in the Earthly sense, I pray that he was welcomed Home by the grace of the Father who opens His arms wide for our homecoming.

Maybe, he will find a Carl’s ice cream waiting for him there, too…

May he rest in eternal peace and forever know that he was and is a beautiful and beloved, child of God.

Grace and Peace,

+Pastor Chelsea
Community Ministries Chaplain
Micah Ecumenical Ministries

Please continue to pray fro our community. I hope you will join us for Dinner Church this Thursday at Fredericksburg Baptist fellowship hall off Caroline Street from 5:00-6:00 for conversation, live music and an agape meal. All are invited to serve and take part in this community event.

July 21, 2021

Street Church: Feeding the Body

At the end of June, one of my earliest pastors of my formative teenage years, passed away. After 20 years of active ministry, he found out on a much delayed (and needed) vacation that what he thought was extreme food poisoning, was actually cancer. He was diagnosed with only a month to live…he died eight years later. This past weekend I got to be virtually present at his beautiful memorial. What I remember the most about Pastor Marty was that he was a larger than life man with a boisterous and jolly laugh that brought people together. Our church was centered around building community and community food events (we were Methodist after all). Looking back, he centered his entire pastoral ministry on starting new faith communities for 27 years. His focus was building the kingdom of God around the table; just like Jesus.

Scholars have suggested that the earliest teachings and sermons of Jesus probably happened in people’s homes and around dinner tables. There was laughter, wine, bread, and an opportunity to share life stories and ask critical questions about the intersections of faith and the world around us.

For the last couple of months, our Micah Street Church community has been expressing a desire to find another gathering time between Sundays. They expressed that they wanted to give back to the community that they loved so much—both to their neighbors and those who have served them in the past. It was a brainstorming opportunity to consider what it means to serve those who are normally serving us. What does it look like to offer hospitality in borrowed space and give back some of the grace that has overflowed from our own cup to those who have helped us in the past and those who are still struggling or lonely and needing community? How can we serve together as One body of Christ and have an opportunity to really build our community relationships on equal footing around One table?

We dreamed of creating a space where we could have a big dinner “tent” for all the Micah churches to join us. A place where we could serve one another with our presence and conversation, embracing our diverse perspective and experiences with scripture.

This past week, that dreaming became a reality as Micah Street Church had the opportunity to launch and introduce a new Thursday night worship service format that we are calling “Dinner Church.” We teamed up with the Fredericksburg Baptist Church meals team to reopen the beloved baked potato bar and their fellowship hall for the 2nd and 4th Thursdays in July and August (our hope is to go weekly in September after Labor Day). While it was a shift from how we remember the Thursday dinner pre-pandemic, everyone adapted and it was like remembering how to ride a bike; everyone started to pedal and we got going (even if it was a bit wobbly at first)!

We had about 35 people show up for our first dinner. People who were sitting and waiting for the dinner under the awning of the church on Princess Anne St. came inside and started to help prepare the tables. We had a group of our leadership team show up at 3:30 to get the potatoes and sides in the ovens.

We were grateful for our volunteer, Susan, who guided us in the kitchen to help our very capable leadership team familiarize themselves in a new kitchen. They are looking forward to hosting and leading this event in the future and it is wonderful to build a new team together.

While we recognize that there is always an adjustment when we are shifting team dynamics and relearning how we do this together, we were grateful for the ways the Spirit showed up in every person that came to the table to help set up, serve, and worship together.

Dinner Church intentionally has a different flow than our Sunday morning gathering. We want people to feel like they are at a fun dinner party with friends. We strived to create a lively and hospitable worship space where there is more room for fellowship, conversations about the scripture in small tables, music and laughter. We also came to the Table for an ecumenical “love feast” where we remembered Jesus at the table with his disciples and broke bread for one another offering the grace of bread and cup to one another.

Our text this week was the story in 2 Samuel of King David dancing in a processional with the Ark of the Covenant being returned to Israel. It gave us the opportunity to discuss what it means to come into the true presence of God in our worship.

At this time, the Hebrew people believed that the presence of God was in the temple, behind the curtain where only high priests could go. It was a “thin space” where God’s presence was palpable.

As modern Christians, we understand the presence of God to transcend our individual tents and temples. God sent us the son, Jesus, so that we could receive God’s divine presence here on Earth. Through the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus, we recognize that God’s presence is with us through the power of the Holy Spirit that gathers with us every time we come to the Table. When we gather as the body of Christ, we are called to remember the One who died for us while we were yet sinners. The One who offered His grace on the cross so that we may know God in a deep and personal way, even when we don’t have it all figured out.

On Sunday, we continued this conversation of being in the presence of God. We recognized that one of the ways we can experience God’s presence is through community and at the Table. We celebrate that we were able to come to the Table for Holy Communion for the first time at Micah Street Church. As the Spiritual leader appointed, called and installed to serve this congregation, I have been asking the question of when will it be time to gather at the Table once again. This Sunday, as I was preparing some final notes for our time together and praying, I felt the Holy Spirit very clearly tell me, “Today is the day. Bring my people to the Table.” So we did.

We took time to talk about communion, to understand the spiritual nourishment of grace and the remembrance of Jesus at table. We asked questions and discussed that there were different perspectives on the ritual and that we honor them all as the body of Christ. My hope is that as an Ecumenical body we can continue the conversation of what it means to come to Table together.

For us, our Table is open for all to receive. For some, it may mean offering additional options for our brothers and sisters from different faith traditions that require a Priest to administer the Sacraments. We simply want to come to the Table as One Body of Christ, to be fed and to offer the same to others in need of God’s grace.

Through this encounter with the Divine, we had another member of our congregation profess to the Body that he wanted to be baptized. Hallelujah! Thanks be to God!

May the Spirit continue to meet us where we are, as we are, and join us in this eternal feast as we seek to build the kingdom of God here on Earth, as it is in heaven.

Amen.

Pastor Chelsea

July 13, 2021

Street Church: Unified in the Body

The Church has always sought to be a place where unity and peace rooted in Christ’s love, has the power for transformation and reconciliation that transcends past party lines and the divisions that plague our world. In the early church of Christ followers, we read accounts of the ancient faith communities wrestling with what it means to be unified through the Pauline Epistles. He argues that our unity should not simply be rooted in family lines and lineages in the faith, but by the Spirit of God. In our current cultural moment, when we have been hit with great divisiveness and pain over the last year, we are in need of the same healing balm of peace and true unity as a nation.

Just as we are called to be one nation, under God…we are more importantly, called to be One Church under God…seeking liberty and justice for all.

But what does unity mean for a micro ecumenical church who is supported by nine different denominations? While we recognize there are theological lines that have divided us, isn’t it interesting that the Spirit has called us to plant a church as a community that builds on the common ground between us all? In this new season of Christianity, where we are entering into a post-pandemic world and seeking to find a new tent in the wilderness, perhaps we need to build a bigger tent?

This past Sunday we had a special joint service with Common Ground Church, a sister congregation who has loaned us our space on Charles Street for the last year. It was a very intentional service that we took time to blend our two traditions into one beautiful proclamation for God’s glory. We were worried if our people would feel comfortable, if they would even have the courage to come through the doors. Thanks be to God we had about 15-20 of our membership there, but it left us wondering, where were the others? How have we created these barriers that keep us separated despite our best efforts? How can we see the Church world through our neighbors eyes to create a place that is neutral and theirs? A place where the Church can truly come together and know that we are here in this season, together.

At Street Church we ask the question of what does it mean to be One body of believers, even when our traditions may be a bit different? Even when the neighborhoods that we serve may be one church per block, how can we be one community of Christ believers that are bound by something deeper than the labels that define us?

[image: JR enjoying church at Common Ground and later joined us at the picnic]

Paul reminds us in Ephesians 4:1-6 that our bond is first and foremost rooted in love through Christ. This love is what opens our minds to true enlightenment-it shows us what it means to care for one another. When we start with love, our communities become more welcoming, more humble, and we live better together.

This, my friends, this is a model for what the world needs right now.

Christian unity that is built upon love allows peace to follow. Peace that can rebuild and restore, in the face of our divisions that seek to separate us. We seek a peace that unifies us and bears all things for one another so that we can be bound together in One Spirit. Why?

Because we are stronger together.

We are not meant to do this Christian life alone or fragmented in our insular faith communities.

We are meant to support one another and I believe what the Holy Spirit is calling us to now is a time for healing, rebuilding and reunification in the name of Jesus Christ who is the ultimate healer, restorer, and Redeemer.

[Image (left to right): Pastor Chelsea, Sue, Edwin, and Bear enjoying shade on the Methodist “Fellowship on the Fourth” Event]

After the beautiful service at Common Ground, I invited a couple of our neighbors to a picnic at another sister congregation, Fredericksburg Methodist Church, on their Green space.

I anticipated a handful of people coming to the event, with the same hospitality questions in mind. Low and behold, we had over seventeen people come to the Green for a fun community event.

[image: Kona Ice truck enjoyed by all]

We even had a loaves and fishes moment, where there was food for everyone to share. It was a beautiful event where our people got to play water balloon relays and participate in other field games. I even had the opportunity to introduce one of our youth members to other young people from the Methodist Church to hopefully help her build a network of support with peers her own age.

[Image: our Street Church youth member decked out for the fourth]

While it may feel uncomfortable at first, when we enter into spaces that feel unfamiliar, I truly believe this is where the Spirit can work best. Without this fluid engagement within three different faith communities, how could we build on these relationships that we seek to have with our neighbors? We need to play, eat, and sing together, to really build the bond of love and peace that Paul calls us to have with one another in Christian community.

Despite the walls we have built around ourselves, the grace of God seeks to tear them down.

This Thursday we will be creating another space for relationships to be built on common ground between our churches and our neighbors. Street Church will be hosting, leading and serving a new Thursday night Community Dinner format called: “Dinner Church.” Street Church members identified there was a need for more spiritual community between Sundays. We also wanted to bring back the infamous baked potato bar that FBC hosted in years past. In partnership with our Thursday Night Dinner Teams who seek to serve alongside our neighbors, we hope to give them a space to learn and grow in this meal ministry together.

It will be hosted at our sister congregation site, Fredericksburg Baptist Church, in the Farrell fellowship hall, which is accessible from Caroline Street on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays through the summer (with hopes of going weekly in the fall).

Our hope is that this will be a place where we can all come together, to feed our neighbors and to enjoy a new midweek “Dinner Church” service.

What is “Dinner Church,” you ask? It is a place where we can spend time discussing scripture at common tables, enjoy music, and break bread together. We hope you will join us on Thursday from 5-6 PM for Dinner Church, sponsored by Street Church. Set up will be at 4:00 pm and will be an open invitation for those who can join us to help.

In this new season, as we are coming back and figuring out what it means to be the Church again, let us not simply “do what we used to.” Let us imagine a new way. A way where we are all not only invited to the table, but a place where we recognize that we are stronger with our differences included at the same table.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

Pastor Chelsea

[Image: Altar with both Street Church color traditions and Common Ground pieces]

The Rev. Chelsea Morse is the Community Ministries Chaplain at Micah Ecumenical Ministries.
If you would like to get involved in Dinner Church or would like to learn more about how you can help us make this event a success, please reach out to [email protected]

July 9, 2021
Street Church: Not Alone In “The Pit”

One thing they forgot to cover in Seminary is what to do when you’re leading a memorial service and someone lights a roman candle as a fiery tribute. Pretty sure I missed that seminar.

As I stood in the pavilion of our memorial service for our beloved neighbor, Nate, I remember my colleague telling me to “embrace the chaos.”

I remind myself, God works in the messiness of our existence.

Thankfully, God also creates beauty in the chaos.

Grief is a very personal and messy journey. It is not linear. Most days, our reactions do not make rational sense, and yet, whatever we are feeling is part of the process of healing. Unfortunately, for our people, grief has filled vast seasons of our neighbor’s life after a great loss or even after the experience of trauma. This is why we have taken intentional time to create space for sacred storytelling and goodbyes.

Our service for Nate was humbling. I heard our neighbors share stories about him that reminded me of the wisdom of the book of Ecclesiastes to embrace the life that God has given us and to be present and merry. It was important that these friends had a space to share, reflect, and cry together. We even had an opportunity to share an ice cream cake (one of Nate’s favorites). As a community, we cared for our mutual spiritual pain by being together in our mourning as we found ourselves in this moment of grief.

It was holy, even with the fireworks.

On Sunday at Street Church, we took time to reflect on Psalm 30. This is a classic “thanksgiving psalm” that has the famous line of “you turned my mourning into dancing (Ps. 30:11).” Rather than skipping right to dancing, we took time to focus on the lines just prior where the psalmist writes about being in the pit, and pleading with God to save his life (v.9-10) for God to be “our helper.”

This intimate plea seems to be universally human. We have all had these moments and some of us are still waiting for a rescue.

As the Chaplain, I have been asking the larger questions of how do we care for the spiritual care of our precious community from a trauma-informed perspective, when we know that some of us are still struggling in the “pits” of life? Taking it a step further, how do we challenge those who claim Street Church as their church home, to care for one another with their intimate experience of grief and loss?

I believe it starts with embracing our pain and joy as One body of Christ. When one person in the body hurts, we all hurt. When another celebrates, we all celebrate. If one of us leaves the Earth too soon, we take time to stop, reflect, and remember our friend.

These simple practices of joining our hearts and minds in prayer and worship are the baby steps that we are taking to bring our whole community together. Our community prayer is a liturgy of the people, calling to God to be our helper. There is redemption and healing happening on our holy grounds. Relationships being mended after years of history. People are growing as they recognize they are a part of something bigger than themselves. It is a sacred space that strives to build community resilience and restoration by simply letting people know, you are not alone.

We see this community of resilience being built when our Street Church leaders are stepping up to lead guest churches who are coming alongside to do ministry with us on Sunday morning. We give thanks for Ebenezer Methodist Church who worked with our team leaders “Bear,” Marvin and Brian as they led the set up, food teams, transportation and music on Sunday.

[Image: Marvin guiding the team]

[image: Allan Paquette leading music at Street Church from Ebenezer “Campfire Church”]

I see the Spirit moving when a newcomer, Pat, shared with me that she is ready to be more involved with church and could sense God calling out to her to be vulnerable enough to share her story so that she could find healing.

I see God calling the men of our group as our beloved minister “Bear” decided to start a men’s bible study under the trees of the canal path on Wednesdays at 10:00 AM that is open to the community. Others have shared that they are interested in doing something for their sphere of relationships to help and aid those still in the hard places of life.

[Image: Bear sitting and enjoying Street Church]

I see it as God is calling us to provide additional opportunities for worship mid-week which is why we are launching a mid-week Street Church worship service to launch next Thursday, July 8th (at Fredericksburg Baptist Church fellowship hall) where Street Church leaders will work alongside local churches to serve the Thursday night dinner from 5:00-6:00 and have a “dinner church” interactive worship service too. All are invited to “come and see” what the Lord is doing.

In our collective homily discussion, we reflected on the fact that it is okay to grieve and ask the hard questions. God holds us close even in moments of great pain and agony. We know this because God experienced the pain of the cross through the crucifixion and death of Jesus. God does not shy away from our burdens. Instead, God asks us to offer them up to the only One who can provide true peace and comfort in the unthinkable. When we offer our petitions and pain, God promises to help us through the journey and will help us turn our “mourning into dancing”…when we’re ready.

In the end, grief is a personal journey. It is also something we do not have to bear alone. It is a holy walk that requires trust and knowing that God is with us every step of the way. When we honor the process, we know that we will be made stronger and dance with the Divine in the end.

[image: Sunflower growing from the Micah Community Garden growing in partnership with Christ Lutheran]

May we have the courage to offer God our questions, our grief, and our pain, so that we can find peace in the divine presence of our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer who sits with us in the pit of our own shadows. Help us, Lord, as we build a community of spiritual resilience and strength as we lean on God, together as One body of Christ. Amen.

Pastor Chelsea

Written by Rev. Chelsea Morse, Community Ministries Chaplain at Micah Ecumenical Ministries. If you are interested in getting involved or supporting the ministry that happens at Street Church (on Sunday and beyond) you can reach out to Pastor Chelsea at chelsea.

Do Justice. Love Kindness. Walk Humbly with God.

July 1, 2021
Street Church: On the boat together

Over the last couple of months, we have been working hard to build out leadership teams that empower our neighbors to be the decision makers of this community that we call Street Church. It is important that they learn the tenets of what it means to be in Christian community with one another and the responsibilities that come with leading a church. By doing so, it empowers them and provides a sense of self-worth that comes from knowing they are needed and capable to do this work. It is with this spirit that all of our teams from our partner churches walk alongside this community as we strive to empower our neighbors to be courageous in spirit as One body of Christ.

Yesterday at Street Church, I watched proudly as our team worked interdependently to set up and prepare for the service. We have come such a long way! They made the decision of where they wanted to worship and a team of neighbors showed up to set up the tables and chairs at 8:45 AM. Bear and Marvin were in the kitchen, happily chatting and cooking sausage preparing for the guests to come. It was a beautiful assembly of God’s people.

Bear and Marvin have become quite the team on Sunday morning. Happily greeting the partner church groups coming in to help them cook in the kitchen. Together, they help observe the needs of the community and manage the flow of food on Sunday mornings. I have seen such growth in both of them in the last year as we have grown together as a team and individuals.

[Image: Marvin and Bear in the kitchen-they call themselves “Kobe and Shaq”]

Bear is learning self-control and how to better express his feelings when he feels frustrustrated. He is learning how to be the servant leader God has called him to be. Marvin has grown exponentially since he joined us a couple months ago as he gains skills in the kitchen to meet his future goals of becoming a chef.

[Image: Minister Bear in the kitchen serving food for distribution]

As we prepared for our “collective” homily, I asked our congregation to reflect on their life story and the ways that they have had to act courageously. Where did their courage come from? As they shared, I quickly realized that every week that this community walks through our doors – is an act of courage.

Courage may look different than the traditional good triumphing evil, like we see in the David and Goliath story or even the story of Jesus calming the storm (Mark 4:31-41).

An act of courage in this community may look like vulnerability. An opening of our hearts to new friendships and support systems after spending many years isolated. Trust is hard to build when you have experienced homelessness, because people “let you down.” Creating space for relationships is courageous.

A symbol of courage and redemptive grace looks like the mothers of our community bringing their children to church for the first time and sharing their stories of resilience with the group while their kids listened to their mom’s sharing their hearts. (We give thanks to God for the five precious young people who were with us with their mommas yesterday!)

An act of courage may look like learning to speak our truth and handle conflict in healthy ways. Learning to speak truth in love, setting boundaries and showing up in the secular world as a Christian, is remarkably brave.

Courage may look like Marvin going in for an interview for the first time in a decade. With the help and support of our leadership team and bridge-to-work team. Marvin had the courage and confidence to go into the interview knowing that he was capable and gifted (and got the job at Carabbas!).

[Image: Marvin with new Carrabbas gear, ready for work! Look at that smile!]

Courage looks like showing love through baking for the community for the first time, unprompted. One of our rising high school seniors, Michelle, recently moved into housing after living in a hotel for over a year. She made our community a “Superman” Fathers Day Cake now that she has a kitchen to bake in. She offered her abundance to the community by baking with love. That is incredibly courageous.

[Image: Michelle shows off her baking skills with a Father’s Day Cake]

Simply, courage acts when assurance of the love and trust that comes with knowing who we are, and whose we are, in the name of Jesus Christ.

Together, we are a courageous community that lifts one another up in life’s big and small moments. Whether it is rallying support around a person transitioning into housing (which can be daunting) with a house blessing and meal, making space to grieve at a memorial, or simply spending time together in fellowship and fun, this community is more than just a breakfast gathering on Sunday mornings. We are building a neighborhood of support. We continue to reinforce that we are a resilient Body that can do hard things through Christ who strengthens us. Through the never ending grace of Christ Jesus, we have a limitless love that reminds us, over and over, that we are chosen, worthy and called, just as we are.

This weekend was another reminder that this beautiful gathering really is becoming a church. We are building a community of support for our people that reaches beyond Sunday morning worship so that we can provide a neighborhood model of support. A place where our people can truly do life together. We do this work because we are called to proclaim the good news that the courageous Spirit of love dwells in each of us, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Thanks be to God, even in the storms of life, we are never alone on the boat. We are in this together.

Grace and Peace for the journey ahead,

Pastor Chelsea

June 21, 2021
Street Church: the “kin-dom” of God

June 14, 2021

“What does the kingdom of God mean to you?”

This was the question that launched our discussion at Street Church this past Sunday. Throughout the congregation, responses rang out through the speakers, “The kingdom is God’s house;” “God’s kingdom is eternal;” Chris, our Street Church attendee who is one of our deep thinkers responded with, “At first, I wanted to say that it is in heaven…but then I realized it is also something that’s happening here too,” he said. Another neighbor concluded with, “the kingdom of God is home.”

[image: Tomato plants and Dahlias have been growing in the gardens alongside the Meeting House/Street Church yard in partnership with volunteers and neighbors growing together]

One of the things I love about preaching in the collective and participatory format that we lean into at Street Church is that the pressure is lifted off of the preacher to produce prophetic imagery. Instead we let the Holy Spirit do the talking through our people. Like a midwife who aides in the birth of another, my role is to guide the conversation for a successful delivery of God’s word speaking in and through the beloved Church.

As we wrestled with the Markan parable of the mustard seed (Mark 4:26-34), this novice preacher tried very hard not to “give the answer” to the story. The parables are often a tricky pericope (scripture text) to preach on because they are intentionally mysterious. Oftentimes, parables are watered down into children’s stories to give a clean takeaway, but these stories are not fables with a clean denouement at the end. The beauty of Jesus’s parables is that they are complex and depending on the listener, there are nuances that are illuminated in the story each time you hear them. We took the time to wrestle with this scripture and in listening to our neighbors reflections, we came away with a new perspective about how to understand "the kingdom of God."

[image: our friends Ariel and Larry brought their family to Church and we set up a "pray-ground" for him to play and be at church]

How can we even define the kingdom of God?

According to the Markan gospel, the kingdom of God is (I’m paraphrasing here) like a free spirit sower who scatters seeds and trusts that wherever the seeds fall, they will grow in their own time or be used in different ways. Whether day or night, it grows naturally. We do not control or “preach” growth into action. Somehow in the kingdom of God, growth occurs without any other labor than sowing the seed (Mark 4:26-29). There is assurance in the process that has been put into place by the divine order. We rest in knowing that God is in control and that we will know, by the fruit of Spirit, when it is time for harvest.

[image: mustard tree in the middle east]

The kingdom of God is also, according to Jesus, like a mustard seed. A seed that is the notorious underdog, but rises to the occasion despite its size or the climate it has been scattered into (by no choice of their own). Despite the conditions it was born into, it can still become one of the largest bushes or trees. With sustained growth, it can then provide protection for other vulnerable creatures trusted in its care. Through this scrappy seed’s story of resilience, it is able to care for the least and the lost in its branches, shade, and even in its root system.

[Image: Street Church Growing and Gleaning through the Holy Spirit]

Could it be then, that the kingdom of God is both the sower who is working before the seed has sprouted, and is also the shelter and protection found after the tree has come to fruition? God is both the Creator, the grower, and the protector, three in one. God is working in the past, the present, and the future for the “kin-dom” nestled in the dominion of God’s care.

God’s “kin-dom” is expansive! It includes all of God’s creatures and does not discriminate against those who were not “chosen” in the past. In the historical context, this could be Mark’s way of referencing those who had been proclaimed under the protection of Caesar. In today’s context, the radical inclusive nature of God makes up all those who have previously been ostracized. Our “kin-dom” at Street Church seeks to welcome and embody all those who may have been excluded in the past. Those who are a part of marginalized populations that are covered in God’s grace and eternal care.

God works past the margins of exclusivity and birth-rites and moves actively towards those who have been deemed "worthless" or “too far gone.” God makes gardens in the darkest alleyways, places where people said, “there is no use in sowing seeds over there…that ground is hopeless.” God’s kingdom is like the sower who says, “watch me.”

[Image: Pastor Chelsea leads church in a movement exercise to "Spirit of the Living God Fall Afresh On me"]

Street Church has been working on creating fertile, holy soil for seeds to be scattered and grow in our midst. Our motto of “Gather-Sow-Grow” is the recognition that when we gather together, God sows seeds of faith, and we have the opportunity to grow when we respond as a community. While we do not have control of how fast the seeds will germinate or when they will take root, we do know that God has placed us here for a reason and we have neighbors entrusted to our care.

[Image: Rev. Carey Connors farewell service under the Magnolia Tree off the Canal path]

Like the mustard tree in our parable, or even the giant magnolia tree we started under last year, God’s kingdom is personified in the sanctuary found on the holy ground of Street Church. Our role is to provide inclusive shelter and protection to the most vulnerable in our midst. Our goal is to harbor “safe space” to those who have often been demoralized from the community or even the Church. Finally, our hope is that all (and we mean all), who are recognized in the “kin-dom” of God, will find and know the love of Jesus through our supportive community and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Through this universal love, we pray that they may grow resiliently, like the mustard seed, through the grace that is found in this place and our beloved community.

Thanks be to God, Amen.

Pastor Chelsea

[Image: Prayers for this week, please continue to pray for our community]

June 14, 2021
Micah Street Church: Thin Places

I’ve heard it said from our friends who have experienced homelessness that they have sensed God more fully when they were sleeping outside. I never fully understood it, but one special friend described it to me this way, "When all you have is the concrete to your back, you realize that all you have is God, and God is with you there, too."

Yesterday, we asked our congregants at Street Church: "Where is God?"

The opening question was asked in a way to see what their experience has been, without leading the question. As visitors introduced themselves, we received responses such as:

"God is in my heart," or, "I see God everywhere," said another.

Our neighbor, LeAnn, who has been wrestling to find stability in her journey has been coming to Street Church the last couple of weeks. It has been a joy to have her with us. Last week, God spoke through her. She pulled out a scripture in the middle of our discussion of how God causes us to respond through the fruits of the Spirit, and she offered our group a passage from Luke and the sermon on the mount. We needed that specific scripture in that moment to identify what it means to live a Christian life. Yesterday, Leann’s response was once again prophetic:

"Gods not dead," LeAnn offered.

….."God was in my jail cell," said Joe. "When no one else knew my birth name in the prison," he continued, "I heard my family name, ‘Joe’ called out to me in my cell. God was calling me by name and even shows up to us in there, too."

It seems, based on these responses that God is alive, speaking and calling out to us to draw closer and to be more aware of the divine, triune presence of Father, Son and Holy Spirit active in our lives. The voice that has the ability to speak through our neighbor’s lived experiences and testimony. The search for God in the unexpected is part of the resurrected life of a Christian.

My former Pastor in Charlottesville had a big impact on my call to ministry and teaching me about ancient spirituality practices. He taught me a lot about contemplative worship, learning how to do more with less, the value of silence, and finding sabbath in nature. To this day, I remember one sermon he gave about "thin places," a term used in Celtic spirituality to define the sensing of the divine presence, places when and where we experience God. These unique areas where people find God on "holy ground" can be discovered in the simplest locations and spiritual disciplines of prayer, scripture reading, fasting, community, and other practices not listed here. What I remember the most from his lesson was that a "thin place" could be a place or a personal experience where God is present and palpable. While Pastor Scott found "thin spaces" in nature, yesterday, I found it in a church basement during worship at Street Church.

It was 8:00 AM and the temperature was already pushing 80 degrees and would be close to 100 degrees by worship time. Because of this, we decided to move worship into the cool basement of the Common Ground Meeting House where we gather every week for Street Church. The basement space isn’t too becoming, no stained glass windows to gawk at; no organ to listen to a cascade of hymns, just good coffee and folks with a lot of hope and love for one another. Felt like church to me, even without all the bells and whistles.

Our Goodwill partner employee, Josiah Goldhardt, and I led worship together for our community. Suddenly, this blessed church basement became holy ground as we heard worship songs in a building again. As a musician, there are different dynamics when leading music inside. The reverb of the room causes echo and holy vibrations. For the first time, I could hear our people sing out like a chorus of saints who needed to praise and experience God in a real and tangible way. Despite all the layers of pain and trauma collectively experienced in that room, with the breath given to us in our lungs, we praised God in One voice. It was a Holy Spirit moment. I sensed we had entered into a "thin space," where God’s presence was assured and real. We were walking on holy ground alongside our neighbors who came to worship with open and humble hearts.

God’s presence and reality, appears in the most unexpected places and situations. Even when we struggle to see where God is already at work, God is there, illuminating in the simplest treasures. In the mundane and extraordinary, God is with us, even in the hills and the valleys of our walk. Our neighbors taught me that.

Those of us who have not experienced homelessness, may struggle to find the quiet time to slow down long enough to see God’s handiwork in the transformed butterfly, or the details on a small crawling critter, unique to Gods purpose too. What I have found through my friends at Street Church is they can teach us what it means to be intentionally "here." Often times, they are not distracted by the busyness of what is around them, worrying about the mundane tasks of tomorrow that take away our focus from what is truly important. God speaks in, to and through their stories and it is our job to slow down enough to listen.

May your search to find the holy "thin spaces" in your own life, to find where God is living, speaking, and moving, be a never-ending quest for God’s fullness and love.

Thanks Be To God,
Pastor Chelsea

June 7, 2021
Street Church: Coming Alongside

“…But will people come?”

“All we can do is hold space… and ask God to do the rest.”

It occurs to me that it was around this time last year that the Rev. Carey Connors and I were asking this question to each other as we prepared to start gathering folks together at the Red Roof Inn on a Sunday morning. Our attraction model strategy was solely based on Krispy Kreme Donuts, Fresh Wawa Coffee, community (in a pandemic) and Jesus.

As a church planter, I have asked this same question each week. My internal fears wrestle inside my head asking if we are “doing it right” or holding space in an authentic way. Are we offering our neighbors the opportunity to have ownership and giving them the authority to lead their community? Does the Spirit have room to work in our model of accompaniment with our neighbors, versus taking over and making them a bystander? This is a question we fight to answer each week as we show up for God and let the worship of the people come through with one community voice, led by God’s most precious people.

[Image: Brian and Joe show up early to get our tables set up]

Despite the rainy and dreary fall morning…I mean, Memorial Day weekend weather?? My fears of neighbors sleeping in and forgetting we had church was halted when I walked into our building yesterday. I was hit with the comforting smells coming from the kitchen. Even at 8:30 AM, God was at work. Our neighborhood teams showed up in abundance! Three neighbors were in the kitchen cooking sausage, pancakes, and preparing for guests to arrive. We had four others who were ready to help set up tables, chairs and the altar. We even got done thirty minutes early, which gave everyone an opportunity to socialize and have fellowship together. It was a beautiful flurry of helping hands of those who showed up to be helpers (some for the first time!)

[Image: Caitlin, "Bear," and Marvin getting breakfast prepared]

As we prepared for worship, we even had a full bus load of friends come to church for the first time on the bus. A big thank you to Mike Cotter (FUMC) who has been helping us with this needed ministry which helps our neighbors (some with mobility issues) to get to church when the public bus-line does not run on Sundays. 

[Image: A full house at Street Church]

We decided to worship inside, out of the rain, with the vaccination and infection rates being low enough for worshipping safely. Our tables and chairs set up for our brunch style Street Church filled the room with friendly voices. I saw friends I have not seen for some time, including our friend George!

[Image: Pastor Chelsea and George D Reunion!]

We also had the opportunity to welcome new faces for the first time into our community, including one of the presiding Bishops of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, Assistant Bishop Jennifer Brooke-Davidson who discreetly blessed us with her presence and gave us a blessing at the end of the service.

[Image: Street Church Leaders with Assistant Bishop Jennifer Brooke-Davidson of the Episcopal Church in the Virginia Diocese]

It was also the first time we were able to sing inside for worship. Hearing the voices lifted up in praise to God, was a heavenly chorus that had my Methodist heart strangely warmed.

What I continually realize is that despite my own human fears, God continues to show up and show off in a big way through our community each week. During our “Collective Homily” I stood in awe at how the Spirit was moving through the stories lifted up at our beloved Street Church. Friends spoke up and shared their struggles together. We lifted up the reduced sentencing of one of our neighbors, Mike Kearney, who we prayed for before his trail. We also celebrated the release from “supervision” or probation from one of our older neighbors, Joe Sanders! Others lifted up future court hearings and friends who were struggling with addiction and grief. Together, we cried out to God who meets us in the dark, to answer our earthly questions like the story of Nicodemus meeting Jesus in our gospel reading from the book of John.

[Image: At Street Church, everyone participates in the clean up]

On this Trinity Sunday, I became keenly aware that God is at work as the Triune God-Head in this community, in these very holy moments of gathering on Sunday mornings. Like a song with a three-part harmony, we can witness God’s beautiful dynamics at work in the one song we lift up as a community. God (the Creator) works ahead of us in creation, bringing these precious humans into our fold; the Son (the Redeemer) whose sacrificial love shows up in our acceptance of his justifying grace (no matter where we have come from), and the Holy Spirit (Sustainer) actively running through our lives, connecting us together as mysteriously as the wind blows. Yet, all are actively present in a tangible way through our prayers, presence, and worship as we are invited to participate in what God is already doing in our community.

  In a context where our neighbors have experienced deep loss and even homelessness, we intentionally strive to make Sunday morning their “homecoming” in God’s house. We want them to be so invested in the Sunday morning gathering that they know that it can’t happen without their team-work and support. Volunteering at church gives us (all) a sense of purpose. Our neighbors often do not feel worthy of this responsibility and it is our job to help them realize their potential and worthiness in the eyes of God.

[Image: Bear and Marvin breakfast in the kitchen]

That is why when we provide space for them to set up the coffee, to make the breakfast, and to lead all components of Sunday morning Worship. Percolating the grounds is more than making “a cup of joe.” It is our active participation in the work that God is already doing, to host and receive guests who may experience God for the first time, in this place.

Whether it is making the coffee, turning the sausage, or flipping the pancakes, by working as a team, our neighbors feel empowered to love on others who have had a shared experience, and welcome them into the house of the Lord. Together, we are doing what the Lord requires us…to act with mercy, to love kindness, and walk humbly with God as one body of Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Thanks be to God, Amen.

Grace and Peace,
Pastor Chelsea

Street Church meets at 1915 Charles St at 10:00 AM and all are invited to come and see what the Lord is doing in the Streets of Fredericksburg.

May 31, 2021
Street Church: Fruits of the Spirit

Friends,

Nearly ten years ago, I trekked down to Richmond to visit a Virginia Supportive Housing Project. Virginia Supportive Housing is a group that develops small affordable apartments across the state for people overcoming homelessness. Their model is unique in that they intentionally build on site supports into their operations to enhance the sustainability of those who live there. I have learned so much from them through the years. With their help, Micah developed its own version of supportive housing, which so far operates mainly from scattered site units across the community vs. the VSH model—a single building or developed piece of land.

I have vivid memories of that inaugural visit, and not because of what I learned about supportive housing operations. It was because of the opportunities I saw them have to care for people, in contrast to some of the things I was doing at the time. The day before my visit, for example, one of our very disabled neighbors had gotten herself stuck underneath the bridge. She didn’t walk well and had slid down the hill several days prior, further injuring herself. Without food, water or the ability to get back up the hill and to a bathroom, she was a royal mess when someone found her. I also remember having to leave early from Richmond that day because a huge snowstorm was coming in. I spent much of the next couple of days hunkered down in a church fellowship hall so that the 40 or so of our neighbors on the street did not freeze to death.

The scene that sticks out from my Virginia Supportive Housing visit, however, is the bus load of people who lived in one of their apartment buildings loading up to go on a tacky Christmas light tour. They were as excited as a gaggle of teenagers; and I was awestruck with the driver’s diligence, herding them to their seats and making sure no one was left behind. I dreamed of the day that the work of our churches would not just be about helping our neighbors to survive, but creating moments where they could find joy, hope and peace in their everyday lives. .

There are many times already that Street Church has caused me to think we were moving in this direction. But Sunday, giving our neighbors the opportunity to be VIPs at a FredNats baseball game might be the closest we have come thus far.

I cannot say that even I have had the opportunity to watch a baseball game from an air conditioned suite, complete with catering, a fridge full of sodas and our own waitress. Can you imagine the awe of our friends who have spent so many nights sleeping outdoors, that imagining themselves in a house again was once a stretch? One of our neighbors had the opportunity today to bring her 16-year-old daughter. She had never even been to a baseball game in her life, and she could not stop saying how amazing it was. They were all so excited to have the chance to experience the new stadium in such a special way. Many thanks to Steve and Carol Dubois for making the experience possible.

I love that such an opportunity for our neighbors fell on the coat tails of this morning’s robust conversation about Pentecost. Although the Acts 2 passage is often known as a reversal of God’s division of language in the Tower of Babel story (Geneses 11:1-9), the gust of wind and tongues of fire that we have come to know as the Holy Spirit do not necessarily eliminate differences. People do not all of a sudden begin speaking the same language again. The spirit makes it possible for them to understand each other, despite their differences. The Pentecost story is, therefore, an affirmation that whatever voice and language in which we worship, God connects, understands and embraces all who call on the name of the Lord.

It is a good reminder on this birthday of the church, that our call to Micah Street Church is not aimed at erasing differences. It is to validate those who may be different than members traditionally found in our mainline churches. We cannot and should not seek to eliminate the experiences that have informed who our neighbors are, but we can meet them in their context, seek to understand and appreciate the ways they too are speaking to God, and allow the Holy Spirit to work through that relationship.

Pastor Chelsea reminded our community this week that the movement of the Holy Spirit does not always have to occur in the charismatic way it showed up on Pentecost in the days following Christ’s ascension. It can be as simple as offering up one or more fruits of the spirit, she said. Any time we show love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control the Holy Spirit is at work.

I’m always inspired at how the simplicity of Street Church encourages such fruit. It is love in the volunteers who can serve breakfast at Street Church, but allow a neighbor to lead. It is joy in the new experiences, like baseball games, that our community makes possible. It is in the kindness of those who work with our neighbors to pick out fabric for the altar on special days like Pentecost. It is goodness in the faces of children who drop by for street church and get so excited about passing our offering basket. You get the idea…

Yes, the Holy Spirit is charismatic. But what a gift there is in the simple ways she participates in spaces we seek to understand each other. Might we be unified, might we be one, without erasing difference. Could we, instead, amplify the voices that have long since believed that anyone was listening and in our hearing draw closer to God and to each other.

“Before Pentecost people could be moved by the Holy Spirit,” our neighbor Chris said Sunday. “But they couldn’t be full of the Holy Spirit.”

I think our neighbors often experience church in that way. They are moved by the spirit in the small encounters they have with our congregations through community meals, the open doors, the shelter in the cold. But survivalism required by their homelessness and poverty often separates them from the rhythms and patterns of a life in which they can be full of the Holy Spirit.

A subtle banter among our neighbors followed Chris’s remark. Our neighbors wondered aloud whether or not the Holy Spirit could leave once it found a place in our heart. “If we make the wrong choices, go down the wrong path, or stray from the Holy Spirit how do we ever get it back,” they wondered?

“Maybe the Holy Spirit doesn’t leave you; although, we might leave the Holy Spirit.” Pastor Chelsea said. “Once Holy Spirit captures your heart it never leaves. The spirit is always there if we want to access it.”

“You can go far down the path and not feel like God is in it.” Chris conceded. “God is waiting patiently. The spirit never leaves, but it can’t make you do something you don’t want to do.”

No matter what path our neighbors are on, I like to think the many ways the fruits of the spirit reveal themselves through Street Church each week are good reminders of a God who is ever-present and always seeking. Might they know the relentless pursuit of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit through us, and come to know the power of their own voice as we seek to love and learn from it.

Thanks be to God,

Meghann

May 25, 2021

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