Friday morning Church-in-the-Park

Friday-morning-Church-in-the-Park during the summer can be quite unbearable for those of us who have homes and cars with air conditioning. Two hours in the park, even tho' we are under the gazebo and out from under the sun, really wears on us. Fourth of July proved this to be true. There was a haze that the sun shone through and it seemed to magnify the heat. The air was oppressive and it was hard to move at any normal speed. 115 degrees is just plain hot no matter how you look at it.

The homeless ones know how to live out here. They are still. They don't talk much
They appreciate shaded areas and stay in them.

The rec centers here have opened up their doors during the hot hours of the day and provide cold water and a cool place to hang.
Mostly they just find shade. None of them are really comfortable following rules. None of them feel like others want them around. So they like to stay outside where they don't feel trapped.



Yesterday it was not as hot. A group of them sat under a tree while we worshiped and the pastor shared. The others, around 40 of them sat under the gazebo. Barney was there.
Barney is a quiet guy and we always see him sitting on a bench reading when we are on the main street of our town. He reads a lot, stays pretty much to himself. Loves to talk about sports though. Barney will tell sport stories as long as you will stick around and listen. And he is always sober.


'Til today. For the first time in over two years Barney came to service drunk. It kind of caught me off guard. There are a few who will always come drugged out or drunk. But Barney?
I started to think that we are not having an effect on these homeless ones. I started to question why we are still there.
But not for long. It doesn't matter.
What does matter is that we know we are supposed to be faithful to be there every Friday no matter what.
Rain or shine, heat or cold, drunk or sober, friendly or angry, we need to be about our Father's business.
What is so very interesting is the effect this whole church service is having on the people who come to help serve....how their whole insides are being turned around as they realize how judgemental they have been and how God is teaching them to just be servants and see each of them the way God see all of us...helpless without Him, hopeless without the Holy Spirit to live a life acceptable to God. And by being there we are all learning what love really is; yes they have to be fed. Yes they need sunscreen and water and chap stick. And yes, we are to supply all of that. But that is not the goal, that is not the end of it. The goal is to see them find Jesus, and for them to start to understand they are loved, and valuable, and have a purpose, that is the goal.