Church on the Street

This past week, I had the honor of leading 19 students and adults on a mission trip that is sure to be a spiritual marker in all of our lives! We served the homeless in downtown Atlanta through a ministry called Church on the Street. The trip consisted of many different ways of serving, such as "homeless walks," a picnic in the park, parish walks, and a block party...but our most meaningful opportunities were the conversations we had with our homeless friends we met in the parks and along the street.

I say "friends" because that is what Church on the Street taught us is the most important way to minister to those we would encounter. The ministry's main goal is to live out the question, "How can we be both for and with our most vulnerable neighbors?" Obviously, this comes from the second part of the Great Commandment where Jesus tells us to "love our neighbors as we love ourselves." The greatest need that we all have is to encounter friendship...to be known and to be valued. Achieving this, in essence, was our main goal. No agenda. No preaching. No Romans Road. No throwing "stuff" at them just so we would feel good about ourselves. Instead, we walked, we listened, we laughed, we met needs, we asked questions, we gave hugs...that is what we did!

In the end, my prayer is that we simply were a stepping stone in someone's path toward truly knowing the ultimate friendship that anyone can find...and that is in Jesus.

Kelly Sayle
Middle School Director