From the Streets

The apostle Paul, in the 20th chapter of the book of Acts, relates some parting words, reflecting on the dynamics of his ministry, which flourished even among trials.  His words can be an inspiration to all of us to be faithful to do what God has directed; Paul writes:
24 But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
25 And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more.
26 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men.
27 For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.
28 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

Next Monday is Memorial Day, and for many, that marks the unofficial beginning of summer, even though the calendar indicates a different dates.  But kids are preparing to be out of school and families are making those travel plans.  Perhaps a beach trip, or two, or three may be in your plans.

I noticed that there's a ministry in Gulfport, Mississippi that decided to offer a Christian outreach at the beach there back in April. 

It was called "Outreach on the Beach," presented by Narrow Path Ministries.  But, the indications are that this was not just an event, but the culmination of a nine-month journey.  According to WLOX Television: "This is a special nine-month project for Narrow Path Ministries, which is known for its work when helping the homeless and those battling addictions..."

The TV station's story started out like this:

Hands waving in the air was a sight that performers were greeted with as they played their favorite Christian songs on Saturday at Jones Park.

To organizers like Josh Hutchinson, it’s more than another Christian music festival.

“There’s resource booths from across the country and different ministries,” said Hutchinson. “People are coming out here, chains are being broken, people have submitted into programs and getting off the streets.”

Hutchinson stated, "We felt it was going to be big but seeing thousands of people out here for the first event coming to support and rally behind addiction and mental health, I’m just blown away and in awe,” adding, “You really can’t put a dollar amount on one life so seeing people being free is amazing.”

And, through partnerships, those who come to the Narrow Path program can come free of charge.

The Narrow Path team partnered with another organization to provides shoes and clothes for the homeless.  Hutchinson reminds people about their work: "It starts in the streets..."

The television station had covered the fledgling ministry before, in February; Josh is quoted as saying: “I had an addiction for 23 years. I was in and out of prison for most of my life, involved with gangs and different things, and it led me to the streets where I had nothing left. My wife came from the same lifestyle before. Now we have a desire and passion to reach for the lost and broken. We were blessed to have made it out,” adding, “We were shown a vision of a Christian ministry... We’re both Christian hip-hop artists and travel the country. We’re doing outreach and events in the community like this in other places, and once we had the vision, we set the course and launched the non-profit and here we are.”

Mallory Hutchinson was also quoted, she said: "God allowed us to go through the darkness that we were in so we could reach back into the darkness and bring hope to those who are still there..."

What God has done in Josh and Mallory's lives can be a great example to each of us to take what God has done in our lives and use it to bless others.  It's really a manifestation of the notion of giving back.  

I think we can also be reminded of the importance of education: if ministries are offering vital services that can offer help and hope, the community needs to know.  We can pray for open doors for God to share the message of what our churches and ministry organizations have to offer.

We can also rely on the God of creativity to inspire ideas that will connect with the people to whom God has sent us to minister.  He doesn't want us to keep to ourselves what He has done, what He has established in our hearts and lives.  By His Spirit, He will show us the direction, the "path" on which He desires for us to walk.

And, speaking of beaches, nomadic worship leader Sean Feucht reported on Facebook that:

We just were apart of the largest recorded synchronized baptism in world history!

 
It happened in California and it was over 12,000 people today alone. More numbers are still rolling in!!!

#PentecostSunday

It was part of Baptize California, a two-day event in which people were being baptized at multiple locations.  The "flagship" location was Huntingdon Beach, where there was a major event featuring a variety of Christian music artists each day.