What is the best way for us to express the essence of our ministry?
I’ll try to put it hypothetically in the words of someone who might be one of our members at Firehouse Church over the years:
- “I am a convicted felon. I was incarcerated for (choose one: selling drugs, grand larceny, assault, murder, sexual crimes.)”
- “I was just released from prison after (8, 17, 26…) years. I am on parole and must report to the department of corrections every week. I have a curfew between 8 PM and 8 AM every day.”
- “I have been living on the streets and have been given a temporary roof over my head in a homeless shelter”.
- “I am an alcoholic (drug addict, have mental health issues)”
- “My family wants nothing to do with me. Not my sister, my wife, my kids, not even my mother.”
- “But while I was in prison or in the streets or in the homeless shelter, someone shared the love of Jesus Christ and amazingly, I felt hope and acceptance and I decided to give my heart to him at the age of (22, 40, 61…).”
- “I know that he is my Savior and that I will be with him for eternity. But because of my past, I still live on the fringes of society.”
- “My parole restrictions don’t even allow me to go into a regular church. At least in prison there was a weekly prison ministry that held services I could attend.”
- “Out here I remain alone. I’m like an alien in a foreign land, like I’m trying to start life all over again with three strikes against me.”
- “I remain an outcast”
- “But not at Firehouse Church.”
- “There we all have a common bond; the love of Christ. We do not judge one another (most of the time).”
- “We worship together. We share meals together. We laugh together. We work on projects together; Just like brothers and sisters – just like family.”
- “Our pastors are an older couple, who we know love us, even though they may not have shared our darker experiences.”
- ”I feel like, through this church, God has given me a new purpose; another chance. I want to help others the way I have been helped; by showing them the love of Christ. That is what we’re taught. That is what we talk about.”
- “I don’t have much money to give to the church to support what we do, but I give what I can. Sometimes it’s only a dollar and I’m truly grateful for the help we get from others.”
- “I was able to get clothes from the clothes closet upstairs. I came out of prison with just the clothes on my back.”
- “And at times the only meal that I get on some days is the food they serve at the Firehouse.”
- “Anyway, I thank God every day for my church. The gatherings are what I look most forward to all week.”
- “God bless Firehouse Church!”
Now, as Pastor, I composed this myself but I promise you, any one of our people, our motley crew of saints, could sign onto the script you just read.
It is a privilege to pastor and represent this church that Patty and I both love so much.
Let me leave you with this exhortation to us all from Matthew 25:
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was ill and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”
“inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’”
Matthew 25:35-36 ; 40
Thank you so for taking time to read this. If you would like to know more about Firehouse Church ministry, call (and leave a message) or write us at:
716-445-2616
Thanks and may God bless you,
Pastors Jim and Patty