I just read an article about a small church that purchased a hotel / bar / convention area and moved the church in to it. The church is called the Eastside Foursquare Church in Portland, Oregon. They continued to operate the hotel. The bar was turned in to a children's area. The hotel had a history of hookers, drugs, violence and all sorts of stuff. All of that stopped.
The church as grown over 10 times what they started with. The profits of the hotel are funneled back in to the church to operate a drug recovery, support groups and homeless outreaches.
How creative. No need to build a multi million dollar place. They did not choose prime real estate. They went to where a need is and met a need. It was not some off site outreach, they moved the whole operation to the church. You can even stay in the hotel and get a pastor 24 hours a day if need be.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
That's a great concept.
I took a missions class at Truett Seminary when I was in Waco from the director of "Mission Waco" - a mission to the homeless and poor in Waco. He bought a run down house in the midst of the "wrong side of the tracks" and move he and his family there so he could live in the place of his ministry. Initially, he would walk down his sidewalk and pass by hookers and homeless. However, as he ministered there, things began to change - at least in his surrounding blocks.
From this idea, he was developing a neighborhood concept of church members to move in and restore those neighborhoods - not by making them new high priced "historic" areas and pushing out the poor, but living along-side and being a neighbor to thus raise up their new neighbors. Rather than a church going to a poor area, serving, and then going home the church was to live in the area they served. A great idea, and a brave idea. It would be hard for me with small children to take that step. Still I applaud him. He is one of those few teachers that I will always remember and have great admiration for.
I often wonder if i would ever have the guts to do a thing like that too.
Post a Comment