Scotland 2009

When choir team B showed up at church today, they nearly doubled the small congregation. The elder who led the service introduced the choir as their “friends from New York”, saying that “strangers are just friends you haven’t yet met.” A truer word was never spoken. The 20 or so believers who make up this lovely church share the same heart that has sustained Times Square Church from the beginning. They open their doors to the addicted, the helpless and the hurting, they feed the poor, and they trust God to fill the empty seats as they direct the lost to Jesus.

Several choir members met a young man after church who came for the free meal they provided. He is homeless and addicted to heroin and crack cocaine. He showed one choir member his needle marks. He thanked the team leader for stopping to talk with him, saying “most people just brush by because of the way I am”—in addition to the signs of drug use, his severe speech impediment makes his accent even harder to understand. But he’s trying to get into a Teen Challenge program said he’s tried everything else. He asked when the town hall events would take place because he cannot read the flyer. He was concerned that he couldn’t give an offering because he hasn’t a cent to his name. He is why we do this event for free and take no offering! Each choir member, when they looked at him, just knew in their heart of hearts, that the addiction that has plagued his life is broken. With eyes of faith they saw him as God does—whole, restored, a precious jewel.

Not long ago, this church had only six members. But as they pray and reach out to their community, they are growing. We are trusting with them that they will soon be overflowing, and that this new friend, and others like him will be sharing their testimonies of God’s goodness and power. 

This blog post was published on November 9, 2009