Missional Fruit

Dear Friends,

Continuing with the Missional mindset and goals, we have continued with the gradual addition of contemporary elements and outreaches in Asheville. The latest is a coffee ministry on our front porch. For the last four weeks, we simply set up a table and give away coffee and pastries. We have a brand new Soldier (Lorraine) and a long-time Adherant (Ed) who have taken this on as their personal ministry. There are several others who help out some, but it is their ministry. Ken Callahan once noted that the people who are the newest in the faith tend to be the ones who are most eager to invite friends and spread the Word. We generally have about ten passers by who partake of the coffee and snack. But since the beginning of the ministry, there has been one young man from the neighborhood who continues to come back and has been spending more and more time just drinking and chatting. Today, he helped take down the table and coffee and then helped to bring the supplies inside the building. Lorraine introduced him around and we all tried to make him feel welcome. Right now he goes to another type of Sunday morning activity.......right now. We would like to see him come fully into the Kingdom. Right now, we just want to love and accept him for who he is. On another note, my son has been bringing a friend to church for the last month. He wants to learn the cornet and become a Junior Soldier. But the good news is that today, after a simple and brief explanation of the Gospel, He accepted Christ as his Savior. He has had no formal or casual religious association until he began coming with us to the Corps. It never ceases to amaze me how easy it is for a child to accept the Grace of Christ when the soil of the heart is tilled for just a little while. Please pray for us as we continue to simply love the people of our Corps neighborhood and Asheville.