Everything is moved into our new home. Our new home is the Old Catholic Church Rectory! There was a lot of gun fire during the night as it was New Years. In the morning we found a bullet that had landed five feet away from one of our Jeeps! A little scary, but not too bad.
Back to the Rectory (our new home). It is kind of cool. The place is probably about 90 years old and it has a tunnel that connects it to the old Catholic Cathedral where we have Bible Study and worship. It all belongs to what is now known as the North City Church of Christ. And we are here, in part, to help minister along side with Robert Lawrence. He is a neat guy that does the preaching around here and kind of serves as the granddad for the community of Mark Twain (a St. Louis neighborhood). We are really fortunate that Robert was interested in us coming along side to minister with him. You will find his sermons encouraging and uplifting, yet challenging and down to earth. It is not unusual to find Robert on the street working with the families and kids helping to return stolen property and help young people to learn how to get along. He has a quality about him that is rare. Within minutes you will believe you have known him all your life long.
We are planning to spend the month getting the home and office set up. Also, we will be taking some time listening to the members of this small church and the members of this community. There are many stories here of lives lived out in the city. The area here is rough and challenging for the families that are trying to make a go of it. But the folks here are down to earth, and they have a genuine honest quality about them. We look forward to further getting to know the people of the Mark Twain area of St. Louis. Certainly there are many adventures ahead for all of us.
In the St. Louis city we will be setting up small groups, developing community relations for the North City church and spending a good deal of time on the streets getting to know the people and leading them to Christ. We will be working closely with other helping ministries to ensure that the needs of the elderly and those in need have resources to survive. Also we will be helping folks prepare for the work force. Another part of our work is something that we have been somewhat familiar with for a number of years is having others live with us in community. The North City Church has provision in the Rectory (our new home) for up to four young men living with us, family style. We share meals and responsibilities and encourage the young me to participate in trade school and/or college. We help the North City Church in mentoring them as they develop into leaders in the kingdom of God.
Out in St. Louis county we will be developing small group ministries that will serve as a place for folks to have Bible study, develop leadership skills, share their lives and be mentored. It is here that deeper levels of friendship and fellowship are taking place. There is even some interest in our ministry from three corporations, and we give God thanks for such.
On the whole there is a lot interest in what we are doing and will be doing here in St. Louis.
So here we are in St. Louis, Missouri! With a bullet in my pocket, a Bible in my hand and faith in Jesus in our hearts! We seek the Lord’s protection, providence and divine guidance as our ministry and AgapePoint take on a new direction. Please keep us in the prayers as we seek to minister to this area for the cause of Christ. And if you feel led by the Lord to do so, we greatly would appreciate your financial support.
Thank you and blessings in Jesus,
Keith