Street Church

We're a small group of five people that meets first for prayer on a Saturday morning.  Then we load up our goodies and walk the cross down 2 blocks to the center of Limhamn (the neighborhood where the church is located).  We set up our table with coffee and cookies (there has to be fika, we're in Sweden, don’t you know!), candy for kids, Bible verses to hand out, free Bibles, and information about our church.  We secure the cross above our table (it’s attached to pole next to the free newspaper dispenser and a garbage can), and then the Johnny Cash music starts to flow from an iPhone and speakers. When we visited Malmö in March 2016 for the first time, we also stood on the street corner and talked with people about Jesus. There is a man who remembers meeting us last year at Street Church, and he is now a vibrant presence in our midst on Sunday mornings at Wesleykyrkan.  Street Church continues to be one of my favorite activities. Not because I can speak Swedish so well, and certainly not because I’m an extrovert and love to speak to total strangers about the Word of God and coming to church.  But this last week I found myself praying “God, just give me a word.  Give me something to say in Swedish that attracts people to a conversation about you”.  I also pulled out another tool from my ministry tool box this week:  English!  Why not just start a conversation in English with the young people who are passing by?  Sure enough, it worked, and I spoke with a lonely young woman, Hannah, who was wondering about her purpose in life.  And to another very confident young woman, Julia, who shared how she had been a Christian before but now she’s a Buddhist.  Both of these gals went home with a brochure about Våga tro ~ and a smile and a word of encouragement to come and check us out.

Loading up our goodies at the church before we head out

Carrying the cross to our next destination

We are the church!

Street Church is yet another one of those experiences that remind me of this important principal:  the church isn't the building, it's the people.  This week, our guest evangelist came with us to hang out at Street Church.  And don't you know, he found just the right group of people hanging out just 100 feet away, who had such pain and brokenness in their lives.  He invited them to our evening service later that night, and they showed up.  And they came again the next morning for Sunday worship.  And I fully expect they will come this week again on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.  

Because the church isn't the building.

It's the people.

Everyone has a story to tell ~

Always has been, is, and will be about the cross and Christ's sacrifice for us!