A Summer Update
A lot - and we mean a lot - has happened here on the east side of Dayton over the last couple of years and we decided it was time to reach out to our many friends and let you know what's going on. After this newsletter (and another one which you can expect soon), we plan to send out future editions every two months or so. These occasional updates will let you know about all the good and beautiful things God is up to here. Thanks for checking in with us today and let's get to it!
A Merger
Not quite two years ago, following a careful and Spirit-led process of discussion, the Shepherd's Table church plant and the East Dayton Church of the Brethren merged into a single new worshiping community called the East Dayton Fellowship. The newly merged congregation went through an exciting time of growth as we reached out in new ways together. Each Sunday homeless folks from the blocks around us, members of a local addiction addiction recovery ministry we were working with, long time COB members, original planting members of Shepherd's Table, and new friends from the neighborhood all came together to worship God... and then the pandemic hit. Below you can see what Sunday school looked like a few weeks before COVID came to town.
The Pandemic Closes a Door and God Opens a Window
At that time we were doing weekly Bible studies and starting up a homeless ministry with the Salvation Army's Adult Rehabilitation Center in Dayton. COVID permanently shuttered the ARC and the plans we had been making with our wonderful partners came to a sudden end. The goodbye's involved were painful and we were left wondering what God wanted us to do next.
It turns out we did not have to wait long to find out. The same week the ARC shuttered we were contacted by a group called the Food for the Journey Project. They wanted to know if we would partner with them in becoming a site for the distribution of warm, home cooked meals for the needy in our neighborhood! Not only were we thrilled to say yes, but thanks to our wonderful new associate pastor (that's another story) we began to build up a clothing and household goods ministry to accompany the food ministry. Every Friday we set up outside (even in the winter) and distribute 100-200 hot meals, clothing, books, and other material goods to neighbors in need.
This ministry has granted us so many chances to share Jesus with other people. Just last Friday a couple we've known for a long time but hadn't seen recently stopped by to get some food. They've been plagued by homelessness and addiction for a decades. They've finally got a proper roof over their heads now, but their hearts were broken that day. They choked up as they told me that their youngest son, who is in prison, had just been thrown into solitary confinement. He will not be getting out of the hole until late in November - an almost unthinkably long and cruel confinement. When this young man was a boy, I frequently had him and his brothers in my house for youth events and Bible studies. I've visited him many times in the county jail and prayed frequently for him. Hearing about his condition broke my heart too, so the three of us did the only thing that made sense in that moment. We huddled in the parking lot, held hands, and cried out to God for help. When we were done, my friends' eyes were shining and they whispered a thank you before going to get some food from our lovely volunteers and picking up some items they needed, including an arm chair we happened to have that day which they took to help furnish their home. They departed that day fed in body and spirit.
And the Windows Keep Opening
Not long after we began to build up this Friday ministry, we discovered that a Christ-centered sober living ministry had just finished renovating and opening a house across the street from the church. Addiction is a huge issue on the east side, so we were thrilled to have these men as neighbors. We reached out to see if we could be of service to them, and it turned out they didn't have a space adequate to host their weekly, all-residents meeting. So now we open our doors to them every Thursday for that purpose. This enables us to build relationships with them and we've seen several people begin to attend on Sunday from this group. It also has enabled us to partner together with them in pulling off events that bless our neighborhood. Below you can see the guys from a typical Thursday night, as well as some photos from a neighborhood clean-up which they, Fairview BIC, Food for the Journey, and we all worked together to pull off this summer.
Wrapping Up
There's a lot more we could tell you about, like our weekly outdoor summer vespers services held right on Third Street, our school supply drive for neighborhood kids, our relationally driven benevolence ministry, the membership class we've started, the youth ministry Pastor Susan is heading up, or the significant and costly investments we're making in our facility so that it can be a focal point for God's restorative work in our neighborhood. We hope to cover some of those things soon.
For now, though, I want to close by asking you to consider helping us embody the love of Jesus for our beleaguered but beautiful neighborhood. We need three things:
1) Prayer - Would you pray for us to find faithful ways of serving and loving others in the name of Jesus? Would you pray for the following two needs to be met?
2) People - The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. We need people to join us in this wonderful work. We need those who can come as occasional volunteers to help us with various tasks. We also need people who are willing to join our congregation as members committed to helping us more fully embody Christ in this place. Would you consider joining us here in either of those ways? If you're feeling even a faint tug in our direction, we'd love to talk to you!
3) Provision - Our little church serves a poor neighborhood and we are stretching ourselves in faith to do all that God is calling us to do. We do not want to pull back but to push ahead with ministry, but the only way we can do that over the long haul is if others will partner with us financially. Would you consider giving to the work we're doing? Instructions on how to do so, including a link to an online giving page, are below. We'd be happy to share detailed financial information with you about our situation and needs. So if you have any questions, please let us know.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this email. We'll be in touch again soon. God bless you!
Zach Spidel
Pastor of the East Dayton Fellowship
To get in touch with us, send an email to eastdaytonfellowship@gmail.com or call us at 937-234-7028 and leave us a voicemail.
To make a financial donation follow this link: https://app.easytithe.com/App/Giving/fairviewchurch.
This will take you to the giving page of Fairview Brethren in Christ Church. They handle our online donations for us. 100% of your funds will be directed to us through our partners at Fairview. Just make sure you select the East Dayton Fellowship Fund from the drop-down menu when you use this page to give.
We hope to hear from you soon!