Jesus Hugs, An Angry Neighbor, A Homeless Pianist and Other Moments of Grace
Hi there friends of East Dayton Fellowship,
Late this October I discovered the flower you see in the image above standing alone in the church yard. I have no idea how it came to be there. There are no other such flowers nearby, and yet there it was on a Sunday morning in all its brilliant beauty! That's grace for you - God sending unearned gifts at unexpected times in unlikely places for the sheer sake of love.
In this edition of our newsletter I want to share two videos and a report with you. All of them testify to God's grace at work in the life of our little congregation on Dayton's eastside.
The video at this link is 10 minutes from one of our services this Fall. In that time, I tell two stories. One about a dear elder sister, struggling with health issues and yet used by God as a vessel of his love in the life of a homeless addict in our neighborhood. The other story involves another neighbor of ours who sent us an angry letter including a (baseless) legal threat. I narrate how we responded to this person and, in the course of telling that story, I lay out our church's way of relating to would-be enemies as well as our homeless neighbors.
The video at this link introduces you to one of our homeless neighbors. His name is Elijah. He struggles with addiction and lives rough on the street. He also happens to be an absolutely marvelous pianist! The video opens at the piano in our fellowship hall during one of our ministry events. That piano is out of tune, so we moved to the sanctuary where Elijah could play on the better piano in the quiet of that beautiful space. The beautiful music flowing out of those calloused hands is another instance of God's grace showing up in places that surprise us and short-circuit all our typical expectations!
Finally, I have attached a year-end ministry report that provides a brief summary of our major shared ministries this year. Over 11,000 meals served, hundreds of people clothed, 3 baptisms, 11 new members received... and much more! Click on that one-page document to get a sense of what God has been up to in our midst this year.
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We're a little church both in numbers of worshippers and in terms of dollars on hand. God is a God of grace, however, whose kingdom takes root like so many little mustard seeds scattered over the earth. Jesus praised the little gift of the widow in the temple more than the big bags of cash deposited by the wealthy. He received a tiny donation of five loaves and two fish from a small child and fed multitudes from that modest meal starter. We see God doing the same in our midst here. He multiplies the little we have and supplies what we don't - often through partnerships with others and the generosity of donors.
We continue to need the prayers, the partnership, and the financial support of people beyond our congregation to do what we do. I hope you'll consider helping us in one or more of those ways.
If you want to pray, the information in this newsletter itself will give you a strong sense of what you can be praying for!
If you want to partner with us - please reach out to inquire with us (eastdaytonfellowship@gmail.com) - that's a conversation we always relish!
And if you would like to support us financially you can do so through the East Dayton Fellowship fund set up for us by Fairview Brethren in Christ Church. (We have need for help just in making our yearly budget. but we also have dream of refurbishing our kitchen, bathrooms, and utility spaces downstairs to better serve our neighbors.)
Here is the link to the giving page you need. Make sure to select the East Dayton Fellowship from the drop-down menu provided.
If you're contemplating a donation and would like to discuss our finances with us or see an accounting of them, please reach out - we'll gladly get into the nitty gritty with you!
Thank you and may you find God's grace springing up in your life in the most wonderfully unexpected ways!
Sincerely,
Pastor Zach Spidel