After an awesome time of worship, FHCC hit the local street to represent the church at the biannual street fair. This local tradition is always unique as it attracts not only the local hermits, but also bargain hunters from across Queens. It has proven to be a great way to meet our neighbors, and as members of the Chamber of Commerce, the church gets a free space.
In seasons past, we have responded by offering free popcorn, water, teas, and punch, in conjunction with invitations to church and free bibles. Yet with each passing event the fair leadership becomes more and more irked by our generosity and zeal, thus limiting us this year to only distributing literature. It would be a lie to say that these restrictions did not dampen our spirits, but we also knew that conversations about Jesus and introducing people to the Bible was more in line with who we are anyway.
As the event began we knew we were in for a wild day. Not only was the weather chilly, but so was everyone's personality. Within moments, each person on the team was cursed at and several of our cards instantaneously found the trash can. One group of men had the idea to curse us not to our face, but from across the street. Apparently they thought it more beneficial to knock Jesus and the church for all to hear, rather than present their opinion to us in private.
Of course, there were also many of Jewish and Catholic backgrounds who passed by the display table. Most of our literature was in Hebrew and it always draws attention. However, like the rest of the crowd, today's visitors were as cold as ice. Many would not even say "hello" or humor us in conversation. They simple came, looked at the table, and then walked away in disgust. We know that such a response should be expected, but it still hurts to know (and see) that people really don't want anything to do with Jesus...
Yet in the midst of such depravity, God brings grace. While the majority of the day was spent handling rejection and hostility towards the Gospel, every now and again God would send us a person of interest. We can say with certainty that the local church in Forest Hills was strengthened today, and that several lives were touched and are very near to receiving salvation. The joys of being a missionary for Jesus come in many different forms and situations, and today we were able to experience the full gambit.
Thank you, God, for counting us worthy!
Last year our church plant pledged $110 a month towards the support of foreign missions. With God's help we were able to support 8 different church-planting ministries around the world. What a difference a year makes...
