Dylan and Street Ministry

SERVING THE STREETS

RELIGION - The Grand Rapids Press

Saturday, May 5, 2007 Subtitle: KUYPER STUDENTS STEP OUT OF COMFORT ZONE TO BLESS OTHERS

Dylan has been involved in the Street Ministry @ Kuyper College since the fall. He has really been excited about this! Each Saturday night, the team has been setting up a table at Franklin Street and Eastern Avenue (kind of a rough corner) and handing out pocked-size Bibles along with coffee, donuts, cookies, etc. They have met a lot of interesting people, many of them very needy, many very interested in learning about the Lord. They have an inner city mentor, Rev. Don Staal, who is pastor at The Lord's Chapel over on Michigan Street. He has given them a bit of "street knowledge" and he supplies the Bibles that they hand out. On a given Saturday night, if enough students show up for the ministry, they set up a another table at Skelletones, a coffee shop that caters to punk and Goth kids.

There are about 40 students who are involved in this ministry. Some go out on the street, but others stay back at Kuyper and pray for those out on the street. Then they all meet back at the college and share stories of people they met and what transpired. One of the students puts together a prayer list each week and names each individual (if known) who received a Bible or shared a need with them. This prayer list is e-mailed to many folk who then pray throughout the week for those needs. As the weeks went along, many times people would return to the corner to talk and some relationships were formed, some friendships . . .

Listen to one of the requests on the prayer list: "We gave away two Bibles at Skeletones and one kid took his and ripped it to pieces -- another kid took his and started stabbing it with a pocket knife he had -- this was done right in our faces!" That sounds a bit scary to me!

Dylan describes the Street Ministry to me

This is what he told me: "Christ says that when we go and make disciples that He is with us to the close of the age -- all my anxieties and cares pass away before the surpassing greatness of being counted worthy to declare the praises of Him who called me out of the darkness and into his wonderful light. Every Saturday night I can honestly have the assurance that, for a few hours at least, I did what I was created to do, and that is a gift greater than silver or gold." Can you feel his enthusiasm?