Soup Kitchen - The Church on the Street

A soup kitchen it may have been in the beginning, but Sally's street evangelism, in the centre of Birmingham's most deprived and desperate areas, rapidly became 'The Church on the Street.' Every week, Sally and her team are out, in all weathers, providing food, support and the Word to desperate, homeless people with nowhere else to turn. It is a remarkable ministry, that gets right to the heart of the problem...tackling it on its home territory.

Sally recalls;

I remember so clearly standing at the Elim conference last year, in one of our Freedom from Addiction meetings which was being held at the Pub venue.

‘I ask you’, says Sally with giggles ‘only Jesus could hold a Freedom from Addiction meeting in a pub with alcoholics and addicts , and only Jesus could keep us clean and sober in that pub’.

In one of our daily meetings I suddenly felt a birthing in my spirit. In the same freedom from Addiction meeting the next day, I felt what seemed like my waters break. As though I was about to give birth to something but knew not what. On my return to Birmingham I hard a yearning to go down to the City where all the down and outs hung about, and start a church. In the middle of the street, in the middle of the City, in the heart of Birmingham, at the very core of the door of the kingdom of hell. To march in to the territory of Satan in the name of Jesus, conquer the ground by the power of the blood and show the depraved of mind, broken of flesh, bankrupt of spirit. There is a way out, there is hope, and there is help.

We told them we came in the name of Jesus of Nazareth; and by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimonies, the church on the streets of Birmingham was born and the Holy Spirit began to gather in his harvest. Oh, it's so exciting to witness the mighty moves of God, right there in the heart of the City streets in the soup kitchens.

That was a year ago, and the Church on the streets is known by so many now . People are giving their lives to Jesus and responding to the prayer and worship. You know, I just never know what my Lord’s got up his sleeve next for his servants to do, but I know this. I am ready and willing to get up and go at his request. I want to make a difference for the Kingdom of Heaven. I want Jesus to say. I am excited at the greatness, mercy and love of our Lord. If we want something new, then we must not be afraid to try something different.

A wonderful vibrant spirit filled church meeting happens every Thursday evening from seven until nine. We have also come into co operation with two other Christian drug rehabilitation centres, the joining together of God’s people to do the Lord’s work as one body. It is wonderful that we have all come away from the My Ministry syndrome, because we know, it is His Ministry, and we are but trusted servants of his ministries, we do not govern.

I am filled with excitement to see what our Lord will drop into our spirits this year from the Elim conference. For he knows our hearts, and we will run with them. And with a childlike innocence and a huge faith, we will soar like eagles in full flight of a Holy Ghost wind, and scoop into the kingdom of darkness to pull out the lost, one at time, a day at a time for our Messiah.