Dear Friends,
What should church look like?
My friend Scott was sharing with me a few thoughts about church. He said…
“I have been at churches and when they ask for people to greet each other, they shake my hand and before I finish telling them my name they are talking to someone else…that’s enough for a guy like me to leave and never come back!”
“I go into church with questions and after the preacher is done I have more unanswered questions, and I leave more confused than when I went in!”
These two statements really caused me to think about what is wrong the church today. Either we are comfortable, complacent, or worse we have become blind! Galatians 6:2 tells us, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” At “1269” we want to do more than know your name and shake your hand, we want to know your story and share your burdens.
Our doors open a half hour before each service begins. During this time we talk, share food, and get to know each other. We open in prayer and sing worship songs to the Lord. Each week we teach through the Bible verse by verse. While this may sound similar to other churches you have been to the difference is that during the service anyone can ask a question or share. It is simple, the Lord desires that all men come to know Him, getting your questions answered is an important part of that process.
I want to say thank you to Scott for sharing your observations about “church,” they changed the way I serve as a pastor!
Sincerely
Jerry
Come check out a service…see our full menu to the right for days and times.
About us
All around downtown
Manchester are thousands
of people who
are living
on the edge. Families and
individuals facing the most
difficult circumstances any
of us could imagine.
There is great suffering
taking place every day
very close to us. The
objective of the 1269 Café is to remove
suffering in our neighborhood by showing
God’s love in action and
by loving people as they are and leading them to a
better way to live.
Jerry
My name is Jerry. I serve here at what we call the 1269 Café. How I got here is an interesting story. I was called into the ministry while serving in the Marine’s. In 2007 I retired from the Marines and returned to NH. After two years of doing churchy things and struggling with where I was at I grew frustrated as a Christian. It became clear to me that church was not the place to reach people, so I left the four walls of church behind and hit the street. I asked God what was going on. Since then I have been overwhelmed and amazed by all the things I have seen in Manchester. I know that I am right where God wants me to be…in the heart of the city. For me living out my Christianity as Jesus did is far more important than living what I refer to as mere Christianity…If you are looking for answers to the battles that you are facing in life then come join us. Let God speak to your heart.
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POINT IN TIME HOMELESS COUNT - January 2011
Last January we particiated in Manchester's Point in Time Homeless Count. Click here for photos from the evening.