40 Day Journey with Our Neighbors in Solidarity
Week 1: Church on the Street
Written By: Lay Leader Cindy Day
Day 3: Matthew 25:35-36,40 (Revised Standard Version)
34 Then the King will say to those at his right hand, Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry, and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me drink, I was a stranger, and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked, and you clothed me, I was sick, and you cared for me, I was in prison, and you came to me… 40 Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me.
Hello. My name is Cindy Day. I am a lay leader with Church on the Street, although when Pastor Rebel called me that I wasn’t sure what it meant for the first year. I didn’t care, though. It just felt good to have a title at all. It is a joke around Church on the Street that you better be careful because Pastor Rebel will give you a title if you stick around long enough. Just ask Harriet and Luke.
My story begins with God. I started going to church when I was six years old. The church was where I escaped from a family who hurt me. Since the Church was across the Street, I would sneak in and sit in the back row. I felt safe there. It’s rather funny, because here I am 50 years later, and Church is where I feel safe again. Me. The stranger is welcomed back.
My story with Church on the Street began four years ago. I came to SD because I wanted to meet my grandkids. I wound up at the shelter with nowhere to go, a stranger in this state, my son in jail, and I was alone. I didn’t want to go back to Oklahoma. I wanted a fresh start free of drugs. I wanted to make memories with my grandkids and be here for them. I wanted to be there for my son and make up for what I had missed out on when I was using, was in jail, and was leading a hard life.
The shelter was full of women, children, the smells of cleaning supplies, and bedbugs. My space was small, and I wanted out. I kept hearing people talk about this Pastor Rebel person who would sit down with you and help you figure stuff out, find a place to live, listen, and love you. I was told repeatedly I had to find her on the Street and make an appointment with her.
She came to the shelter to drop something off for someone, and I charged her way, yelling her name in my Southern Accent (she likes to say), telling her I needed an appointment with her. We met for lunch two days later. I still remember what I had to eat that day as clear as a bell because that was the day I stopped being a stranger. Without me having to do a single thing, I was accepted, loved, and welcomed in. And not only that, but I was hungry, thirsty, sick, had only two black garbage bags of belongings, and I had a record. Pastor Rebel reminded me that God loved me, I was forgiven, and I was enough. I felt just like I did when I was that little girl sitting in the back of that Church. Loved!
Four years later, I am a street minister. I get to tell those exact words to people. I get to tell them God loves them, they are forgiven, and they are enough. Wow. God protects me and gives me all I need. How about you? Do you feel like a stranger? I welcome you in too.
Reflection:
It is easy to think we have our lives together and others don’t. I get it. I have a nice apartment now, a good job (at a church), and food in the fridge. I have to remind myself every day to not be judgy, to get off my high horse, to both offer and accept help, and to slow down and listen to the people who need listening too. Please join me in that. After all, we are all sinners, and we all need God’s grace and love.
Practice:
- Offer a smile to the stranger, even behind the mask.
- See someone on the corner panhandling? Smile at them. It costs nothing. We don’t know their story. It isn’t always what you might think.
- Invite people to church. They are just waiting for someone to ask. Just invite them.
Prayer:
Lord Father God, Thank you for welcoming me into the community of Church on the Street. For giving me a voice. I am not a stranger anymore. I am a part of God’s work. Thank you for the people who have come into my life. Encourage the people reading this to step out and welcome the stranger. In Jesus name, we pray, Amen.
