Writing the summary for City Reach Fayetteville is an emotional experience. It marks not only the end of our very first trip to Fayetteville, North Carolina and marks not only the tent being in the air for the last time in 2016, but it also marks the end of an amazing adventure. It is not the end of City Reach, but the end of City Reach 2016 and there will never be another year like it.
I will probably write more about it later but for now I will say this. With City Reach 2016 behind us we are amazed, thankful, hopeful, relieved and thrilled with a whole bunch of sad thrown in.
I will save all that for another day. Today's post is the wrap up for City Reach Fayetteville.
City Reach Fayetteville had a lot working against it. Hurricane Matthew had dumped a boat load of rain (pun intended) on the whole area the week before. The area the tent was set in was high ground but was close to the river and flood water had been a couple hundred feet way. In fact, water was standing from the rain all around where the tent would be a few days later.
The flooding had disrupted the whole city. People were dealing with all the issues of too much water and the bugs, snakes and mosquitoes were having a party.
The churches that invited us have a thriving ministry among the homeless but the homeless folks had lost what little they had in the flood. They were disoriented and mainly trying to survive.
One of the men that was instrumental in the homeless ministry had been killed a few weeks before. Although I am told that horrific event brought some cohesion to the work that was going on, it also threw every one little sideways and off kilter as well and that is completely understandable.
Because of the hurricane, the lot was not prepared when Jimmie arrived and required much more work than we had time. It really did cross our minds that perhaps this was not the proper time for City Reach Fayetteville at all.
But we all persevered and God met us under the tent in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Several nights there were men and women in the altars crying tears before God and asking for His help. Many of them had never responded in their homeless services before. They wept and prayed and cried out and I know that God heard them.
God touched lives. God changed hearts. God worked in situations and imperfections and attitudes. And those are only a few of the things he did for me! (Grin) God worked amazing wonders that we may never know about and we are very, very thankful.
It was our privilege to meet and work with Pastor Lavern Hayden, Pastor Devin Brisson and Bro. Jerry Hood. We appreciate these brothers and their ministries for inviting us to Fayetteville, North Carolina. May God bless our new friends for their kindness to us and their confidence in us.
Pastor Lavern Hayden sent a summary of City Reach Fayetteville at my request.
Dear Bro. Davy,
When I think of City Reach the following comes to mind:
C- Christ centered
I- Investment in the Kingdom
T-Truth declared
Y-Yearning for souls to be saved
R-Revival for the churches
E-Eternity focused
A-Alert to needs
C-Care for the local churches
H-Holiness that is based on the Bible.
City Reach Fayetteville was a great blessing to our church. I appreciate The Boggs family and Bro. Jimmie for having a burden to see the church get out of the 4 walls! It was a blessing to have a ministry come in that was a continuation of what we do in our community! Thankful for the people that came up to the altar each night! Thankful for the testimonies of God touching people each night!
I hope and pray that we can do this again next year! I would encourage pastors to pray about having City Reach in your city!
In His Service,
Pastor Lavern Hayden Wesleyan Pentecostal Church of Fayetteville
City Reach Fayetteville was a great blessing to our church. I appreciate The Boggs family and Bro. Jimmie for having a burden to see the church get out of the 4 walls! It was a blessing to have a ministry come in that was a continuation of what we do in our community! Thankful for the people that came up to the altar each night! Thankful for the testimonies of God touching people each night!
I hope and pray that we can do this again next year! I would encourage pastors to pray about having City Reach in your city!
In His Service,
Pastor Lavern Hayden Wesleyan Pentecostal Church of Fayetteville
Here are a few posts from City Reach Fayetteville with a bunch of great pictures thrown in.
One more thing I must mention about City Reach Fayetteville. Every time I look back on this particular City Reach, every time I think about Fayetteville, probably every time I think about the great state of North Carolina I will also think of Bro. Bruce and Sis. Priscilla Mayhan.
Our dear friends traveled all the way from Pauls Valley, Oklahoma to be with us in City Reach Fayetteville. They worked, they encouraged, they prayed, they gave, they pushed, they pulled and they did all this for most of the week! They spent precious time away from their home, their job, their family and their church to help us in every way they could.
They did that for us. They did that for City Reach. They did that for friends. I will never forget it as long as I have my right mind. Thank you, thank you, thank you, dear friends.
Thank you as well to every one that prayed or gave or helped in any other way in City Reach Fayetteville. We have all sown and we know that God will give the increase.
Thank you for reading.
Davy
