HOPE FELLOWSHIP / H.I.S. BRIDGEBUILDERS ENGLISH PROGRAM
Our English Program continues to grow and touch the lives of many internationals here in the city of Boston. The greater Boston area is comprised of a population that is 25% foreign-born. Many of the international residents here in the city lack the English skills necessary to maintain adequate employment. Our English program seeks to alleviate this educational issue by offering quality, affordable English language classes taught by loving instructors. By also offering bible studies, we clearly communicate to our students the fact that Christ is at the helm of this ministry and in the hearts of all who lead.
We successfully completed our 7th session of classes Thursday, December 21st. This past 15-week session brought nearly 70 adult students and 9 children to our classes. Since the inception of this ministry in 2003, we have seen 201 students come through our doors from 27 different nations.
The last two months were filled with several opportunities for fellowship with the students, as we took many of them and their families to “Plimoth Plantation” in Plymouth, MA – the site of our nation’s first Thanksgiving celebration – and had our 3rd Annual Thanksgiving Banquet with the students at the church. Earlier this month, the international children celebrated Christ at a “Birthday Party for Jesus” gathering and last week everyone was invited to join us for a Christmas Candlelight Celebration here at the church.
We thank you for your prayers for one of our students who gave her life to Christ this past year. “Sunny”, a visiting scholar from China who is doing research at Harvard University, came to Christ earlier this year. This past week, our two lead ministry coordinators and I had lunch with Sunny. Despite struggling with some difficulty in her marriage (her husband is not a believer), Sunny continues to make strides in her walk with Jesus. She is now considering attending seminary here in the United States and is intrigued by the idea of working at the church.
STARLIGHT COOKING MINISTRY & STREETLIGHT HOMELESS OUTREACH
Our partnership with Starlight Ministries, a Boston-based Christian Homeless Advocacy ministry, continues to go strong. A team of volunteers from the church meets on Wednesday evenings for a time of prayer, devotion and food preparation for the homeless families that Starlight Ministries serves in Harvard Square.
A recent December devotional time was especially significant, as we reflected on the fact that Joseph and Mary were a homeless and impoverished couple when Jesus was born. At last count, Boston had approximately 6,000 homeless living on the streets of the city. Of that number, over 2000 are actually homeless families—just like our Savior’s family.
 Streetlight Homeless Outreach
"If you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday." Isaiah 58:10
After over of year of focused prayer and seven weeks planning and training by Starlight’s street outreach team, we have begun our own street team and ministry—Streetlight Homeless Outreach. Streetlight Outreach is a partnership between Hope/BridgeBuilders and Gateway Church of Medford, MA. Members of both congregations comprise the volunteer staff that will serve the homeless in the city.
With Isaiah 58:10 as our foundational scripture, it is our desire to bring the light of Christ to the city through this service. Every Wednesday evening in a park near Hope Fellowship, the Streetlight Team will give away warm food, clothing and counsel to the homeless living in the area. We will also have an outdoor worship service that everyone in the community is welcome to join.
We praise God for how He is working to alleviate the pain and suffering of those who live on the streets. We praise Him for the work He is doing in our hearts to bring us to this place of needed service.
Please pray for both our Starlight Cooking Team and our new Streetlight Outreach Team. Please pray that He’ll continue to show us how best to serve and that He’ll strengthen all of us as we work in this very difficult but necessary ministry field.
EDUCATION UPDATE
2007 promises to be a wonderful year of ministry expansion as our relationships with area schools and the school system continue to grow:
- Will and Anita, two of our volunteers, continue to serve at the Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School After School Program. In November, we provided a meal for their Election Day celebration.
- After years of trying to establish a connection, the Peabody School, an elementary school near the church, has finally shown interest in partnering with us for service in the community. We recently gave some of their needy families backpacks, Christmas Gifts and Christmas trees.
- In February, our English Program Coordinators and I will lead a workshop on “Intercultural Relationship Building” for the Cambridge Public Schools Early Childhood Education Program. The school system approached us about leading this workshop earlier this year after hearing about the success of the English Program.
OTHER UPDATES . . .
- The Good News Bible Club in Allston, MA has been on hiatus since the summer. I have been meeting with Pastor Henry Fizer of Hill Memorial Baptist Church in Allston about reestablishing the bible club and assisting them with creating a nigh-time bible study for youth at his area church. Our prayer is to resume weekly meetings in the Spring of 2007.
- The "True II Life" Youth Outreach in Dorchester, MA is still meeting monthly for focused worship events. On November 17th, we hosted a Christian Hip-Hop Concert for the youth, featuring two area rappers who minister through music. This event was a huge success! Youth from all over the area came out to worship through song and dance.
- I will be heading to Accra, Ghana during the month of January to visit with my parents who have lived in the West African nation for over 11 years now. While in Ghana, I will be meeting and serving alongside of Brother Jude, a pastor and field worker for Scripture Union, an outreach ministry in the city. We will be working out the logistical plan for bringing urban youth from Boston to Ghana during the summer of ’07.
HOPE FOR 2007 . . .
My prayer for 2007 is that H.I.S. BridgeBuilders Boston will continue to grow in the areas of education and service that have seen so blessed over the last two years. I also pray that we’ll we see stronger ties created between local business leaders, city government and medical providers in the city. Following the model that has been so successful in Dallas, we will undoubtedly feel the Lord leading us into fruitful relationships with many other followers and seekers throughout the city.
What a mighty God we serve! He is not only connecting the cities within the United States but also internationally for his purposes. Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Christ is Lord of all! This promise is assured and we can rest securely in it.
May God bless you and your families this Christmas season and give you a wonderful start to 2007.
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