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| Christians on Christopher Street Ministering in New York's most prominent gay neighborhood. "Is there anything we should be doing as a church that we're not doing?" For The Village Church of New York City, this simple question led me to a difficult answer: "Since we are a church in the middle of Greenwich Village, shouldn't we have a ministry to people with AIDS?" A month later, The Isaiah 58 Project, or i58 as it's affectionately called, was created. Using Isaiah 58:10-11 as our guiding Scripture, i58 seeks to minister to people affected by AIDS in the Village's Christopher Street community. To begin, i58 did something radical for an evangelical church: we partnered with secular AIDS organizations. We reasoned that we must become part of the local community, and if that means being salt and light in the established organizations, well, then we're there. So i58 cooks, serves, and prepares Sunday dinner at Bailey-Holt House, New York's oldest AIDS residence. A few doors down from BHH there's a shop displaying a shirt that sums up how this particular community views Christians. It pictures Christ with his hands stretched wide, and it reads, "Jesus, save us from your followers." On the first day we served, the building manager gathered our volunteers together and said, "Okay, no talking about Jesus, your faith, or church while you are here." We humbly agreed, but a funny thing happened over time. The residents began saying, "You're different from the other groups that come here. You don't treat us like charity cases. That means a lot to us." Showing love and concern to a physically and spiritually broken community opens doors to share the gospel. Since that first day when we could not even mention Jesus, we have handed out Gideon Bibles and Scripture cards, posted Scripture in the dining rooms, and taken prayer requests. Later, another organization contacted us to help them cook and serve food on Saturdays to 75 people with AIDS. Excited by the prospect of expanding our outreach, we sat down to meet with their staff. "Hi, I'm Debbie. I'm a Jewish Lesbian," the conversation began. "Hi, my name is Ron. I'm an Evangelical Christian." Oh boy, here we go! "Why would an Evangelical Christian have any interest in the gay community?" "We're just doing what Christ would be doing if he was living here in The Village." "What is your church's stance on homosexuality?" OK, Holy Spirit, give me a quick answer. "We believe in the inerrant Word of God," I replied. A bit hesitant, she decided we could partner with them. The first weekend we helped serve dinner, Debbie approached me and said, "Wow, I've noticed a big difference in your volunteers—you actually care about people. Our clients want you back." Our prayer meetings have become a safe haven for Christians dealing with the disease. One visitor commented, "This is like a little slice of heaven. There's white, African-American, Asian, American Indian, rich, poor, Wall-Streeters, and the unemployed all seeking God in their brokenness." And then there are the life stories of these awesome people. Riley takes the subway in from Brooklyn for prayer meeting. A quiet gentleman with a heart for the Lord, his body is so frail I'm amazed he's able to make the trip. In a soft voice he told us about 36 years of living a triple life. He taught Sunday school and played the organ for morning worship, and then he would leave to rob the houses of his fellow parishioners, returning in time for the closing hymn. After church he was off to the West Village gay leather scene. Today he lives as a Christian with AIDS but considers it a blessing, "I would never be this close to the Lord if I was healthy." Earlier this year, John, a friend from church, expressed an interest in participating in AIDS WALK NY. I wasn't interested, partly because the proceeds would go to a gay-based organization. After much prayer, I realized that though theologically we had nothing in common with the organizers, this group helps people with AIDS come to our prayer meetings, provides meals to our Christian brothers and sisters affected by the disease, and is the best resource for current information. It became obvious that here's another opportunity for Christians to bring Christ into a high-profile, secular event. Not knowing what to expect, a dozen people from church gathered early outside Central Park for a time of prayer. There were thousands of people, a wonderful cross-section of New York. It seemed every group was represented, except for Christians. We were there, with a big THE VILLAGE CHURCH banner, for a reason. During the walk people along the route with megaphones shouted out the names of each group passing by. "And let's hear it for The Village Church!" was repeated throughout Central Park and the Upper East Side. God's numbers were small, but we were noticed. Ron Koustas is director of the Isaiah 58 Project at The Village Church in New York City. To find out more about the ministry of "i58"email Ron. |