House Blessing & Dedication

Last night was an incredible experience!

We had the opportunity to spend a few hours in prayer and fellowship, focusing on blessing and dedicating the house for the ministry we have been called to. Rough estimates (thank you Marion and Lea!) are that approximately 60 people packed the living room and kitchen of 25 Saint Matthew's Avenue to join the service. While it was not the epitome of comfortable, the joy and excitement was enough to keep anyone from complaining too much.

In the hour or two that followed, we broke into groups and prayed over the many areas of the house. The basement, the sleeping areas, the living room, the kitchen... some even went with Marijke and braved the -25 degree temperatures to pray outside over the house and neighbourhood. The house was doused in prayer and blessing.

The outpouring of support and prayer was intense and incredible; God-granted and Spirit-lead, for sure. I am positive that not only was the house blessed, but many who attended left feeling enriched and touched. There was a feeling of camaraderie and community in the house and among the people, even with the many different people we had present. We had people from as close as within the City and people from Chatham and Clinton. We had children and those with a little more life experience ;). We had people from many different churches and denominations. It was a unity and fellowship that exemplifies our unity within Christ. It was amazing.

We closed the night well, spending the last hours before bed with a few remaining guests in fellowship and singing some songs. We are now planning and moving towards some new opportunities. We have many opportunities available and we are at the point of figuring out what to do first. Discussion right now is mostly revolving around our cookie gifts to the neighbours (getting to meet and greet the people of Saint Matthew's Avenue), discussing wrapping our gifts for the Angel Tree Program, and figuring out how to put together a clean-up day before the heavy snow comes our way. I'm sure you'll hear about them as they come to fruition :).

On behalf of the residents of 25 St Matt's, THANK YOU. Thank you for even taking interest in reading about our activities. Thank you for supporting us in this ministry. We may be the 'face' of this ministry, but you are definitely a huge part of us. We need the support of our brothers and sisters in Christ! Last night, for example, was the most encouraged we have felt about this ministry. Thank you!

With that said, it is time to sign off. We will be trying to keep this blog updated with stories and announcements as they come up. If you have any questions, give one of us a shout! Or feel free to drop by the house - someone is usually home.