We were able to put the finishing touches on Bob's new office on our final day in Newark. Once our service project was completed we traveled to Flatbush, Brooklyn and met with Reverend Desmond Wedderburn who is senior pastor and founder of Calvary Crosses Church. He has planted a church in the housing projects of Flatbush with the mission of serving the poor and oppressed through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The amount of energy and passion flowing through Desmond was incredible. He has such a heart for the Lord and such a desire to make Jesus known in his community. As Desmond walked us through his neighborhood we had the opportunity to see what an impact he is making and how much his community loves him. He introduced us to several people he knew that just happened to be walking by us on the street. The love that he felt for those members of his neighborhood was so apparent. He shared with us the dark and violent history of Flatbush and said that God is really changing the community for the better. Desmond does not have a physical building for ministry but instead utilizes the local park as a place for outreach. He is known as the hip hop pastor who puts on community worship services. He serves about 60 children through these outreach events which are complete with a DJ (Desmond himself), pizza, open mike, and reading the word. Desmond was incredibly touched that our team traveled to meet him, shared a meal, and encouraged him in his ministry. He was very transparent with us and let us know that his urban ministry is extremely challenging at times and said he struggles with maintaining a consistent team of people to do outreach and ministry with him. He asked that we would be praying for his perseverance and that we would pray for God to send the right team of people to support him in this great ministry in Flatbush.
Although this outreach trip was designed for our team to support and encourage World Impact and their partnering ministries, we are so thankful that in the process we were encouraged and inspired in return. The urban community has such an opportunity for an abundant harvest. We are thankful for and encouraged by the missionaries who are planting seeds in this area and will continue to pray for them and their ministries.
A special thank you to Bob Engel and his family for hosting us and sharing your vision with us. We are so thankful and looking forward to sending more teams in the future.
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