A little bit of Everything

I am halfway through my third month of working at The Freeway as an Intern and it has been anything but predictable. Here are some of things I have been up to.

Barristing at the Coffee House -

This is something I lamented having to do and I figured I would just put my time in and have fun with the other aspects of the job. But it only took a few shifts for me to realize that Barristing may be the most important part of my learning. You see every shift I have worked has allowed me to connect to people who are changing who I am. For example, yesterday I was spending time with one my friends, a 50 year old man who has spent most of his life in hostels and hospitals, he has an obvious mental illness, but he also has great depth. He came in one day begging for money instead of money I gave him an ear to hear and an opportunity to share his story. He talked about his relationship with Jesus, a relationship which is so vivid and real that it makes my faith look pretty weak. He talked about his family or lack there of. After just a short time he felt comfortable sharing with me his struggles and his addictions. I certainly didn't solve any of his problems, but I did make a new friend. My new friend taught me that true love and friendship goes far beyond how's your day and have you had enough food to eat. My friend shared from his heart some pretty difficult things and I have a responsibility now to respond in love.

Shadowing Pernell -

One of the coolest parts of my internship is that I get to learn from Pernell Goodyear who has quickly become a great friend. I have appreciated Pernell's willingness to share all aspects of church leadership and ministry. I have found in Pernell a leader who not only talks a good game, but he actually lives it out. I am finding that this is truly a unique combination as many missional voices either talk about it or do it, very rarely to find someone who is able to do both.

Planning for my Plant -

Over the last few months I have been sharing my vision with others in hopes of getting some quality leaders on board. I am still in this process and although our group is very small right now I am starting to see doors open and potential leaders coming along. I have also been involved in working through demographics research and piecing together program proposals. This has been fun, and I am eagerly awaiting the unknown and praying that God will continue to refine this vision. If you are interested in learning more about the vision or getting involved drop me an email at jason@frwy.ca.

Financial Appeal -

Many of you who read this blog will be getting an email in the next week or so asking for your financial support. Please prayerfully consider giving to this project. You can do it two ways.

· You can send us a cheque made payable to “The Salvation Army” or “The Freeway.” Please send it c/o Jason Dockeray, The Freeway, 333 King Street East, Hamilton, ON, L8N 1C1. Please write “church plant” on the memo line. A tax receipt will be sent through the mail shortly after we receive your gift.

· You can contribute securely online by visiting: “www.frwy.ca/church” and clicking on the “donate” button on the top right. This will take you to a separate form and you can enter your credit card information, etc. A tax receipt will be issued via e-mail.