Rain or Shine, Worship Wagon Rolls in Church to the Homeless

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Songs of praise fill the air under a bridge near downtown Kansas City in an effort to reach the city's most unreached people."Worship Wagon" serves the city's poor and homeless. Those who attend the church on wheels participate in a weekly, non-denominational service each Monday night and are encouraged to come just as they are.  Continue reading...

The video report below is from the CBN feature reporting on our sister organization, Worship Wagon![embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHDOFQ6aZKU[/embed]

The Ripple Effect...

In the craziness of life, we need to remember the good things that have taken place.  It's so easy to forget and become preoccupied with life's daily struggles.  Below you will find a wonderful Freedom Fire story of how God changes lives.Andre grew up in one of the roughest neighborhoods in Kansas City.  During his early years, he ended up getting involved with Freedom Fire Ministries. Andre would attend the Friday night outreaches, mentoring, and went to numerous camps. His connection with Freedom Fire brought stability and a source of love that he desperately needed. Later, as he became a teenager, he drifted away. The world of drugs presented a relentless pull and Andre became a very successful drug dealer.  His gift for leadership was evident even in these illegal activities. It wasn’t easy though, for there were turf wars and shootings. His brother was shot during this time. At the height of his drug dealing business, he started meeting with Freedom Fire staff again. The relationship was rekindled, and he was inspired to make some big, life-changing decisions. Andre decided to live a life of faith and leave the world of crime behind. Andre is now taking college accredited classes through Freedom Fire and is on staff with the ministry.One day both Andre and his cousin were riding together to church.  Stopping at a red light, they invited a homeless man who was flying a sign (another way of saying panhandling) to come to church.  Gary was more than happy to get in the car and go with Andre. Just minutes prior to Andre stopping, Gary had prayed to the Lord saying, “Lord, I am so down and depressed.  If you don’t show me a sign that you still love me, I’m going to end it all.”  Moments later, the guys showed up. At church, Gary instantly found that he was part of the family, and thoroughly enjoyed the hot meal that was served afterwards.  From that time on, Gary considered himself an official member of the church.Gary’s faith was stirred and his gift for evangelism emerged amongst the other homeless folks in the downtown area.  He helped many over the years. During that time, he still would fly a sign, which he considered to be his job. One particular day while working, he looked down the road and saw a young man straddling the bridge over the highway.  Instantly recognizing that this guy was planning to commit suicide, Gary began a dialogue that eventually led the man off the bridge, to a hot meal, and spending the night with Gary at his camp by the Missouri River.  The next day Gary brought the young man, named Josh, to Freedom Covenant.  They sat on the back row, and Josh listened intently to the message.  At the end of the sermon, the pastor, without knowing any of the story, felt compelled to call this young man forward for prayer.  With tears in his eyes, Josh came forward and prayed for Christ to take control of his life.  Josh later joined the men’s group at Freedom Fire and found great encouragement and counsel there. He grew in his faith and later was reunited with his family.There are several lessons to be learned from this story.  First, we should never underestimate the power of the Gospel.  Paul states it well in Romans 1:16 when he says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”  Second, when we do share the Gospel, it can have a profound ripple effect.  Our homegrown leaders such as Andre and Gary are certainly examples of this.God Bless,Bruce McGregorP.S. If you would like to support the ministry, you can make a contribution on our website (freedomfire.org) using PayPal.  You may also mail checks to Freedom Fire, PO Box 270061, KC MO 64127.  Please make checks payable to Freedom Fire.   To find out about volunteer opportunities please contact us via the website.

Reward trip to Shalom

This was a trip from last year that we took, celebrating the successful completion of summer school work![youtube]http://youtu.be/vBWj4dhudDc[/youtube]

William's Story

Some kids are loners and some kids are abused, William was both.  By all worldly accounts he should be a bitter, angry person.  Growing up he was beaten by both of his parents.  William’s father was a Golden Gloves boxer and was disappointed in his son.  He didn’t feel his son was tough enough so he beat him, thinking this would make him a man.  Eventually, his parents abandoned him to make it on his own in the cruel streets of urban Kansas City.Others in the neighborhood would beat William too.  He became known as the whipping child.  Kids in this economically depressed neighborhood looked down on William because his family was so poor.  He was the poorest of the poor, often times going without food.  Just to survive, William would look for odd jobs mowing yards to get a little bit of money for a meal.  Often he would be jumped and have his money taken before he could make it to the store.  Some kids have bad days, others have horrible days.  William’s days were often in the latter category.Years passed and William wandered into a church hoping to find a place to rest.  It was there he heard the Gospel.  He discovered that he had a loving Father in Heaven who cared for him and wanted to comfort him in his pain.  William gave his life to God as a young man.  It was through his faith, fellowship, and following Biblical teachings that he experienced the grace and mercy needed for inner healing.  The anger, bitterness and hurt dissipated as the Holy Spirit operated within William’s life.  In these early years, William learned to pray to God by saying, “your word, your will, and your way.”  This prayer has been lived out in his life as a servant of Christ.One summer, he served a wonderful inner city camp called “The Sky’s the Limit.”  It was during this time that William was introduced to Freedom Fire.  There were over 100 Freedom Fire kids at the camp.  He quickly became friends with the Freedom Fire staff.  At the end of that summer, William began working part time for the ministry.That was ten years ago.  He has since become a highly valued member of the team.  All who meet William are endeared to him.  One of the major reasons why people love him so much has been due to his overwhelming compassion and generosity.  The staff of Freedom Fire has been inspired by his generosity.  He regularly gives out of his poverty, to his own neglect, so that he can help others.Once his mother (who has since become a follower of Jesus) called William, panicked because her electricity was about to be turned off.  William, without hesitation, gave his last bit of money to pay his mother’s bill.  Consequently, he did not have enough to pay his own bill.  William lived over a month without electricity in his apartment so that his mother would be OK.Knowing that William gives extravagantly out of his limited means, we have given him bonuses for his work.  Routinely, he gives that money away to others whom he feels need it more or need encouragement.Although William has become known as a generous person with his money, he has been even more generous with his time and affection.  Currently, he has taken in a young man who had no home and was going hungry most of the time – much like William once did.  He provides a room and food, but most importantly he has given spiritual encouragement and direction to this young person.On numerous occasions he has dropped everything to go rescue a staff member with car problems or give a mother and her children a ride to the grocery store.  He has always been willing to serve in anyway.  William truly models Christ’s heart for service as mentioned in Philippians chapter two. 

Drug Deals in Church?

Drug deals go down all the time in the city – sometimes even in church.  One Sunday at Freedom Covenant Church, I was preaching when my wife witnessed a drug deal go down in the back of the church.  Preaching for pastors can be a humbling experience as it is, let alone when nefarious business transactions are taking place during your three key points to holiness.Freedom Covenant has a unique congregation.  We have a number of families from federal housing, a large contingency of homeless people, and a growing number from the suburbs.  We meet in a warehouse located in the heart of the inner city just east of downtown Kansas City.Three weeks after the drug deal went down, an invitation for prayer was given at the end of Sunday service.  The drug dealer came forward and prayed with me to receive Christ as his Lord and Savior.  As we were praying, I noticed that tears were hitting the concrete floor.  Since that time the former dealer has sat in service worshiping with a new perspective on life.

With My Last Breath

The gate of the prison swung open and David walked out under a cold, gray sky.  Ironically, David was released to freedom, but he was still bound up on the inside.  The weather reflected the condition of his heart.  He was angry and bitter at God to the point he had openly mocked Him.He was walking the streets of downtown Kansas City when it started to rain.  In an effort to take shelter from the cold damp weather, David crawled into a dumpster.  As he lay in garbage and rank odor, he fell asleep.  In the darkness, he was awakened by a strange shaking.  A garbage truck had lifted up the dumpster.  David was dumped into the back of the truck.  He immediately began to bang on the side of the truck, but the driver could not hear him.  The compactor was closing in on him.  He frantically tried to crawl out, but his legs were caught behind him.  The compactor’s relentless force crushed his ankles, leaving David all the more helpless.  His ribs were being pressed into his lungs.  With what he thought was his last breath, he called out to God for mercy.  Suddenly, the compactor stopped.  When the truck came to a red light, David managed to pull himself out and fell to the street.  He was taken to a hospital.Recovering in the hospital, David told everyone God had saved him from certain death.  Out of gratitude, he promised God he would give up his drugs and drinking.  Since that time, he has stayed clean; however, David never gave himself completely to the Lord.His recovery was amazing, especially since he did not have any lingering problems associated with his injuries.  One year later, he was wandering the streets of downtown once again.   This particular day, David’s ankles had swelled up and there was a dull aching pain.  In his discomfort, he remembered how God had delivered him the year before. He had heard about a new church called Freedom Covenant and decided to go.  During the service, he felt his heart was strangely warmed.  With the help of a pastor, he surrendered his life to the Lord.  That same day the swelling and pain left his body.  David walked out the open doors of the church that day with an open heart as well.