<![CDATA[Wasted Evangelism - CPC in The Hill NewsLetter Updates]]>Wed, 24 Dec 2025 10:31:49 -0500Weebly<![CDATA[2025 Fall CPC in The Hill Newsletter Update]]>Wed, 19 Nov 2025 14:50:38 GMThttp://www.wastedevangelism.com/cpc-in-the-hill-newsletter-updates/2025-fall-cpc-in-the-hill-newsletter-updatePicture
Ministry to the addicts, the homeless, and those wandering the streets: Ministry in the Hill (or any Hill-like community) is messy, can be unstable and needing much patience—‘cuz everything takes lots of time—and presents opportunities for demonstrating Jesus’ love. Our sidewalk, and as well, the summer Park ministries do something specifically for those struggling with drug addiction and mental health: it gives them space to rest, hear something good (the Good News) and that Jesus loves them; and, that there are people, a church, that sees them. Research on addiction shows that such space allows new and healthier processes in their brains—the one thing they need to have to change their wiring so they may have a chance of freedom from addiction. And we get to see that happen because your support enables us to do open air preaching, along with, albeit, a short, church service, and a demonstration of Christ’s love with being served a hot breakfast—or at our weekly summer meal. Thank you!
Full 2025 Fall CPC in The Hill Newsletter.pdf
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]]><![CDATA[2025 Winter-Spring CPC in The Hill Newsletter & Update]]>Sat, 17 May 2025 10:55:01 GMThttp://www.wastedevangelism.com/cpc-in-the-hill-newsletter-updates/2025-winter-spring-cpc-in-the-hill-newsletter-update
“If you want to reach the ones nobody is reaching, you need to go where nobody is going, and do what nobody is doing.” ~The motto for New Breed Church Planting

​“Does it not stir up our hearts, to go forth and help them, does it not make us long to leave our luxury, our exceeding abundant light, and go to them that sit in darkness?” ~Amy Carmichael, from her journal
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I typically don’t like pictures of people praying, but I do wish I had one of these two Christian brothers and me praying together this morning at Coffee & Conversations. Donald, the gentleman seated in the walker, comes each week to this time and to the sidewalk breakfast & church on Saturdays for a moment of prayer. The previous week at the breakfast he started adding his own prayers (prayers for me actually). The other gentleman has been coming for a few years (and I believe he is also a brother in the Lord). At this Wednesday’s coffee time, when I was praying with Donald, I turned my prayer attention to two other men that were walking away with their coffees (with whom I had had a great conversation already) that God would deliver them from their addictions (which they had confessed to me). Now both these two men began praying out loud in agreement with me for those two other men. It was truly a big moment, a spiritual moment,  a church--where-two-or-three-are-gathered-together—moment . . . I was humbled to be the pastor, their pastor, in that moment. And, thanks to your support, I see many moments like these among hidden, forgotten, and ignored folks.
2025 Winter-Spring Newsletter Update.pdf
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]]><![CDATA[2024 Fall Hill Newsletter Update]]>Wed, 30 Oct 2024 00:53:57 GMThttp://www.wastedevangelism.com/cpc-in-the-hill-newsletter-updates/2024-fall-hill-newsletter-updatePicture
“Presence is everything, but consistency of presence is more than that.” ~Amy Williams, author of Worth Seeing

​“Some wish to live within the sound of church and chapel bell. I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell!” ~C.T. Studd, missionary to China, India, & Africa

Christ Presbyterian Church in The Hill is unique (and sometimes messy): we attempt to (1) be present in our community and among our neighbors, (2) be consistent in what we do (versus projects or one day outreaches, etc.), and (3) be responsive to a very unstable demographic and poverty-dense community best we can.

Summer months offer no rest as we ramp up our outreach and activities. We add to our year-round ministries of the Saturday Sidewalk Breakfast & Church, the Kids Read Out Loud, and the Wednesday Coffee & Conversations (and of course our Sunday Service) three more activities: the “In His Midst” Park BBQ, our annual Kids IMPACT Read Out Loud, and Friday Movie Nights. For much of the Summer this demands seven days of the week either preparing for the event or executing the event. Your support enables all this to happen and your prayers strengthen us and ensure God is in the midst of all we do.
2024 Fall Hill Newsletter Update
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fy25_2024_fall_cpc_in_the_hill_newsletter_update_a__sep_2024_.pdf⬅ Here is a PDF of the full Newsletter.
]]><![CDATA[2024 Winter-Spring Hill Newsletter Update]]>Fri, 03 May 2024 23:47:02 GMThttp://www.wastedevangelism.com/cpc-in-the-hill-newsletter-updates/may-03rd-2024Picture














“I have no idea what I’m supposed to do. I only know what I can do.” 
     ~Young Captain James T. Kirk, Star Trek, Into the Darkness, the movie

​“Go to the sound of the guns, go to the sound of need, and trust God to show you how to help.” 
      ~David Eubank, founder of “Free Burma Rangers”
Just like young Captain Kirk quoted above, I don’t always know what I am supposed to do, but I do know what I can do. And these outdoor ministries are what we can do. Your support and prayers enable and empower Lisa and me (and CPC in The Hill) to hear the sounds of the battle and run to the sound of need, trusting God to show us how we can help, and praying that God will be showing us how we (and you) can help.
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The work that we do must be a long term, consistent ministry. And because of your support and prayers, we are seeing God work in the lives of our most vulnerable Hill neighbors. You enable us to grow our church and see 35 to 40 folks each Saturday outside our apartment on the Sidewalk; 18 to 25 folks who stop by for some coffee and a conversation with the pastor each Wednesday; and on Saturdays, 10 to 12 children at Maxine’s for reading out loud and some prayer. The CPC in The Hill outdoor ministries are strategic, long-term commitments to reach Hill neighbors with the gospel . . . to increase the church . . . see lives change . . . that’s why we need your support . . .

*Click the file below for the full 2024 Winter-Spring Hill Newsletter Update . . . and lots of pictures!
2024 Winter-Spring full Hill Newsletter Update
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]]><![CDATA[2023 Summer-Fall CPC in The Hill Newsletter Update]]>Mon, 16 Oct 2023 23:47:38 GMThttp://www.wastedevangelism.com/cpc-in-the-hill-newsletter-updates/2023-summer-fall-cpc-in-the-hill-newsletter-update
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​Gandalf: “You will have a tale or two to tell of your own when you come back.”
Bilbo Baggins: “Can you promise I will come back?”
Gandalf: “No. And if you do, you will not be the same.” ~The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

“We need to ‘smudge’ ourselves with ‘the hard complexities of the world’” ~Dietrich Bonhoeffer
September 5, 2023 

Dear Partners and Co-workers in God’s field, 

In my Senior Year of Bible College, I was an intern at my home church. I had confessed to one of the pastors that it had been a very hard week. I will never forget what he said: “If church work was easy, everyone would do it.” 

As a pastor in the Hill, not one week goes by without some form of earthly or spiritual skirmish. (“We do not wrestle against blood and flesh,” Ephesians 6:12). My call as a pastor in the Hill is to be in the midst of their battles, messiness, and struggles—every day. On call at all times. Present among them in their own neighborhoods, on the streets and sidewalks, at their kitchen tables. This is what you enable in your kind financial partnership—a pastor and wife living among those often forgotten by the world, and sadly, often by the church. I have mentioned this before: most pastors in communities like the Hill do not live in the community. Your support makes it possible for us to live in their midst, as neighbors—a present pastor and wife. Trust me—they notice.

I used to work in the social action world, basically 9 to 5 and off on the weekends . . . I got to go home . . . here, I live . . . I am here 24/7 because it’s my home. Thank you for making this possible.

This season of ministry has been both exhilarating and exhausting.

Click here for Full Newsletter >>> 2023 Summer-Fall Newsletter Update

Or, download Newsletter from this file:
fy24_2023_fall_cpc_in_the_hill_newsletter_update_b__sep_2023_.pdf
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]]><![CDATA[2022 Fall CPC in The Hill Newsletter Update]]>Wed, 28 Sep 2022 11:57:45 GMThttp://www.wastedevangelism.com/cpc-in-the-hill-newsletter-updates/2022-fall-cpc-in-the-hill-newsletter-update
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​“. . . we have tried to tell you the truth—the uninteresting, unromantic truth . . . The work is not a pretty thing, to be looked at and admired.
​It is a fight. And battlefields are not beautiful.”
~Amy Carmichael, missionary to India~
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“Let us use the treasures God has given us in such a way
that when we come to that day we will have treasures laid up
in heaven and people eagerly waiting for us.”
~Francis Schaeffer~
September 13, 2022

My co-workers and partners in God’s field:

In a sermon last year at a supporting church, I preached on the Book of Acts, particularly the last scene where Paul is under house arrest awaiting trial (28:17-31). I pointed out that many read the Book of Acts and pray, “We want that! God, do it again!” Yet, that’s not necessarily the right takeaway. We can get enamored with almost every scene . . . but, using Amy Carmichael’s words, ministry isn’t pretty, not a thing to be looked at and admired. Luke didn’t hold back, didn’t paint a rosy picture. He presented a battlefield and a battlefield is not beautiful. The mission of the church is an impossible task. Ministry is messy, especially in a community like the Hill.

This past year has been a blessing to watch God at work . . .

For full Newsletter click here >>>> 

Or simply download from this file:
FY23 Fall CPC in The Hill Newsletter and Update
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]]><![CDATA[CPC in The Hill 2021 Fall Update--a review of summer ministries]]>Thu, 11 Nov 2021 11:53:30 GMThttp://www.wastedevangelism.com/cpc-in-the-hill-newsletter-updates/cpc-in-the-hill-2021-fall-update-a-review-of-summer-ministriesPictureThis is Marcus, the father who is quoted below and who passed away this summer. We miss him.
Over this year, from the COVID-19 lockdown ‘till the present, I have participated in three funerals from among our church family. One of these was for Marcus, a young single father of two teenagers, who had been a faithful servant at our sidewalk breakfast each Saturday. He was originally invited by his sister, who, herself, had become a regular part of our Saturday Sidewalk Breakfast team. Early on, Marcus and I sat on my apartment front stoop, while he shared his recent and messy life and why he was committing himself to the weekly sidewalk breakfast:
“When my life fell apart, I didn’t find too much grace at church. I do take responsibility for how I messed things up, but it was still hurtful that the grace I thought I’d find at church wasn’t there. Maybe grace would have helped me turn my life around. When I see who comes to this breakfast and the church service, I see grace—this Saturday Breakfast is exactly what these folks and I need . . . it’s like ‘Grace with boots on the ground.’ I want to be a part of that and maybe I can be a part of the grace that helps to turn some of these lives around.”
I will miss this man, a friend and a brother, a co-worker in God’s field--and I will never forget his words. Your financial support would greatly help make keep this weekly event of grace possible.

For the full Newsletter and pictures of this past Summer ministries, please check out the file below.
Fall 2021 CPC in The Hill Newsletter and Update
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]]><![CDATA[FY21 Spring Thank-You Newsletter (the One Thing we have learned)]]>Sun, 06 Jun 2021 10:21:53 GMThttp://www.wastedevangelism.com/cpc-in-the-hill-newsletter-updates/fy21-spring-thank-you-newsletter-the-one-thing-we-have-learnedPicture
“But the heartbeat of the kingdom of God is the local church. A specific address where a collection of disciples--sinners and misfits all--are trying to live into the ways of Jesus” ~Richard Beck

​We’ve have learned one thing that is vitally important to a ministry that seeks to reach people whose lives are unstable, subject to immediate changes and interruptions—sometimes violent interruptions, often daily and messy crises, and where self-sustaining resources are lacking . . . people whom we called back in my social action/community action days, vulnerable populations . . . that one thing we’ve learned: be consistent.

​Most recent NewLetter & Photos (Spring thank-you letter) >> Here
]]><![CDATA[2020 Fall-Winter Newsletter Update from the Hill]]>Wed, 30 Dec 2020 03:40:39 GMThttp://www.wastedevangelism.com/cpc-in-the-hill-newsletter-updates/winter-newsletter-update-from-the-hillPicture2020 COVID-19 Version of the Hill Christmas Store on Stevens Street
Our COVID-19 Version of the 2020 Hill Christmas Store––This year we could not facilitate our regular Hill Christmas Store because of COVID-19. But, we were determined to do something. Thanks to our anchor Church (CPC New Haven) and the Beacon Bikers, we were still able to provide twin events outside (at our Sidewalk Breakfast & Church Service and at Maxine’s Saturday Read Aloud) with pre-packaged Grab’n Go bags (worth $47 for $5), along with Christmas carolers at both sites . Some of our Store regulars appreciated that we hadn’t given up. New families and neighbors discovered something new CPC in The Hill does—no matter what! Your prayers and support helps keep these annual events going despite COVID-19

For Full Fall-Winter 2020 Newsletter Update from the Hill >> Click Here

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]]><![CDATA[First CPC in The Hill Newsletter of COVID-19 post-reopening and of FY21]]>Wed, 16 Sep 2020 11:41:48 GMThttp://www.wastedevangelism.com/cpc-in-the-hill-newsletter-updates/first-cpc-in-the-hill-newsletter-of-covid-19-post-reopening-and-of-fy21News from CPC in The Hill — Summer 2020 (recap) PictureWe met out back on the Patio for June & July
Adjusting Ministry & Church Services to the COVID-19 Crisis––A tsunami hit us when State after State began closing down, schools closed, gatherings banned, and Stay-at-Home policies established. No church gatherings. Wow! Every pastor and session (i.e., elders) scrambled to respond. I was able to keep in touch with CPC in the Hill families through the phone and dropping off basic household items and groceries, especially during the shut-down period. Live streaming became the goto for online services. We started with a Facebook Live service; in May, moved to the front steps of our worship site for an outdoor in-person and FB Live; in June we moved out back to the patio for an outdoor, more accommodating in-person gathering (still, FB Live); and, now, we have transitioned back inside for our in-person gathering at 158 Davenport Ave. Because of social distancing protocols, we can only accommodate up to 25. No one has had to do this before—a shutdown and then a transition back to gathering—yet we are slowly trying to get back to some form of normalcy.

For Full Fall 2020 Newsletter >> click here
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