Using what we have to bless strangers
The folk at Paringa Holy Cross (in the South Australia Riverland) have a pretty good facility. When Pastor Stephen Trautwein noticed the hundreds of itinerant Pacific Islander workers coming into the area, he reached out to offer them a place to meet and worship.
These men from places like Samoa and Tonga are housed in basic (crowded) accommodation and are missing home (where 90% of people go to church every week).
The Paringa congregation now regularly open their hall (free of charge) whenever there is a need. They plan to build an outdoor kitchen on the premises so the men can come anytime and cook their traditional food. I can smell that aroma – the sweet aroma of the Lord being honoured.
Here is a short video of these men singing together nearby in Loxton St Peters last year.
I think that the blessing is mutual.
Do you have a space that can be a blessing to the locals around you?
READ MORE STORIES ABOUT cross-cultural ministry, SA-NT
