Battling the Elements

Street fairs are usually scheduled for Spring and Summer in the hopes that the weather will be good for outdoor activity. The Chamber of Commerce assigned us a place in the Forest Hills Arts and Crafts Fair on Austin Street this past weekend. We were way down at the end of the fair's route next to the Jewish Center's booth and an Italian Sausage stand (which sent a wonderful aroma in our direction all day) in front of the Men's Wearhouse. If you've ever been to Austin Street, you know where that is.

Setting up around 8:30 in the morning for the 11:00 fair was a challenge because of the wind. The two people in the church who helped me in the morning, brought their own canopy, but we had no sandbags or bricks to keep it from blowing. If there was a list of things a church plant needs, sandbags would probably not be on it. Bricks? Maybe later, but not right now. It was all we could do to keep the canopy and our literature from taking flight. It seemed that we experienced a week's worth of weather in the course of one day.

Our presence there was good because it was the first time some people in the community had heard of us and we were able to hand out information about Ascension Church letting people know when and where we meet for worship, our plans for Vacation Bible School and other ministries we have. Despite the weather, the street fair was well attended. Late afternoon rain caused us to close up shop before the fair was actually open, but because the conditions were so strange, by the time we had everything packed up in the car, the sun was shining and the wind had ended. Go figure.

Last weekend also marked another annual event. Baseball's Evil Empire invaded Queens for a three game series against the Mets. With one run deciding each game, the Mets took two of the games (although their star closer blew a 4-0 lead in the 9th inning of game two, preventing a sweep... a meltdown which resulted in me yelling at my television set), sending the Bombers back to the Bronx to continue their second-rate season in the American League East. We must protect this house!

I know some of you are thinking I draw too much inspiration for church planting from baseball. To that, I reply: "I have but one objective... to see a winning team in Queens." I'll let you figure out what that means.