Burlington Street Ministries

Summer Ministry to Begin

2009-05-05T09:39:00.000-07:00

I love "divine encounters". This past Friday, I was checking out an alley
downtown that I was going to do a photo shoot in over the weekend, I needed to see how the lighting was at 3:30 in the afternoon.

Halfway down the alley, an obviously homeless man was just sitting down with all of his stuff. I was just going to walk on by, but felt compelled to at least say something to him, introduce myself, see if he needed anything. As I approached him, he said in an angry sarcastic voice, "are you here to tell me about Jesus"? I said to him, do you want me to tell you about Jesus? He said "hell no, I just want to be left alone". So I said to him, OK, but, if you ever do want to hear about Jesus, you can find me out on the street" and I turned to walk away. I took about a half dozen
steps, when he called out to me, and said" hey man, thanks for caring!"

I respected his wanting to be left alone, but I am praying that I will be able to talk to him again. This was just an encounter, a moment, possibly a seed planted, a future ministry opportunity this summer as we are out ministering on the street.

We begin our summer outreach on Friday Night May 29th at 4 PM. We will have our ministry table set up from 4 PM - 8 PM. We would like to make this a prayer event, and would like to invite anyone who could come and spend at least an hour praying on site, downtown, walking the street and the alleys here in Burlington, asking God to bless our efforts on the street, to send real revival to the people like this man in the alley who call the streets home.

Would you pray with us on May 29th? Come down and join our opening day of ministry to our streets.

2009 Outreach Strategy

2009-01-31T08:29:00.000-08:00

This year marks 35 years for street ministry to Downtown, Burlington. We have seen ups and downs, times when we have had plenty of help and times when we were down to just a few folks.

Well this is one of those times. Right now, Burlington Street Ministries consist of
three of us, myself, Jim Fenimore, and Don Lyons. I am the youngest of the three of us at 56.

I have felt an urgency from God, that this year could be the turning point for ministry on our streets. We would like to wage a major evangelistic outreach this year,calling it "operation Friday Night".

I am looking for some good committed people who have a burden to share Christ on the
street. I need folks who can commit to every Friday Night from May 29 - September 25. I need people who can meet people, build a relationship with folks, and can share their faith with those on the street. I can offer some training, but need committed workers.

Burlington Street Ministries also needs some monthly support. Our support base has
dropped so much, We need at least 20 new monthly supporters of at least $25 a month. I am not a fundraiser, I absolutely hate asking for money, and in this economy, everyone is hurting. But we do need funding to operate, and it does hinder us quite a bit without support. So if you are on my mailing list, and have not been a monthly supporter, please prayerfully consider even $25 a month. If we don't have to worry about finances, then we can concentrate on our ministry.

Finally, we need prayer support. We need on site prayer support, a couple of people who can commit to coming down on the street on Friday Nights and prayer walk for at least 2 hours. We are also going to do a 24 hour prayer vigil for May 29 and 30 as this will be the official start of our summer Street Outreach.

Burlington Street Ministries is in survival mode right now. Can you dare to dream with us? Has God burdened your heart for this city? Please, if so, consider working with us this year. I am only asking for one night a week, Friday Night!

We are the only ministry that has had a continuous presence on Church Street for 35
years, during rain, sleet snow, cold weather, and hot and humid. "the harvest is
plentiful, but the workers are few"

Please think about us for 2009.

Your Missionary to the Streets,

Dave

Ministry Report from January to September 26, 2008

2008-09-27T12:25:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the Streets of Burlington,

We have ended our summer outreach on the street for this year, and will now move indoors until next May. Weather wise, it has been a difficult summer, we had to cancel our booth quite a few Friday Nights because of rain.

It was difficult also in that this was the first time in over 30 years, we had to turn people away, because we could not help them. The need for food, and other things just overwhelmed us, and we are very concerned about the winter.

But we did what we could, and since January until September 26th, we managed to do the following:

Served 726 Hot meals
Gave out 857 - $5 McDonald's gift cards to needy people
Gave out 316 - $5 Quizno Gift Cards to needy people
Gave out 1,474 bags of groceries to needy families
Gave out 1108 bibles
Had 10 professions of faith
Personally met with 283 people for counseling and further sharing about faith in Christ
We led 3 bible study groups with an average weekly attendance of 42

We would like to thank everyone who supported us this year, it was with your love and kindness that we can be on the street as much as we are. We covet your prayers as we prepare for our winter ministry, and especially as we approach the Holiday Season, which is the hardest time of the year for the folks we minister to.

Your Missionary to the Streets,

Dave

Ministry Report - March - June, 2008

2008-06-09T12:49:00.000-07:00

After a very slow winter, we have started our summer street outreach, and are out now until Mid October.

From March - June 9, we have:

Served 269 hot meals;
Served 320 lunches;
Given out 544 bags of groceries;
Given out 234 $5 McDonald's gift Certificates;
Given out 136 $10 Quizno Gift Certificates;
Given out 317 Bibles;
Had 130 personal meetings with people to share Christ with.

Our summer outreach has just begun, we are looking for a good year of ministry to our streets. We are seeing incredible needs, with gas prices at an all time high, and price of food and just about everything else rising, people are suffering.

We are turning away more people than we are helping, this is a first for us.

Right now, we are totally out of both McDonald's Gift Certificates and Quizno's Gift Cards, and our hunger fund budget is at Zero.

But we have a good supply of Bibles, and we will do our best to spend as much time as we can on the streets, sharing Christ with all who will listen.

I want to thank everyone for prayers concerning my wife's mother, she is still in the nursing home, but she will not survive very much longer. It was a very hard to pre-plan a funeral, but she has lived a very long life, just turning 97 on May 1.

So keep us in prayer as we cope with a death coming soon. Keep the Burlington Street Ministry Team in prayer as we try to minister to a tough mission field.

Your Missionary to the Streets,

Dave

Ministry Report for January - March, 2008

2008-03-15T10:16:00.000-07:00

This has been the slowest, non eventful winter we have ever seen! Our big question this winter is, where is every one?

The streets have been quite, not much to report, most Friday nights, it is just staff at our Bible Study, which has never happened before.

But the bulk of our ministry this winter has taken place at the Nothgate Housing Project, we have been ministering to quite a few people there over the winter, provided food, and other items to some very needy folks. We have a Tuesday Evening Bible Study, and Sunday Worship there in Northgate.

So far this year, From January - March 14th, we:

Gave out 515 Bags of Groceries
Gave out 315 $5 McDonald's Gift Cards
Gave out 121 $5 Quizno Gift Cards
Gave out 68 Bibles
Met with 41 people to share Christ with them, and to encourage them.

We begin our outdoor ministry to the streets on Friday, May 23rd, and would like to invite anyone who would be willing to come down that Friday Evening and spend two hours in prayer for the summer ministry on the streets.

We praise God that we have already raised all of the $5000 we need for this summer!!! This too is a miracle, as we are usually scrambling to raise money to buy bibles! Thanks to a generous gift by Community Bible Church is January, we were able to get most of what we needed!

Our only real need we will have is Quizno gift Certificates. We need Quite a few loaded with $10. Since McDonald's has moved out of downtown, the Quizno's has
taken it's place as the best place for us to give out certificates for food.

So if you could help us with these, this would be a very big help to us. We also still need McDonald's Gift Certificates, as we use these also.

A special thanks to Patricia Worley and her "Tiny Tots" Sunday School Class from
the Crestview Baptist Church in North Carolina, this class of little children has been sending us an average of $200 worth of McDonald's gift Certificates each month for well over a year, possible even two years. They have done so much for us, and blessed so many of the struggling hurting folks we minister to so much, and has allowed us to be able to touch some families we would not been able to if not for these certificates.

My health has improved, I have fully recovered from the heart issue I had in November, and back to full schedule, but am taking care of myself better than I had, and taking more time for rest and enjoyment.

We are looking forward to a great year of Ministry to the Streets!

Thank you all for your love and support.

Your Missionary to the Streets,

Dave

Winter Ministry and the Holiday Seasons

2007-11-06T09:15:00.000-08:00

We are now in winter mode, meeting each Friday Evening at the food court in the Town
Center Mall right Downtown. We had a great summer, but most of the folks we have
ministered to have left, so we are down to a few individuals who are brave enough to stay over the winter!

We are gearing up for a couple of major outreaches for the Thanksgiving and Christmas
season. We will help provide food for 34 families for Thanksgiving, and we will help 56 families for Christmas as well as our annual Christmas on the Street outreach for the homeless.

We will again be reaching out to needy families at the Northgate Apartments, a 336
apartment complex, the largest in Vermont, half of these are extremely low income and in great need, among them are 400 children.

Now for some of our needs:

McDonald's Downtown has closed down, so the homeless cannot use the McDonald's gift
Certificates unless they can get out to one of the others. However there is a Quizno's right downtown, and gift cards are available. We could use about 300 gift cards from Quizno's in $5.00 per card. These will be given to the homeless downtown.

We do still need McDonald's gift Certificates for our needy families, so we are still
giving these out and are very important to our ministry.

We do need Postage Stamps, books of 20 to be given out to the homeless. We do not need any batteries this year, someone has provided all we need for this year.

Our biggest need this year will be cash. We are desperately low, and do not have enough to get us by the winter, and we are very concerned about the needs of so many people this winter. We will need to raise about $4000 in the next two months.

We do not do fundraisers, none of us are skilled in that area, so we rely on those who believe in what we do. A one time gift to help us for the Thanksgiving and Christmas Season will be a blessing to many needy folk.

Pray for us as we come to the end of 2007, and end another year of ministry to the
streets. 2008 will mark 33 years of continuous ministry to the streets of Burlington.
Thank you all for your support over these many years.

We look forward to 2008.

In His Love,

Dave

Ministry Report for May - August, 2007

2007-08-20T08:11:00.000-07:00

We are having a great summer so far, with many opportunities to share Christ with those on the street. Every Friday, our team is downtown Burlington, meeting people, meeting felt needs and sharing Christ with all who will listen. Building relationships is our main tool for this task of evangelizing the streets.

What we have accomplished since May;

Given out 702 Bibles.

Given out 300 $5 books of McDonald's Gift Certificates to needy individuals.

Served 322 hot meals.

Provided 477 bags of groceries to needy families.

Had 149 personal meetings with interested individuals.

Had 5 people receive Christ, and baptized all 5 of them, after some time of study and preparation.

We will continue our outdoor ministry until mid October then we will move inside for winter.

We wish to thank all of you who financially supported us over the summer, it is with your help that we have been able to accomplish what we have. Right now, we are in need of about $500 to see us through until fall, and we can still use some McDonald's Gift Certificates.

After 32 years on the streets, I sometimes think I have seen it all, but every so often, God does something truly amazing that just touches your heart in an incredible way. Last Friday, a man in a wheel chair came up to our booth, and he could not talk, nor speak English having throat cancer, so he motioned to us for something to write on. We gave him a pad, and he asked for a Spanish Bible, which we just happened to have just one copy. When we gave it to him, the man held it to his heart and cried, and was so thankful for that bible. What are the chances of someone who spoke no English, looking for a Spanish Bible on the streets of Burlington, Vermont? If this was not a "divine appointment" I don't know what else it was.

Again, thank you all for your support and prayers, and if you can help us at all over this small hurdle, we would be most grateful.

Your missionary to the Streets,

Dave

Ministry Report, January 1 - May, 2007

2007-05-11T07:11:00.000-07:00

It has been a long winter, we actually seen fewer people over this past winter than we normally do, partly I think because of the weather.

Since January 1, We have:

Given out 790 Bags of Groceries to needy families

Given out 1,418 $5 McDonald's Gift Certificates to the homeless and needy families.

Given out 247 bibles,

Had personal meetings with 157 different individuals, and seen one man profess faith in Christ.

Conducted weekly bible studies downtown.

We begin our Summer outdoor Street Outreach on Friday, May 25th, with our Bible Booth and street teams.We are still short of our financial goal by $750, and we are still in need of 11 packs of Energizer AA Lithium batteries and are running short of McDonald's gift Certificates both we need to make contact with some new homeless individuals. If your fellowship or church group is looking for a short term project, this would be a good one.

Please pray for us as we begin our 33rd year of summer outreach to our streets. Since I began this work in 1974, I am amazed at what God has done during this time on our streets, and continue to look for the great things He will do this year.

Your Missionary to the Streets,

Dave

Spring is in the air!

2007-03-21T12:34:00.000-07:00

Spring is in the air, and for us that means we are looking to get out on the street again. Winter has been tough, not much happening since Christmas, but now that the weather is warming up, the streets are coming alive.

Our start date for our Summer Outreach is Friday, May 25th. One thing we are going to do is to make contact with some of the more elusive homeless, some of them are new, some have been around for a bit.

If anyone is looking for a small project for a youth group or Sunday School Class, we need to collect 25 packs of Energizer e Lithium AA batteries so we can put together a package to give to these homeless folks. There will be the batteries, McDonald's Gift Certificates, hygiene supplies and a pocket New Testament.

We want the Energizer e lithium batteries because they last 7 times longer than ordinary alkaline batteries. So if anyone can help us with these, this will help us greatly. We need to purchase Bibles, so if we do not have to buy the batteries also, that will be a big help. Also we need $1100 to help with bibles, permits, etc.

We would also like to do a few 24 hour prayer vigils this year, we use to do them, but the last few years, have not been able to get the number of people to cover the 24 hour time. I am hoping for a few groups to come up to help us this year, hopefully we will get some serious prayer cover.

We had a great outreach last Summer, looking for an even better one this year!

Christmas Outreach

2006-12-28T12:17:00.000-08:00

On Friday, December 22 we set out in the pouring rain to bring Christmas gifts to the homeless. Each package contained $20 of McDonald's gift Certificates, 6 brand new pairs of socks, a pack of AA Batteries, one book of 20 stamps, and a pocket New Testament. We gave out 65 of these to very grateful folks.

One group of homeless folks in a camp behind K-mart asked me to read the Christmas story to them from Luke, so I read them the story, and one man with a guitar began to sing Silent Night, and 9 homeless men, 2 woman and myself sang. I was able to witness to most of these folks of the incredible love that God has for us as He came down to dwell with men, to actually become human and live with us, and ultimately die to secure our salvation.

We also provided McDonald's gift Certificates, food, and money to the Northgate Residence Association so needs could be met to buy presents for poor children of the Northgate Community and provide for needy families here who lacked this Christmas.

I want to thank everyone who donated McDonald's gift certificates, batteries and cash to make our Christmas Outreach such a wonderful success this year.

It is always so incredible to me when I am on the street to always see some of the people so needy and so hurting, and also quite a bit of faith. We have become a source of fellowship for so many of the folks we know from the street. They have become like family to us.

Please pray with us this coming new year that we will be effective on the streets for Jesus in 2007. Pray for our finances, and pray for me as I am experiencing some health issues, one of which is affecting my ability to walk without pain.I am so blessed to have been able to minister for 33 years on our Streets. I look forward to 2007!

Ministry Report from July 1 - September 2, 2006

2006-09-06T14:07:00.000-07:00

Ministry report from July 1 - September 2, 2006

Hot meals to the Homeless - 419
Bags of lunch to homeless - 1,219
Bags of Groceries to needy families - 2,947
McDonald's gift Certificates to needy - 1,006
Bibles given out - 1,419
Professions of Faith - 9

We have had a great summer, probably one of the best we have had in a long time. Now we are preparing for our winter outreach and discipling ministry as we move indoors in just a few weeks.

We are still in need of McDonald's Gift Certificates and Postage Stamps. We thank all who have supported us so generously this summer.

Your Missionary to the Streets,

Dave

Ministry report covering April - June, 2006

2006-06-12T10:03:00.000-07:00

With it raining nearly everyday since May 5th, this has really hampered our ability to be out on the street as much as we would have liked, but still ministry took place. Sometimes in the pouring rain, sometimes using the local Downtown mall and other places like McDonalds.

We are looking forward to getting our Bible Booth out this coming Friday, and hopefully we can set up seveal Friday Evenings throughout the summer.

What we have acomplished this quarter, April - June:

Hot meals - 328
Lunch Bags - 934
Bags of Groceries to needy families - 2,953
McDonalds Gift Certificate Books - 429
Bibles given out - 654
People coming to Christ - 7

The summer has really just began, we are praying for a fruitful time of seed planting and harvest as we bring the message of Christ to the streets of our City.

Your Missionary to the Streets,

Dave

Ministry report from the Streets covering January 1 - March 8, 2006

2006-03-08T13:55:00.000-08:00

Bibles given out - 320
Hot meals served - 260
Lunch bags distributed to the homeless - 292
Bags of groceries to needy families - 2,066
McDonald's Gift Certificate $5 booklets given out - 672
Other items given out include batteries, postage stamps and clothing.
6 people going into alcohol/drug treatment with our help
2 people coming to faith in Christ.

I am meeting on a weekly basis with 5 individuals who have shown an interest in getting their lives together and are reading christian material, including the New Testament.

Every Friday Evening over the winter months, we meet at the food court in the Town Center Mall Downtown for a meal and bible discussion.

Friday, May 26th will be the opening day of our Summer Outreach outside, with our booth on Church Street. We are looking forward to a good year of bringing the Love of Christ to those on the street.

We at Burlington Street Ministries want to thank everyone who has supported us this year, it is only with your support that we can be that consistent presence downtown. We face a lot of challenges this year, drugs and related crimes are a growing problem, we pray that we can make a difference in the lives of these addicts.

Growing prostitution is also a concern of ours, especially when very young girls 14 - 16 are involved.We covet your prayers.

Your Missionary to the Streets,

Dave

Sad News from the Streets

2006-02-04T21:08:00.000-08:00

The news the past week was about the increasing armed robberies that is
happening in our region. In a channel 3 report, the police have said it is
because of drugs and the increase of heroin addiction here in Vermont.

There has never been so many armed robberies in Vermont ever in our history, but
things will get worse. Channel 3 interviewed one young man caught and he said
he had a $1000 a day habit. There are hundreds of addicts in Vermont, where are
they going to get the money to feed their addiction? Prostitution is a growing
trend among women addicts, some as young as 14.

What is the solution?

Jail, but no treatment available for addicts, and even if there was, what about
when they get out? There is virtually no treatment here in Vermont. We have
run into this problem for years. When we have someone who wants to get clean,
we have to send them out of state, which is very expensive, and we just do not
have the funding to do so.

Vermont needs to seriously address treatment issues here, or we have just seen
the tip of the ice burg on crime here in our city and state.
Our churches need to do more also, and here is where we as the Church can really
make a difference. Perhaps we need a meeting to see just what and how we can
help. If we really want to make a difference in our state, this is one issue we
cannot ignore, or give little attention too.

This is our biggest hindrance out on the street. We see over a hundred addicts
in our contacts during the year on the street, and most of these have little
resources available to them.

Our staff remembers well a man named Jimmy, a Viet Nam Vet, a heroin addict
since he came home wounded in 1966. Jimmy was a skilled woodworker and
carpenter, had a family, but lost everything to heroin, we took him in when no
one else would, and in the end, heroin killed him, but not before he prayed to
receive Christ as a result of our ministry to him.

I remember very well a man named Ron, who I tried to get into treatment, there
was nothing here that could help him with his heroin addiction, in the end, he
died on the street, they found his body with a needle still in his veins.
There are many stories, but these are so vivid in my mind, I knew these men,
they were my friends, and they were addicts.

So many we minister to are addicts, and we are concerned, and we see the numbers
of addicts grow daily, many of whom we do not even know, nor been able to make
contact.

Something needs to be done, our teams are out on the street, we do what we can.
The solution is not just jail, the solution is love, compassion, treatment, and
most of all, Christ!

Your Missionary to the Streets,
Dave

Christmas on the Streets

2005-12-19T11:19:00.000-08:00

9 days to Christmas! Walking down Church Street surely is a "Winter Wonderland". With the snow, the beautiful Christmas lights, the stores all decorated for the holidays, one can feel the "Christmas Spirit" in the air! It really is the most wonderful time of the year!

But for some, it can be heartbreaking, and a reminder of just how much they have lost. To the homeless, it is like looking through a window and seeing everyone enjoying themselves and happy, but they are outside and cannot get in. For the poor working families who have to decide each month weather to pay the electric bill or eat, they also have to explain to their children why Santa is not coming to their house this year.

Wednesday, I meet a man who wanted to know if I had any McDonalds Gift Certificates left, because Saturday the 17th was his and his wife's anniversary and he would like to take her out for a meal rather than go to the soup kitchen.

This really hit me because Saturday is my wife and my 28th wedding anniversary. I was thinking how blessed I am because we have reservations to a very nice restaurant, and will spend a bit of money on a nice meal, and we will have family coming over latter that evening to celebrate with us. And this man will be taking his wife to McDonalds, and he feels blessed to be able to do that!

Christmas is hard for those on the streets and for those who are "almost" there. But I am so thankful to God that we can be there for these folks to give them a bit of Cheer not only during Christmas, but all year long. Thank you all for your wonderful support of Burlington Street Ministries this year.

We are just about out of McDonalds gift Certificates, we are way down on donations this year, so please think about us the Christmas Season.

Ministry Report for August - October 2005

2005-11-04T08:19:00.000-08:00

Bags of lunch to the Homeless - 1,592

Bags of groceries to needy families - 3,678

McDonalds Gift Certificate Books - 343

Bibles given out - 569

Professions of faith - 12

Our needs list for Thanksgiving and Christmas:

McDonalds Gift Certificates

AA Batteries

Postage Stamps

These items are given out to the homless to help them through a long tough winter.

Homeless man murdered in our city

2005-10-13T13:27:00.000-07:00

Richard Abbott, a homeless man was murdered in a homeless camp. Richard was a hardened individual, a long time street drunk with a very mean and belligerent disposition.

I knew Abbott for over 20 years, and I have never seen him sober. We have had plenty of conversations over those 20 years, many opportunities to share Christ with him, but as far as I know, he never had turned to God. A tragic end to a tragic life. Unfortunately Burlington Street Ministries was unable to reach this man.

The ranks of the homeless increase every year, and even though there are plenty of empty beds available in the shelters, many choose to live outdoors in the many makeshift "camps" all over the city and surrounding towns. Some of them are so anti-social it is extremely difficult to reach them and even talk with them. Somehow we need to do more to reach them.

But we are 4 volunteers with limited time, resources and help to do all we need to do to be available to reach out to this growing population. But it is not just the homeless that are a growing problem.

The growing problems that are going to affect our City in a big way in the not do distant future, and is already beginning, is drugs, prostitution, gangs, and the growing discontent and anger we see not only on the street but in the poor neighborhoods of the Old North End.

Pastor Doug Hoffman sent out a newsletter not too long ago highlighting some violent incidents recently and he also sees the growing anger, sort of like a ticking time bomb ready to explode.

I don't really know where I am going with this letter, but I am saddened not only by Abbott's violent death, but of the growing "big city" problems in our City.

I love Burlington. I was born here, would never want to live any place else. It saddens me to see all of this going on in our City.

Please pray for us as we minister in this city. Please pray for workers for both us and Kid's Alive, pray for finances so we can continue to be a presence in a troubled City. Pray for me, discouragement is a constant battle when you minister to a population that is deeply damaged, troubled and hard to work with, the good results are few and far between. But we must continue on, we must continue to share Christ with those on the fringes, those as William Booth once said are "on the edge of hell".

I deeply appreciate all of you who has supported us, worked with us and read the e-mails I send out. I crave your prayers.

Your Missionary to the Streets,

Dave

End of Summer

2005-09-15T18:23:00.000-07:00

We had a great summer, just a few more Friday Nights with the bible booth out and we move indoors for the winter for our winter ministry of discipleship.

We had three groups from North Carolina working with us this year, and all three did an excellent job of sharing Christ with those on the streets, and made many valuable contacts for us.

As the weather begins to turn colder, it makes life more difficult for those on the streets. Every year, we give out McDonald's gift certificates to the homeless and other very needy folks, as well as AA Batteries and postage stamps. These items can be such a blessing to those who have so very little, and for the homeless, a $5 McDonald's gift certificate book allows them to get out of the cold, have a meal or some coffee, helps them to break up their day. For the working needy, it helps them save a few dollars and provides a meal.

So we are asking again this year, for Churches and individuals to collect these items for us, and get them to us so we can begin to give them out during the Christmas season, and all winter to folks who are in great need here in our city.

We also need to raise $2,200.00 to get us by for the winter. We have also exhausted our bible supply as well, and will need to get some more. We will do no fundraisers, we will simply make our needs known, and trust that God will meet it as He always has.

With all the focus on Katrina, and rightly so, sometimes needs in our own area get neglected, and right now, there are many in our city who are in need.

We are looking for great things from God this winter, we rejoice in what God did this summer on the streets.

Your Missionary to the Streets,
Dave

August 15

2005-08-15T08:15:00.000-07:00

This past week, a group from the Midway Baptist Church, Wingate, NC. were up all week. they were a great group, making a lot of contacts and sharing Christ with many folks. The most important thing they did was to plant a lot of seeds, showing people on the street the Love of Christ!

A few of the Midway Baptist Church Mission Team manning the booth.

For us, it is a blessing when we have a mission team helping us out for a week, it helps the folks on the street to see and hear from other christians that God Loves them, and the more they hear, and the more they can interact with other believers, the more powerful the witness of the Gospel.

We planted a lot of seed this summer, and in two weeks, we have another North Carolina Mission Team coming for a week. We will believe God for great things! We believe if you plant seeds, there will be a harvest! We believe that the Word of God does not return void, but will accomplish what God has intended!

Half Year Ministry Report

2005-07-27T08:33:00.000-07:00

Greetings in the Name of Jesus!

We have had a great half of year ministering to our streets. Below is a report of all we have done this past year. We could not have done this without your support! For 10 years, Burlington Street Ministries have been a consistent presence on Church Street and City Hall Park, bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those who call the streets home.

Thank you to every one who has supported us for these ten years. We are very excited to be in the Lord’s Service to our streets.

For period covering January - June, 2005:

Hot meals served - 573

Lunches served in City hall Park - 656

Bags of groceries to needy families - 8,496

Bibles given out on the street - 1596

McDonalds Gift Certificates to homeless and other needy - 9,216

Professions of faith - 22

Baptisms - 7

People in treatment for alcohol/drugs - 7

We look forward to the next half of 2005, anticipating a great ministry to our streets.

Your Missionary to the Streets,

Rev. David Russell,
Director

News from the Streets!

2005-06-11T12:59:00.000-07:00

We just finished up a week of outreach with a mission team from Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, Mooresboro, North Carolina.

They came 11 strong, and spent the week making contacts with people who were hanging out on the street. Evidence of God using them in a very powerful way was seen on several levels. One of the highlights was that they were able to make contact with a few of the youth that are not only homeless, but have been very aloof, and one such young man has been homeless here in Burlington for two years, and we have never even seen him. Not only did they manage to meet and talk with this kid, but he actually came to our Friday Evening meal and Bible discussion! They were able to introduce us to him, and we hope for furthur opportunities to minister to this young man will be open to us.

They also helped out in our feeding program in City Hall Park, bringing sandwiches and cold soda to the homeless that hang out in the park.

The Mount Pleasant Baptist Church Mission Team is one of four we will have working with us this summer. Please be in prayer for us as we have a full summer of outreach to our streets. It is very exciting to see God work in a might way on our streets.

Your Missionary to the Streets,

Dave

June, 2005

2005-05-30T07:14:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the Streets!

Our first day of our summer outreach was rained out. We did manage to set up for two hours before the rains came. We did manage to give out a few bibles.

The week of June 5-11, we will have a mission team from North Carolina up with us all week. They have been preparing for quite some time for this trip, so pray for them as they minister with us that week. The Jazz Festival will be in full swing, so there will be more people than usual out on the street.

I just updated our web site, added a new photo gallery. Check out the new pictures of Church Street and some of the street scenes that is our mission field.

Pray for us as we begin our summer ministry, pray for souls most of all!

Your Missionary to the Streets,

Dave

Our tenth anniverary!

2005-04-05T15:03:00.000-07:00

This month, April, Burlington Street Ministries is 10 years old.

Burlington Street Ministries officially launched in 1995 after speaking at Maranatha Church about what was happening on our streets, and 5 volunteers joined me that day. We are 10 years old, with a name, but I personally sometimes with one or two people have been ministering on the streets downtown Burlington for 31 years!

After that Sunday in April of 1995, speaking at Maranatha Church and launching Burlington Street Ministries, we were engaged for 3 years with a battle over the streets by a large number of Satanist that use to hang out on Church Street. They ruled the streets until we set up every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday Nights. They got very angry with us, tried to burn down our table one night, countered all of our tracts, we remember well the tract they passed out for weeks titled "Satan's simple plan to go to Hell".

The March for Jesus, and the large amount of volunteers we had for the first 4-5 years, gained us victory, we chased the Satanist off the street, seen an incredible openness for a few years we have not seen in a very long time.Now, things have changed, we have very few volunteers, and our financial support has dropped to almost nothing. Churches who once had us in their budgets, now hardly know we even exist. I want to turn this around.

Our streets are troubled more than they were 10 years ago. The Satanist may be gone, but the drug dealers have moved in, the gangs have moved in and Christians are mostly gone now, rarely anyone outside our 5 volunteers ever come down any more.We are in danger of loosing the battle down here, but we pray, that we can turn this trend around.

We have 4 mission groups coming up from North Carolina Churches this year to help, and we are hoping for some local help also. We are getting back to spending more than just Friday nights out on the street.We are seeing encouraging signs, people coming to Christ, an openness that is beginning to happen. We are excited about the possibilities this year.

10 years is a milestone! 10 years of a consistent Gospel presence out on the streets! Help us celebrate what God has done for 10 years, also 31 years!

Pray for us as we prepare for our summer outreach open night on Friday, May 27th.
Pray for the 4 groups coming up from North Carolina this year.
Pray for our financial needs. We desperately need more monthly support! We need $1100.00 to do our summer outreach, for permits, bibles, insurance, and other materials.
Pray for me, as I deal with some ongoing health issues, as well as my wife Donna, as she is mostly home bound now and it is difficult not having her active in Ministry with me.
Most of all, pray for souls! For that is what we are all about!

Your Missionary to the Streets,

Dave

Post Christmas Ministry

2005-01-12T07:16:00.000-08:00

Greetings,

We are recovering from a very busy Christmas. We were able to provide 1,233 bags of groceries to needy families the week between Christmas and New Years, as well as feed 45 people a complete turkey dinner on December 29. Prior to Christmas we were able to provide over 700 books of McDonalds gift certificates to homeless, and some other very needy people.

We have had some amazing discussions with several folks regarding salvation and the finished work of Christ! For the first time in quite a few years, I had several one on one meetings with a lot of people to discuss the possibility of a relationship with Christ. Just this past week, I had the privelige of seeing 2 people come to Christ.

We gave out a record, 760 Bibles over December, most of them asked for.

Now we are in a quiet season, still continuing our Friday Night Bible discussions at the food court in the Town Center Mall downtown. Now our thoughts are to spring, when we can once again go outside and do what we do best.

We are still in need of McDonalds gift Certificates and AA Batteries.

I want to thank everyone who has supported us this year, with your help, we had a very good year, we believe we made a real difference in the lives of the people who call the streets home.

Pray for us the next 3 and a half months as we seek God for our summer Outreach for 2005. We are expecting some teams coming up from North Carolina to help us this year, and we are looking to see God do great things in 2005. Pray that God will meet all of our financial needs for our summer outreach. Pray that God will supply workers to go into His harvest!

Your Missionary to the Streets!

Dave

Christmas 2004

2004-12-10T21:21:00.000-08:00

Greetings,

So far this has been a hard Christmas season for my wife and I. Donna's mom, who is 93, became very sick a week ago, and not only fell, but could not walk, or move without help. She has been living on her own, and now, she cannot be alone. So we have been spending 2 overnights plus there every day, so she will not be alone.

This has put a damper on our Christmas. Just the other day, I was thinking that Christmas is happening all around me, the lights, shopping, caroling, etc, but because of us having to care for her mom, it seems like it is out of reach for me right now.

This is how the homeless and the very poor feel. They walk the decorated streets, hear the Christmas music, the Santa's, the toys, everything about the season, but just about everything is beyond them.

It is like they are peering into a window, and the people inside are having a lot of fun, and celebrating, but they are outside looking in, out of reach. I overheard a mother explaining to her 7 year old daughter that they cannot have a Christmas tree this year. Not only can they not afford one, they do not have a home to put one in since they are living out of their car.

The homeless we deal with get very depressed this time of the year. For many of them, they have family somewhere, but because of their homelessness, their addictions, their problems, they have lost touch. This time of the year, they think of so much they have lost.

We try to give them some hope and joy. We share with them that Jesus came into this world with nothing, not even a home to lay his head, that He understands them more than anyone else. We try to meet some physical needs, give them some good food, try to get them something that will cheer them up. McDonalds gift Certificates are nice, and we do need more, but I wonder how many of us would be happy to have Christmas dinner at McDonalds.

Tonight at our Bible discussion for the streets, we shared the scripture in Matthew 1:18 - 25. We talked about the unbelievable situation that Mary was in, her being a young girl, having to explain her pregnancy to her family, friends, and culture, and the scandal, controversy, and mystery surrounding the Birth of Jesus.We are so grateful that God allows us to minister on the streets, that we can be there for folks who have no place else to go. That we can share the "Jesus Story" to a group of people who can really identify with Jesus better than most of us.

Please pray for Elizabeth, Jason, Robert, Eddie, Henry, Sarka, Bev, Sandra, Billy, John S and John V, Morris and Doris. Pray that God will give them some comfort, and Joy this Christmas Season, that the story of Jesus' Birth will inspire them and give them strenth.Please consider a gift to us this Christmas, so we can help those who call the streets home.

Your Missionary to the Streets,

Dave