Church Under the Bridge

Sorry for the delay.  Apparently the hard drive on my laptop died during the trip.  But that's not going to stop me from telling you about our final day in Waco.  We woke up and loaded our stuff to head to the Rock for our last breakfast, some instructions and to gift Mission Waco with some supplies that we were able to provide them.  At that point, we loaded on the vans and headed down to I-35 for one of the most unique church experiences you can imagine.

Set across the service road from Baylor on a wide median directly under the I-35 overpass, Church Under the Bridge is as simple as church can get.  A trailer acts as a stage and metal folding chairs are set out for the hundreds of people who call themselves Trolls.  Every type of person can be seen there.  There were old and young, homeless and well-off and every color of the rainbow.  We saw several faces from the past few days as well as some from previous years.  After we met and greeted, church started.  Pigeons flew around and traffic roared overhead, but church was happening in the most authentic way.  Worship was amazing as two guitars, a bass, a mandolin and even a washboard praised God.  As usual, Patrick led worship in his own special way.  We sang a few songs before we sat and listened to the guest speaker of the day, Emily Mills with the ministry JesusSaidLove.  It is an organization she and her husband started to love on and build relationships with those in the margins.  You can visit their site at http://www.jesussaidlove.com/ for more information on their ministry.  Service concluded with communion where this assorted group of every type of person you can imagine all remembered Jesus and his sacrifice.  It was a very moving and humbling experience.  Afterward, we talked the similarities between our church and what they had experienced that morning.  This was definitely the first time they had ever seen people smoking in church, among other unique things that happens there.  Here are a few pictures from the morning:

Wrapping up our trip with a final prayer.



Church Under the Bridge

Meeting and visiting with the members of this church.

Service about to begin.

Talented musicians leading us in worship.

Patrick is a staple under the bridge.  While he is mentally handicapped, there is nothing wrong with his heart and the way he greets and loves people.  Having almost nothing of his own, Patrick gives away almost everything he has during church, especially hugs and handshakes.  And, equipped with his own guitar, he takes center stage to lead worship.

Another successful trip being the hands and feet of Christ to the homeless and poverty stricken community in Waco.