Summer 2008 Source Boiler Room report

Timeline of Events

-May 20-29:National 24-7 Prayer Gathering in Kansas
-May 31-June 8: Urban Ministry Training
-June 1st: Red Hot Art Fest
-June 7th: MOSAIC downtown Minneapolis
-June 27-29: Project Earth outreach trip
-July 1-6: Cornerstone Music Festival
-July 15-19: Art Intensive Week
-July 19: 6th Annual Fallout Art Fest

Whew! What a summer it has been for us here at Source. We had five fabulous interns who started out their internship by joining us for the national 24-7 prayer gathering and ended with a great summer wrap up party. We had a weekly rhythm that included 3 daily prayer times Tuesday-Saturday, a learning time Thursday mornings, hosting Fallout Fridays, various concerts, drum and easel interactive art parties at a local shelter, outreach trips and much more!

We saw a lot of growth in the interns, staff and others in the community through Wednesday night meals at the Joshua House followed by a time of prayer and share during our Wednesday night Boiler Room meetings. We were blown away by God's faithfulness to open doors for conversations, opportunities to listen, pray for and serve many in our neighborhood.

We also enjoyed having a group of 7 Crown College students with us for 2 1/2 weeks in July. They helped us with our weekly rhythms of outreach, hosting events and praying. They were all musicians who used their talent to spread the love and kingdom of God in South Minneapolis. Thanks again Crownies!!!

One of the highlights of the summer was our trip to Project Earth. There is a more detailed story below so please enjoy that. Thanks!!!

Project Earth report

"I'm not sure what you were doing in that circle, but when you were doing it I felt something real, and it was wonderful, and I began to cry."

We had just finished having a final prayer circle of the weekend. We had packed everything up and were ready to return. We took time to process, pray and give thanks to all that God had done. A girl that was with a group of young adults that had camped adjacent to us who frequented our camp throughout the weekend came up to me and said the above quote. I told her it was not any "magic" we were doing but that we were simply praying to Jesus, and that it was the Holy Spirit that wanted to tell her that she was wonderful and wanted to touch her.

It was one of a handful incredibly significant prayer times and conversations we experienced through the weekend. We were there less than 48 hours and we got to see God do so much. We really were able to see God move in so many ways. There was quite a few spiritually significant conversations that allowed us to share Biblical understanding of Jesus and/or allowed us to pray with young adults very significant prayers of worth, revelation, and conviction. We even saw some brought to the point of seeing tears as they sensed the Holy Spirit come to be with them.

As some of you know most of our staff and interns traveled the hour and a half concrete trail to Harmony Park to participate in the Project Earth event. Over the course of less than 48 hours we found ourselves with a very busy schedule between the prayer tent, the puzzle mural, several significant conversations, and feeding a few more mouths than we brought with us. We found little time to rest and due to our proximity to the two main stages, we didn't have to move to hear all the great bands. Oh yes, and on the note of our location, we were incredibly blessed to be placed at the crossroads! Yes, to you who are familiar with the Aidan story you know how significant it is not only in our history, but also in our mission. We had our share of drunken masses shouting as they walk by, crazy all night drum jams, and those who used our campsite as a shortcut, all of which we consider a great privilege to be able to bless. It is so encouraging to watch people's faces brighten as they paint a ridiculously huge puzzle piece, and as they eat a hot cup of soup, or just stand round our fire.

It is not always easy to balance the passions of prayer and mission but God has called us to it nonetheless. On Friday we busily set up our camp which included tents to sleep in, a kitchen tent and a prayer tent we had the sense that God was with us. From the beginning of the festival it was evident that God was already at work. As we drove down the gravel road we were greeted by free CDs of two Christian bands. The first band that played started out with a gospel song which declared, "Lord have mercy on me a poor sinner." Even in the midst of a subculture of wounded, marginalized addict hippies you cannot get away from God's love. We ran a prayer tent from Friday night at 10pm until Sunday morning at 10am. This included morning, mid-day and evening prayers together as well as individuals praying throughout the day and night. As the opening quote shows, God was definitely present through our prayers. It was especially significant to prayer night and day as the partying and drum circles also went night and day. We praise God for his grace and nearness as we practiced prayer and mission.

There were conversations in which we have recognized the fact that we are communicating with someone who may never remember this conversation because of their hindered mental state, but in this realization does not give way to hopelessness, no, it merely spurs on the knowledge of the truth of the words in Isaiah 55:10-11 "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." So we trust that God had a plan for the mission on which He has sent us.