January Update

January 1, 2011

Dear Team,

We hope the new year is treating each of you well! We are strengthened by your words of encouragement and prayers during this season of ministry. As some of you have probably heard through the media, St. Louis has again been announced as America’s most dangerous city. This is not the kind of recognition for being number one that we want!

Since receiving this distinction, our neighborhood has experienced a great deal of violence. Shootings are heard more than usual, and police officers have been shot at more frequently. Many of our neighbors are dealing with fear and grief because everyone knows someone who has been shot or otherwise involved in the violence.

I do not tell you this to receive pity. I tell you this because we are asking for extra prayer. Through all of the violence, God has still been opening doors to many more conversations and deepening of relationships with our neighbors. I finally feel like my neighbors fully trust us after moving into this house a little over a year ago. If we were not here during the rough times, that trust would take so much longer to develop. Praise the Lord that we serve a God who can take terrible situations and use them to build His Kingdom!

We are also asking that you will pray for more staff to join our team. The harvest is ripe, but we simply do not have enough staff to do as much as we would like to do. We are praying that God would send us people who have a passion and calling to live and serve in the inner city of St. Louis.

In all of the violence, I see the hurt and discouragement that our neighborhood is going through. It affects us all in various ways. But through it all God has been faithful to keep His promises. He always protects and provides for us. God has given us extra energy and wisdom to endure. We pray that God will start to develop godly men and women to take a stand for Him--that they will be serious about this relationship and be passionate about being a part of a church-planting movement right here in the inner city led by our neighbors! For only the church will true authentic change come to our city. Thank you for standing with us in this battle. The battle is His, and we feel honored to be on the front lines serving for Him!

Let’s take this city for God!

Andrew & Adria Medlen