Saturday's Training, and Sunday's Service

The Saturday training session had about 20 people (mostly from local Bridge Churches in the area). They came to learn about our outreach in Salem, and to spend the afternoon doing Dream Interpretation and Spiritual Readings. A number of people shared their paradigm shift in coming to understand that Witches and Neo-Pagans where not worshipers of Satan, and this gave them a new perspective on them as people. At 2pm we opened the doors and began to share in Dream Interpretation and Spiritual Readings. People began to come in the doors, and we had a line waiting for an opportunity to receive ministry for the next three hours. The streets of Salem were more crowded than usual for this early time of the Halloween season - perhaps the wonderfully warm weather brought them all here.

After the event we sat together and discussed the good things which occured. It included many stories of people who were touched by the event. Some from Pagan backgrounds, others who were initially antagonistic, because we were Christians, but then were pleasantly surprised by what tey discovered. A good number in the group shared of their own paradign shift which occurred in respect with how to treat Neo-Pagans, and even a few found that they were now more loving toward the gay people they encountered. Well, that was a big change, and a valuable lesson for all.

Many of them will be back in the next couple weeks.

Sunday evening Derek Myers (who is staying at our house right now) joined us. Derek pastors a Foursquare church on the Pauma Valley Indian reservation near Escondido, California. (I went to High School in Escondido.) We learned how much similarity there is in his ministry and our own. In Salem we have taken some flak for identifying with the people who live here, and ocntextualizing the Gospel. Those who minister on the reservations have had some of the same difficulties. Keep Derek and his church in your prayers. Check out his website at The Church Website.