Apostle Dr. Peggy Elliott

Zacchaeus was outside, up in a tree.  In the Gospel of Luke, we learn of Zacchaeus, a chief tax-collector.  He is an example of Jesus’ personal earthly mission to bring salvation to the lost. Zacchaeus heard that Jesus was passing through Jericho.  He wanted to see Jesus, but because Zacchaeus was short, he concluded that the only way to see the Messiah was to climb up onto a sycamore tree.  Jesus looked up and saw Zacchaeus, told him to come down out of the tree and shared a short, but saving message.  “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.  For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”  Judges 19: 1-9 

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The Samaritan woman was out on the streets.  Jesus was traveling on a road where Jews rarely traveled, from Judea to Galilee, by way of Samaria.  Bad blood existed between the Jews and Samaritans.  They attempted to avoid one another even during times of travel. While on the road, Jesus became parched with thirst and sat down at a well.  A Samaritan woman comes along.  Jesus asks herfor a drink of water.  The woman was in disbelief.  There was not only to be any communication between Samaritans and Jews, neither was there to be communication between men and women.  Jesus knew her story.  He knew that she was an adulteress who needed salvation.  Jesus told her that if she drank of the Living Water, (the Holy Spirit), she would never thirst again.  The power of his word in searching her heart, convinced her that he was a prophet offering her forgiveness of her sins.

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In Luke 14:23, we are given a specific command to “Go out into the highways and byways and bring them in.” Let me repeat, “Go out …”  We cannot bring salvation to the lost out on the streets, unless we go out onto the streets.  Some would argue that the need for healing on the streets, is greater than it is on a Sunday morning.

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The Lord continues to send me out to apostolic assignments, to equip and train church leadership.  I am currently assigned to Zion Baptist Church in North Minneapolis, Minnesota, the oldest black Baptist Church in Minneapolis.  Zion’s pastor of twelve years, Brian Herron, is a rare combination of being a pastor, an anointed preacher, community activist and one who puts feet to the command of going out into the highways and byways.  I interviewed Pastor Herron for this month’s article. 

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When did you begin taking healing to the streets?

I began going out onto the street long before I became a pastor.  I worked in the urban areas of Minneapolis as a Crime Prevention Specialist with the Minneapolis Police Department.  I was a civilian and had a police officer partner.  We organized block clubs and worked on crime issues and criminal activity within the community. I often went out to engage gang members, drug dealers and prostitutes in conversation, asking how could I help them to change and to do something different?

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At the time, I was an elected official to the Minneapolis City Council where I served for eight years. I was sometimes criticized for leaving the comforts of my office downtown and spending time on the streets intervening with the drug dealers, gang members, police and the community.  

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This need has always been in me, to do street ministry.  When I became a pastor, I realized God had prepared me many years before I began this type of ministry.  My living experiences, being in the world and hanging out with some of the same kind of folks, prepared me as well to take healing to the lost.

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God prepared my heart and mind for street ministry.  It was not just about helping to detour crime, but also to invoke and demonstrate the love, mercy, grace, forgiveness, presence and power of God in a way that would help people to become drawn to God. I saw that their deepest need was for a relationship with Jesus, his healing touch, presence and power. I learned how to lead them to Jesus…through an evangelistic ministry of presence…which simply means not proselytizing but showing genuine care, concern, and compassion.  The Spirit leads me.  I go block by block praying, walking, talking and listening.

 

Why did you begin street witnessing?

As I rode through the community, I saw homeless people, people  hustling and others prostituting themselves.  I was overwhelmed with seeing the numbers of people buying, selling and using drugs and alcohol.  My heart broke for these people and I would whisper prayers as I was riding by.  Often, I would pull over and weep for them.  I would feel their pain.  I would sense and discern their hurt, their brokenness. I would often think that could have been me BUT4GOD.  I was compelled by the Spirit to stop driving past them.  I had to get out the car to see about them.

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I didn’t know exactly what I was to do so I would just park, get out and pray and walk, waiting for God’s instructions. or for Him to put someone before me. I began talking with the congregation about what God about my call to the streets, asking them to join me.  My wife, along with another minister and I, birthed an evangelistic ministry called D.O.T.S, Disciples On The Streets.  Sometimes when we go out, we set up grills and feed the community.   Other times, we walk and pray, encouraging people to come to know Jesus. At some point, I noticed that appropriately physically touching individuals, by placing our hands on their shoulder, was healing.  Prayers and touch often elicited tears, confessions and a need to be transformed. That’s when I realized this was about healing the hurting in such a way that it would help them to see that God, through His Son Jesus, cared deeply for them.

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When you began, what needs did you see out on the streets?

No matter how much game or hustle a person had, no matter how violent they were or how violently had been treated, underneath it all, was a hurting person. People who had been deeply traumatized by the situations and circumstances in their life and who never had never really had any help in processing the life events that caused the deep pain, so, they became hopeless.  They did not believe that life could be different for them. They believed they were doomed and resigned to life as it was.  Many had just given up.

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One of the greatest problems in our communities today is an overwhelming sense of hopelessness. So hope and healing were the greatest needs.  They had a need for a gospel that met them right where they were but loved them too much to leave them that way!

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Are the needs different today and if so, what do you believe are the reasons for the differences?

The need is even greater now and the difference is that it’s so many young people out there lost and turned out.  Often, those who are looking good and making money are able to mask or cover their pain but all are in tremendous pain.  Today, the problems are multifaceted: the breakdown of community, adults buying drugs from children, adults not parenting their children, babies having babies, no moral or spiritual compass, lack of church involvement outside of the church.  People aren’t coming into the church and we are not going out to get them. We must have a different concept and context of church to meet their needs. For instance, I go to my son’s barbershop and just sit.  When a conversation begins to take shape, I wait for the opportunity to interject and the brothers and sisters listen.

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When I am ready to leave the barbershop, I say, “Y’all know we just had church.”   Or, when I am on the block with protesters and they ask me to speak or to pray, often, I end up just sitting with them in their hurt and disappointment.  That, too, is having church.

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Are the needs for healing on the streets different for men? For women? For children? 

Inner healing and deliverance is what is needed for every age and every stage.  Healing from daddy hurt, mommy hurt, abuse physical, emotional and spiritual; demonic possession, addictions, homelessness, spiritually terrorized people, ungodliness and perverse in every way is greater than anything I have ever witnessed before.

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What advice would you give pastors regarding taking healing to the streets?

Train your people, prepare them for battle.  Go out with an opened mind, with divine love concern and compassion.  Find creative ways to connect people with needed resources. Prayer, prayer and more prayer; follow the leading of the Holy Ghost. Follow Jesus’ pattern of ministry. Lead with love.  Get to know individuals and show sincere and genuine concern for them by building relationships.  Speak truth and let the Spirit do the rest. It’s always up to the folks out on the streets what to do with what you share..