Mozart House proposal

Ask and ye shall receive. Here is what I read during yesterday's sermon:

II - The Way: Ecclesial history:

The opening chapters of the book of Acts herald the immutable, albeit humble, birth of the Christian Church in the year 33 A.D.. The landscape of the day, ruled by Caesar, is steeped in both religious and economic oppression. As 12 ordinary men sat waiting and praying in a house in Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit of the living God descended upon them. It was at that time which the disciples, recently removed from bearing witness to the death, resurrection, and ascension of their King, took to the streets to begin to preach the Good News of salvation in Christ. As Peter the Apostle stood with his eleven fellow disciples in the streets of Jerusalem, he raised his voice and boldly proclaimed the news of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. It was on that very day, the day of Pentecost, as Peter and the disciples left that street-corner-pulpit, that the Christian church found it’s beginning as 3,000 people gave their lives over to the message of the Good News.

The Christian Scriptures continue to detail the birth of the Christian church as it became organized into a growing movement of faith. Choosing in blatant defiance unto Caesar to practice their new found way of living, the new Christians, known at that time simply as “Followers of The Way”, held daily gatherings in one another’s homes to break bread together, pray, fellowship with one another, and learn the Apostles’ teaching. These first-century followers of The Way were known for their boldness, living out their faith practices in a time of great persecution, and they were also known for their immense generosity sharing all of their possessions and giving to anyone as he had need. It was in these basic faith practices to express love to one-another and a holy reverence unto God that the early Christian church both lived and thrived under great persecution from the Roman and Jewish elite. And so it was for the first 300 years of the Christian church’s existence, that Followers of The Way worshipped, evangelized, and thrived until the days of Constantine and his institution of religious toleration.

III - The Way: A 21st century expression of 1st century church:

In the summer of 2009, an expression of that first-century blue-print for the Christian church was resurrected in Latrobe, PA. Burdened for the needy in the Latrobe, Greensburg, Derry area, The Way incorporated and became a legally recognized 501c3. In July of 2009 The Way began holding backyard meetings to organize itself into a congregational ministry. In true Acts church fashion, the people of The Way carried out the business of their gatherings by breaking bread together, praying, fellowshipping with one another, and learning the Apostles’ teaching. It was also held into account to meet the needs of those in our midst by openly presenting those needs in the congregational setting and collectively carrying the burden to see those needs met, a constant of our worship gatherings to this day. Committed to the practices that validated the attraction of the Christian Gospel to the poor of the first century, The Way also chartered its organization with a financial practice of living on just fifty percent of its tithes and offerings while reserving the remaining fifty percent to assist those who’s needs are brought before them. This practice of living on just fifty cents of every dollar we’ve received has positioned The Way to meet every need brought before us to date...and many of those needs presented to us by the most desperate and hopeless in our community.

IV - The Way: A snapshot of today

As of the beginning of March, 2010, The Way has already established itself as one of the most easily accessible needs-based-giving organizations in the state of Pennsylvania. While at other organizations needy members of the community go through lengthy application processes restricted by statutes and limitations placed upon the amount of assistance they are allowed to receive before they even walk in the door, The Way has been organized and set free by the terms of its charter to give freely just as Jesus did. This unique mixture of ecclesial ideology and non-profit legalization has been so immensely successful in our young existence in setting the stage for the Gospel to be spread to an otherwise forgotten about niche of our community that the law offices of Patel & Alumit, who specialize in tax exemption law, are currently using our 501c3 application as a new model for non-profit acquisition and have currently established 17 new ministries across the country legally empowered to do charity and needs-based assistance with greater freedom than traditional non-profits.

Currently hosting our worship gatherings at Latrobe Elementary School, The Way meets on Sundays to spend time in prayer, Bible study, praise and worship, and addressing the needs of our community. Since we are currently looking for a permanent home for this ministry, The Way is earnestly praying for a venue to move into on a permanent basis that will not only meet our needs to house our worship gatherings on a Sunday morning but also serve as a resource unto our efforts to provide for the poor and the needy of our community throughout the weekdays. After ten months of searching and praying for God to lead us to that venue, we believe that we have found it in a property in downtown Latrobe known as The Mozart House.

V - The Mozart House: An instrument of Agape

Once moved into The Mozart House, The Way will be strategically positioned to see this facility restored to the vibrancy and beauty of her glory days by using this property as an instrument of Gods unconditional love. The Way intends to do this by living into God’s calling for this church to serve the poor of our community in ways brand new to both this city as well as The Way’s congregation. That vibrancy of The Mozart House will manifest itself in the daily usage of the entire building over the long term vision of The Way by doing the following:

Utilizing the restaurant facility as a soup kitchen open seven days per week offering hot meals free of charge to those in need

Utilizing the store front as a Christian bookstore/coffee shop

Utilizing the second level for worship gatherings, community oriented events, and Bible studies

Utilizing the upper most level of the facility to house beds for the homeless who need a warm place to sleep, a clothes closet, and a medical clinic to provide free healthcare for those who otherwise can’t afford it.

And the restoration of her beauty will manifest itself as The Way works diligently to make necessary repairs and updates to the facility over the term of its occupation of the building. These are not statements that are made lightly, however. For it is our understanding that Scripture holds believers to a higher level accountability when serving the needs of the poor (See Matthew 25:31-46). Therefore, it will be our aim to restore the vibrancy and beauty of the building for service unto “the least of these my brothers” with all reverence unto God and attention to detail as it is our understanding that, when we do, we do it all as unto Christ.

Grace and peace be with you.