Street Ministry

Each Monday at 5pm, all are welcome to attend an open-air service at Big Mike's Car Wash, located at Eastern Blvd. and Minor St. A free dinner is served at 5:30 for those in need, and donations of clothing and toiletries are given out when available. 

Weekly HARVEST Radio Broadcast

Tune in to 89.5 FM, or go to www.facebook.com/harvestministriesfaync, each Wednesday at 5:30 pm to hear a sermon given by CJ Hammonds that is sure to uplift your spirits and rejuvenate your daily walk with Christ. HARVEST stands for Happy And Redeemed Vessels Enjoying Salvation Together, and that is truly at the center of each message. 

Death of Michael Mansfield

I am beyond sorry to inform you all that Michael Mansfield, founder of the Street Ministry and owner of 1st Place Auto, has passed on to be with our Lord. He was assaulted early this morning by several men in the parking lot of 301 Wingz, and later died of his injuries. It is not yet clear who his attackers were, but apparently they have been apprehended. This is all we know at this time. This information will be updated as more details come to light.

I did not know Mike that well; CJ knew him much better than I did. I only ever interacted with him on Mondays at the Street Ministry. But even that little bit of time was enough to make one thing perfectly clear to me: he was filled to overflowing with the love of Christ.

Mike was always open about his rough past. He made many mistakes and alienated a lot of people. But God poured out his love and mercy and offered him a second chance, and he used that second chance to turn his life around. His own experiences made Mike determined to do the same for others, no matter what they had done or who they were. He only wanted to give back what he had been given.

And so Mike actively sought out the people most of us reject: the poor. The homeless. The ones with criminal records. The ones life chewed up and spat back out, the angry and confused and hurt and desperate. The ones society wrote off, like they did to him. But God doesn’t write people off. God sees the inside, and so did Mike. He looked beyond a person’s circumstances, beyond their appearance, to what they truly were: children of God, same as everyone else.

And for that reason, Mike offered second chances, and third chances- seventy times seven chances, if need be. No matter what. Physical or emotional injury- didn't matter.

Mike was blunt and plainspoken, but every word, and action, came from a place of love. In many ways he was one of the most Christ-like people I knew, and I learned more about humility, compassion, and empathy, from him and my work with the Street Ministry, than at any other point in my life.

That's what I saw, when I looked at Mike Mansfield.

It is our avowed hope that we will be able to continue the Street Ministry, even without his excellent stewardship. There is no doubt in our minds that it would be what he wanted.

Please keep Mike, his loved ones, and his ministry in your prayers. Thank you for your support.