The Homeless Ministry of Reconciliation

The Homeless Ministry of Reconciliation

18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.   ~ 2 Corinthians 5:18-20

It’s another Wednesday night. I look around where I am standing in Copley Square. The first thing I notice is how many different types of people pass by from all walks of life. There are business men and women walking to their high rise apartments in the city after work, students carrying book bags of unfinished assignments, runners decked out in hip workout clothes, and groups of friends passing by laughing together. There are skateboarders who gather in the empty fountain bed to skate. There are musicians boldly sharing their talents, and tourists looking up at the John Hancock building. There are myriads of people taking pictures of Trinity church, the statue of John Singleton Copley, or the Boston Public Library.

In the midst of these buildings memorializing Boston’s greatest successes, is where many of its most broken and needy denizens gather. Mosaic’s Copley Street Ministry has unassumingly, yet effectively been providing practical services to those who call the streets their home since September 12, 2012. In fact, our outreach just celebrated its 3 year anniversary! Every Wednesday night since (besides the two weeks the square was closed after the Boston Marathon bombings) we have met around the fountain to share our food, warm clothes, friendship, and most importantly our faith in Christ.

Praying together before heading out to Copley Square

Around 6:30pm we meet in the Boston Public Library and share what happened during our week. We begin a Bible study and pray for each other and our night ahead from 7:00 until 7:30. At 7:30 we set up our things outside by the fountain in the square. We then split up into groups of 2-4 people. Some of us serve the food and drinks, others organize and hand out clothing, while others take short walks to find people and let them know about what we have to offer. Then around 8:20, we gather the group into a circle and begin our time of worship. The worship time is structured like a condensed Sunday morning service. We pray, sing, and then listen to a short sermonette given by one of our volunteers. Our time there is ended with listening to the prayer requests of our new and old friends as we pray together hand in hand over the upcoming week.

We are incredibly grateful to partner with those who are, have been, or will be involved in this ministry. They are our fellow ministers of reconciliation.

Those who are able to come out and join us on Wednesday nights witness firsthand a taste of the mercy that Jesus imparts to our own lives. By building relationships, we hope to replace a once skewed portrait of Jesus through the poor eyesight of the wayward with a picture of His grace. We ourselves come to realize our own need for Him and so serve with humble hearts as brothers, sisters, and friends.

It is our hope that Wednesday nights have changed the previous trajectory of those we encounter for the better. We have witnessed God time and again multiplying our efforts and have the hope that he will stretch their benefits far into an intertwined eternity that began with our acceptance of Him.

If you would like to help with the Copley Outreach by donating your time, prayers, or resources you can contact

Drew Dolan at: drew@mosaicboston.com

Or

Rebecca Stouff at: rebecca.stouff@gmail.com

Our ongoing needs are:

• Prayer! Drew sends out a list of specific prayer requests. We appreciate being covered in prayer as we encounter a lot of brokeness, strongholds, and addictions.
• Socks for women and men
• T-shirts size Large and above,
• Toiletries/ toiletry kits,
• Cooking food for Wednesday nights (for approximately 30-45 people),
• Anything else you feel inclined to donate

To add your name to our email list to keep updated with specific prayer requests you can contact

Drew Dolan at: drew@mosaicboston.com