Thomas Johnson holds hands with his wife, Kris, during worship. For him, Chicken Coop is more accepting to a diverse group of people than other churches he’s attended.
Peter Johnson (left) distributes communion to Katelynn Clark. Everyone gathers in a circle for communion as a way to show the word of God is incarnate in the eucharist and will meet you wherever you are in life.
begins every Sunday evening worship service by introducing everyone by name and sharing a story that all gathered are from the family of God through Jesus. Simply, worship services are “family reunions.” Thomas Johnson began attending Chicken Coop
Church on Easter Sunday this year and is now part of the leadership team. “I felt like I was in a big, beautiful family from the first service I attended,” he said. “I’m a recovering alcoholic and addict, 6 foot 3 inches and 330 pounds, covered in tattoos. Every church I checked out I felt like an outsider. Chicken Coop Church doesn’t judge. It’s inspired me to be a better person and my heart feels full and at ease.” Mission is at the heart of Chicken Coop. One of
its ministries is a food distribution program called “God’s People Serving,” a shared mission between 10 area Lutheran congregations. “We have people who were at one time
marginalized and felt not empowered who now feel bold enough to go into the community in the public eye with the power to share the gospel with people,” Peter Johnson said. “It’s beautiful.” The mission developer thinks Chicken Coop is a
reflection of the changing church of today. “This is a contextualized version of the Spirit at work. We need to make Jesus relevant and church applicable, and that involves empowering people,” he said. “It’s about the person who comes in and says they’ve been up for three days on meth and are looking for grace. “The Spirit is at work in all people and we’ll
become a vibrant and vital church by acknowledging the Spirit and allowing it to shape us.”
16 DECEMBER 2016
Finding God in a parking lot One Sunday every month, Ignaki Unzaga goes to the parking lot of the Home Depot in Passaic, N.J., before services start at St. John Lutheran Church, where he is pastor. He isn’t going to buy home supplies—he’s there for worship. Four years ago when St. John was looking for a
way to become more integrated in its community, the congregation came up with the idea of a breakfast ministry. They put up signs advertising a free breakfast for anyone after worship one Sunday. But on the day of the breakfast, no one came. Someone from St. John then suggested taking
the food to the Home Depot parking lot, as there are always men there who could use a good breakfast. “Sure enough,” Unzaga said. “There were men
there who welcomed us. From that Sunday on, we haven’t stopped going there in four years and we feed hot breakfast to about 40 to 50 men every week.” The men in the parking lot are day laborers who
use Home Depot as their daily congregating spot to get picked up for jobs. In addition to sharing breakfast together,
worship is held once a month. “We do a holy service of word and sacrament in about 15 minutes right there in the parking lot,” Unzaga said. “It’s a beautiful ministry.” They call the ministry Misión Pan de la Vida
(Mission Bread of Life), but Unzaga said St. John’s members see it as part of themselves—a satellite congregation, so to speak.
Photos: David Joel Photography
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