Newsletter

Dallas International Street Church

Summer News

JULY 2023

July 12, 2023

Dear Friends and Partners,

Hope your summer is going great! And you are prospering in the Lord during this season. 

Summertime is hard in the inner city. Tempers flare - it is hot with little relief - and violence is in the air. People are sad and mostly angry with themselves for the situation they are in - whether or not they are the ones who created it. Just this afternoon we had an incident under the tent - a precious lady that I have known for a long time was in the midst of a temper fit. Luckily no one was hurt. It is very difficult to reach an angry drunk person whose life is totally devastated. I have to keep remembering "a soft answer turns away wrath"! Anyway, it ended up ok, but it could have been more terrible.

Please pray for us down here. More and more people are showing up from all over the place. It has gotten so tight with more and more people, almost daily the police are dropping off someone here who has no place to be as well as hospitals and other day recovery centers. Most of the shelters must be full or have such restrictions, they don't take people who have crazy problems.

One thing I am most grateful for is that God has provided a place for people to come when they have no other place to be. We have a great group of people helping in the church that deal with people from all walks of life 24/7 and they do a great job. Of course, it is a wearying task, but for the most part, they help the people with a great spirit. I'm thankful for them!!!

The services we currently provide at DISC are 3 meals a day, showers, personal items/clothes, food boxes, and emergency shelter. We have church services Monday through Friday and Sunday. I'm so thankful! Our people are getting it! I'm truly believing God is raising up a 100-man army to go back into the inner cities and bring His people out. I'm so sure of this - it is truly an unbelievable sight to behold to see how satan has wrecked our people in the inner city. There are many reasons for this - of course, I attribute it to a spiritual war on God's strongest people. 

If you could only know them, you would see how strong they really are. They may fall, but they keep getting up and trying again! For this, I have great respect. Many they have been subjected to poverty, drugs, violence, and prison at a young age. Many have been raised without the presence of a father. Their precious moms and grandmothers have done the best they can but I'm sure many have grown weary. Statistical data from 2017 indicates that 19.7 million American adults (12 and older) battled a substance use disorder. This abuse cost the American society more than 740 billion annually in lost workplace productivity, healthcare expenses, and crime-related cost. 

The Dallas International Street Church is pressing to be part of the solution with our ministry here in the city as well as our Life Skills Training Facility which houses 30 men striving to get their lives back together. I honestly believe with all my heart that God is able to deliver every person who ever walks through our doors. I'm witnessing firsthand the Power of God!

One other venture we are now undertaking is the restoration of our Glory Thrift Store. We had a fire a few months ago and are now in the process of renovation. Projected cost of the remodel is approximately $100,000. We are, of course, hoping for matching grants to help fund this project. We are in the beginning stages with a business plan, an architectural drawing, and a project manager. The plan is for the Thrift Store to be an upscale showplace with a Life Skills Training section in the back. This will be used as a training place for our people to learn trades such as furniture refinishing, upholstery, shipping and receiving, inventorying, customer relations, etc. We are looking for our new Thrift Store to bring in substantial revenue to support our work here in the inner city. 

ALL OF THE ABOVE WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT YOU, OUR PRECIOUS FRIENDS AND PARTNERS! I F YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE INVOLVED WITH US IN THIS GREAT WORK, YOU CAN FIRST OF ALL PRAY FOR US! SECONDLY, YOU CAN COME AND VOLUNTEER TO HELP IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT AREAS. AND THIRDLY, YOU CAN HELP FINANCIALLY. IT HONESTLY TAKES A LOT TO OPERATE EVERYTHING WE DO. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DONATE, PLEASE GO TO OUR WEBSITE, http://www.dallasinternationalstreetchurch.org, OR MAIL A CHECK TO DALLAS INTERNATIONAL STREET CHURCH, P.O. BOX 151461, DALLAS, TEXAS. 75315. NO AMOUNT IS TOO SMALL OR LARGE. EVERY CENT GOES TO SAVE A SOUL!

Again, thank you from my heart for your love and prayers!

Sincerely,

From the Heart of the City...... 

Karen Dudley

SR. Pastor/Founder

Dallas International Street Church

2706 S. Second Ave.

Dallas, Texas 75210

streetsofdallas@yahoo.com

214-650-0231