Bethlehem Baptist Church, Brooklyn

I Called down again to the Rescue Mission Wednesday to meet up with the chef Pedro. Everyone seemed pleased to see me even though I wasn't actually helping. That night they fed over 230 and that following breakfast and lunch for the forty or so residents. Residents, by the way, can stay on the basis that they receive basic Christian instruction and in the longer term are prepared to help out with jobs.

Pedro and I travelled to his church, Bethlehem, for the midweek meeting. This consisted in half an hour or so of open worship followed by a brief address. Then into the following groups: men, women and married. This was the most interesting and revealing part of mmy visit. Basically a bible study with a practical thrust what came out was that most had been subject to some sort of addiction and had passed through a 12 step recovery. The men had a wide variety of employment, including several construction workers and all spoke in a direct sort of a way. Not entirely removed from what we do on Cheadle, but nevertheless very different. Turns out the actual Bethlehem church had become home to this new group and that they had breathed new life into it. Seems like this is a common happening here as it is in the UK - old buildings, but with new congregations.

Afterwards Pedro, his wife Shelley and myself went to a Diner then back on the subway, me to Manhattan and they to New Jersey. The very efficient and very well priced system - $25 for a weeks unlimited travel - make this sort of thing possible.