One New York City pastor, in keeping with the holiday spirit, has opened a Peanuts-inspired booth outside his church.
Metro.us reports that Pastor Gregory Fryer of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Manhattan’s Upper East Side decided to use the idea from “A Charlie Brown Christmas” of Lucy’s booth advertising “Psychiatric Help” to instead offer “Spiritual Help” to passersby.
Fryer even took pains to construct his booth to scale with the exact measurements of Lucy van Pelt’s. He also took care to use the same font as pictured in the movie. The church’s sexton constructed the booth.
“The idea of a pastor being available on the street, with a stool there for somebody to sit down on, that just seemed right,” said Fryer.
The pastor spends about two hours--from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. every Tuesday morning--sitting at the booth and listening to strangers’ problems and praying for them.
Many people have taken Fryer up on his offer of “Spiritual Help,” requesting prayer and consolation for various issues and situations.
Fryer shared that one young woman asked for prayer for a cold; another for an upcoming job interview. A businesswoman passing by stopped by Fryer’s booth and burst into tears, explaining that she was worried about her grandmother in Florida. The woman requested prayer and Fryer was happy to oblige.
In addition to a listening ear and prayer, Fryer offers wisdom from the Bible to those who seek his help. “And I’ve learned to have a box of tissues there,” he added.
Photo courtesy: flickr.com
Publication date: November 28, 2016