The air crackled with music as the DJ cranked up the volume. Full-sized cartoon characters milled thru the crowd. Monchito the Clown gave instructions in Spanish and English and had everyone dancing – hands on head, arms flapping, give a little wiggle. Kids, moms, dads, grandparents forgot their day-today cares and lost themselves in the fun. Pulpito de la Calle – Pulpit of the Street, a ministry of MCJ El Rey church, had taken over the parking lot at the Springhill Lake Recreation Center. They had come to serve the Franklin Park community with the theme of restaurando tu hogar – restoring your home. “There is a large population of Spanish-speaking residents who don’t always feel connected and we are here to connect them,” said Pastor Billy Chavez. “We can entertain, but Jesus changes hearts,” said Minister Joel Alvarado, who is part of the evangelism ministry. “We have been in the community for almost two years. We see working class families dealing with all the challenges that families face in this society and can benefit from being strengthened by connecting to Jesus.” Children visited the pop-up tent to get free haircuts, provided by René Lugo, a member of MCJ El Rey. The grill did a steady business of turning out hotdogs and burgers. “Jesus fed the multitude. So, we feed the multitude and then we feed their souls. How can we deliver the message when someone is hungry?” asked Alvarado rhetorically. “We want to learn the needs of the community,” said Alvarado as he waded into the crowd. MCJ El Rey is located at 6011 Ammendale Road, Beltsville. Services are at 8:30 a.m. (Español) and 11:30 a.m. (bilingual) on Sundays.
Pulpit of the Street
Monchito the Clown aka Ramon Navarro