HOW GLUE MINISTRIES BEGAN

 

 

 

GLUE Ministries began in May 2013, as an extension of an outreach ministry to western men, which founder John Yoder was already doing in the red light districts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia with MST Project Phnom Penh since early 2010. After being invited to one of Phnom Penh's night clubs by a man who John met during an MST Project outreach, he and another MST volunteer visited the club shortly after. While the man they came to see was busy with tasks at the club, John and his friend sat on bar stools next to men who were by themselves and struck up conversations (just as they've been doing for years on the streets with MST Project).

John found that some he engaged with had a lot to share about their life, much that he himself could relate to, and so he decided to suggest bars and nightclubs as other possible outreach locations for his fellow MST Project volunteer's outreach to western men in the red light districts. After a discussion with MST Project leadership in Bangkok, Thailand, and a period of prayer by both John and MST's founder; seeking spiritual direction, a decision was made that MST Project would not begin reaching out to men in private establishments at that time, which has always been their policy. They felt that going into bars was still something they might be willing to consider and pursue, but wanted to take their time to really go through the pro’s and con’s of the decision as it was a completely new method of outreach; so John founded GLUE Ministries as something he and others, who have a heart for western ex-pats or tourists, could do on nights when they weren't volunteering with MST Project Phnom Penh.

In July 2013, MST Project Bangkok announced that their Phnom Penh chapter was suspending outreach activities indefinitely, so John and other MSTPPP volunteers continued the same ministry under The Message Parlour’s umbrella temporarily, eventually deciding that GLUE Ministries would be The Message Parlour’s official street and bar outreach ministry to western men in Phnom Penh; availing themselves to western men who might need a friend for a few minutes, an hour, or long term.

 

Though the Message Parlour closed in 2014, GLUE Ministries has continued it’s outreach evenings every other Friday evening, having their spiritual prep and prayer center activities at various facilities located in Phnom Penh’s red light districts.

PDF of a newspaper article from ‘The Cambodia Daily’ describing John’s and other MST Project Phnom Penh volunteers’ outreach activities in the early days of the ministry.

 GLUE CREW

BEGINNINGS

By John Yoder, GLUE Ministries Director

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back in 2015, a former GLUE member who had returned to the UK, had sent me some information about an organization of men that ministered in the red light districts of the UK called 'Street Pastors' - which wore hats & jackets identifying their members for anyone who could use the services which their ministry offered. He asked if we might consider doing something similar with GLUE; but at the time I saw more differences than similarities in our ministry's focuses and methods of operation, so I put the idea on a shelf. In January of 2016, John Monk came to Cambodia to visit  GLUE volunteer Julia (whose family was close to John’s in the UK) and partake in her many ministry activities; including GLUE's outreach activities on Friday nights. According to messages he sent us after he returned to the UK, his short time with GLUE Ministries had a profound effect on his spiritual walk, and inspired him to become more involved with his church 'back home' and ministries in his community; including 'Street Pastors'.

 

One Friday in March 2017, while I was working out at the gym, an idea which would change GLUE Ministries dramatically, popped in my head...and refused to leave. When this kind of thing has happened in the past, to make sure the idea is from the Lord, and not just a moment of craziness on my part, I decided to do what Gideon did in Judges 6:37: 'putting a fleece before the Lord'. I told Him: "You must give this same idea to another GLUE team member, before tonight's outreach evening. When we all gather, I'll ask each one if Christ gave them an idea of change for GLUE Ministries, without telling my idea first. If one of them shares the same idea that I received at the gym, then I'll know it's from you". At our pre-meeting fellowship dinner, as each one arrived, I asked them the 'question'; and each one said they hadn't received anything from the Lord that they could think of. When we got to our meeting place, I shared my idea anyway, even though I planned to 'put it on the shelf' or disregard it altogether. Then something amazing happened. Julia, holding a large envelope in her hands, became wide eyed with surprise and excitement, as she indeed had something to share; from none other than John Monk, which she had been holding for several weeks, because I was not able to come to the meeting which happened 2 weeks before God gave me the vision. When she opened up the envelope, and took out items and a letter from our friend overseas, everything lined up perfectly with the idea Christ had given me earlier in the day! Funny thing about it (and why I've always loved Christ's sense of humor when dealing with me), in reality - whether he knew it or not, Christ gave John the idea first, and I was the one He used for confirmation ('the fleece' so to speak). In John's letter, he talked about his involvement with Street Pastors and reinforced our other friend's stressing the importance of wearing something identifiable in the areas where they ministered; which was the exact vision which Christ gave me that morning. In the vision, I saw us wearing black shirts and matching caps with the GLUE logo and some other message on both. In John's envelope, beside the letter, was a black cap with a Christian message or scripture on its face. It was at that moment (when Julia showed us the cap and read us the letter), that 'GLUE Crew' was born. John later re-enforced the idea that we should 'come out' (so to speak) in a message he sent after finding out about the affect his package had on our ministry direction.

Later in 2017, Julia visited the UK and was able to give John his own GLUE Crew shirt & cap, as our gift to him for allowing Christ to work in him in such a powerful way; changing our ministry in Phnom Penh's red light districts so dramatically, and for the better. We were so looking forward to his return visit in April 2018, wearing the very GLUEwear he inspired, but alas...God had other plans for our friend. In February 2018, we received the sad news that John Monk had passed away in his home in Epsom, UK at age 39. In March 2018, GLUE co-founder Glenn Miles represented us at a memorial service for John in the UK.

 

 

So for our many Cambodia friends, the next time they see a GLUE Crew shirt, cap, or both on someone in a red light district or nightclub on a Friday night, we encourage them to take a moment to look up and whisper under their breath: "way to go Johnny boy" (Julia's nickname for him).