Boulevard of Hope

Led by Mark O'Brien, The Boulevard of Hope [BOH] is an urban, direct city-outreach ministry serving the residents of Denver, Lakewood, Aurora and Golden, Colorado, with an emphasis on poor, low income, and marginalized people including minorities, immigrants, refugees, migrant workers, and people dealing with homelessness. Additionally, BOH serves and supports people in transition, including veterans and formally incarcerated individuals, as well as small minority-owned businesses. Finally, BOH serves and supports a vibrant college student ministry.

 

Through the ministry of steady presence and availability, Boulevard of Hope serves and supports the least of these through friendship in the spirt of Christ developing personal one-to-one relationships which includes mentoring and discipleship. BOH helps connect people with housing, and mental health, medical, counseling, and addiction recovery services. Weekly outreach gatherings have slowed with Covid-19 but direct street outreach and small community fellowship continues several days a week. BOH also provides clothing, coats, hats, gloves, socks, sleeping bags, hand warmers, tarps, water, food, personal hygiene items, and other essentials. Mark spent 40 days/nights on cold-severe weather outreach this past winter. 

 

During Covid-19, Mark has sourced and provided medical 3ply masks, hand sanitizer, and hygiene kits to the homeless, and ministries that serve the homeless, who did not have PPE (personal-protection-equipment). Along with supporting a homeless outreach day center and encouraging the staff with essential supplies and hot lunches, Mark supports small minority-owned businesses impacted by the Covid-19 shutdown and subsequent riots, and serves as an advocate for people in nursing homes and hospitals.