"Prayer Takeover" Reflections

I don’t get worked up over events. So, when Pastor Gregory Sanders first approached me about his idea for the Prayer Takeover my response was less than enthusiastic.  However, I trust Gregory and believe that God has placed him where he is “for such a time as this.” It was important for me that the focus was praying for the city not against it. It was important to me as well, that people observing us praying for the city around city hall, knew we were praying for the city and that we love them and the city. In light of this Gregory emailed every council member, the mayor, the police chief and his deputies to let them know what the prayer foci would be and that we were for them.

I was also skeptical about men being the focus, but when I heard Gregory’s heart that this would be a time not to exclude women, but an opportunity for men to show, with solidarity, they are committed to the Shalom of the city and to help lead in seeking God’s best for it, I could get with that.

What I saw was a gathering of humble men asking God to bless the city and put an end to the things that grieve his heart- poverty and homelessness, exploitation, slavery and violence. We prayed for wisdom and strength for our leaders and for peace for the city. We prayed for God to use us to bless Long Beach, that Long Beach would be a beacon of light to the region, nation and world.

I realized (again) yesterday that sometimes hesitation is part of faith, that sometimes we get on board with something before it’s perfect, knowing that it’s often those moments when God does something truly significant. We put aside our own agendas and ideals, and the way we would do it and just jump in and love and support one another. 

Another thing I saw was not the beginning of a movement, but a bucket of water splashed over the face to refresh a movement of sincere, humble collaboration amongst God’s people in Long Beach. We still must honor and bless those who have paved the way for us and be open to the new things God has in store. We must honor the big things and “not despise the day of small things.” We cannot be so arrogant to think that something starts with us or begins right now just because that’s when we see it or notice it. At the same time we must build monuments in our hearts to the Lord when significant things happen while we tell the stories of His goodness in the past.  We must understand that God has had his eye on this city, his heart in it and his hand for it for a long, long time- before we even thought to pray or do anything.

May this event be that splash of water to refresh the movement of God and his people to continue to seek the Shalom of Long Beach, that His Kingdom come, His will be done, in Long Beach as it is in Heaven. Keep going brothers and sisters!

Prayer Snippets

Vulnerably speaking, I have a difficult time depending God. I make up that I can handle it and I’ll call him if I need anything, which rarely happens.  I trust that he has the big picture but leaves the details up to me.  One of my mentors has been known to ask, “Where else is this showing up for you?” In terms of my self-reliance, where should I start? My marriage, parenting, friendships, work- pretty much everywhere. I trust I’m not alone in this.

But what a relief when I finally surrender and actually say, “Can you help me, I can’t do this alone.” Such is the secret to life with God and with His body the Church. And that’s where you all, we come in. I need your help, simply to pray. We have many exciting things happening and beginning to grow, but without prayer, I fear they will not come to fruition. In light of this I thought it would be appropriate to write a prayer focus blog this week. Here are a few requests.

The Downtown Church Network- Formerly the Long Beach Youth Alliance (LBYA), the Downtown Church Network (DCN- final name still pending), a network of over six churches in the downtown area, began to partner with schools and city officials and to streamline their individual youth services to offer supplementary services to students and families. Recently KCLB was given the opportunity to be a part of this amazing network of diverse congregations. Together we will strengthen our network, broaden our impact and more strategically focus our collective assets. Some of the areas we are seeking to work on together are child obesity, asthma, violence prevention, youth development and shared land use. Seeing these, now seven, congregations come together with all their differences, willing to say “we’re better together and our faith motivates us to action” is a hopeful glimpse into what Jesus prayed in John 17. “…that they would be one as you and I are one, so that the whole world would know that you sent me.” Please pray for clarity and unity moving forward and for provision to see our initiatives through.

March ABCD training- I always love training ABCD alongside Scott Jones. This last training was no exception. We got great feedback and had great discussion over implementing the asset-based paradigm in our contexts. When asked to summarize their experience, here’s what a few participants had to say…

“[The ABCD training] has challenged me in reframing my perspective, to try to see myself and others the way God sees us, for our gifts, and use that to motivate me to be bold in building relationships.”- Sam

“Inspiration. Momentum. Strategy.”- Brandon

“It helped me see…that I can bring healing and wholeness to my community in a tangible way and it isn’t that complicated.”- Gabi

“Eye-opening. Enlightening. Encouraging.” Aretha

“Joy to focus on assets rather than needs.”- Sean

“This training made me shift my way of thinking from needs/problems to gifts/assets.”

“Realized I can glorify God by being me.” –Ricardo

“I feel empowered to go out and meet my neighbors.”

Please pray for the individuals and congregations that they would trust God to love their neighbors well and to be Christ’s Church in, for and with the city. Please also pray for our upcoming training May 10-11, that God would show up and move ahead of time in the hearts of participants.

Asset Mapping- Along with our Asset Based Community Development trainings, we’re leading and facilitating efforts to asset map churches. This is simply creating an inventory of the unique and shared gifts of congregations, so that we can make connections in the neighborhoods and throughout the city to affect positive change. We’re conducting interviews and surveys with church staff to bring this about. In addition, we’re scheduled to help one church asset map the Willmore City neighborhood in partnership with some other community organizations and associations on April 20. Please pray for the planning and coordination of this Asset Mapping day, that we would come alongside the tremendous work that’s already being done, and that we’d be sensitive to this community that is still grieving from the recent acts of violence that occurred in March. Please pray also for a spirit of collaboration and unity in seeking the Shalom of the neighborhood.

So, there it is, for now…surrendered. And now you know. Thank you for your prayers and partnership with KCLB, in addition to what you do to seek the Shalom of Long Beach and beyond. I am humbled and blown away by God’s abundance through you, His people!

Beginnings and Endings- Staff & Board Updates

As I mature (if you can believe it) as a leader and follower of Christ, I repeatedly feel my call to hold everything with an open hand and to receive and release as God calls and shapes the circumstances and the people around me.  True to form, in the last 9 months, God has called a few people away from our staff and board, while others, he has brought graciously into our path.

Last spring we had the privilege of welcoming Michelle Santis, only to have the Lord lead her elsewhere by August. Around that time, KCLB veteran, Susana Sngiem finished her MSW at USC and began to explore the next step God had in store for her. By September we welcomed aboard Greg and Martha Copeland, formerly missionaries in Indonesia with One Challenge International. Both artists, they have brought social enterprise experience and potential, in addition to serving in teaching, coaching, and anti-human trafficking capacities. 

In November, Reggie Galloway, a former Americorp Worker and one of the most faithful volunteers on the planet, answered the call to be a full time Grandpa to his grandbabies in Georgia. Later that month, long-time homelessness expert and advocate, Somatra also decided to pursue other ventures. Finally in January, Scott Jones, our Community Outreach Director and former Americorp worker, left to continue to grow his non profit, We Love Long Beach and his Business, Living Long Beach and to prepare for his wedding this coming June.

In February, board Chair Brian Apodaca stepped down from the board, after serving faithfully since 2009, to focus more on his local and regional responsibilities with Victory Outreach.

BUT God…Continues to provide in amazing and timely ways. For instance, I’ve already mentioned Greg and Martha, who came having heard about our Human Trafficking Task Force, and carry social enterprise and youth development experience. They will be leading Community Development and church partnership efforts in and around the Washington neighborhood of central Long Beach.

The existing board has also rallied to strengthen their commitment to the work God is calling us toward. We are also currently partnering with a Church Resource Ministries team, called the New Minster Community, who has agreed to add muscle and brains in helping us asset map congregations in Long Beach, currently one our largest initiatives. Even as Brian left, God provided Erik Clarke, co-founder of Ten Thousand Villages Pasadena with his wife Sarah. He brings with him experience and expertise as a missionary, businessman and social entrepreneur. 

It is amazing to see God use us in the thin and thick places and to see those who’ve labored alongside us flourish as they obey His call and leadings on their lives. I am reminded that he is a God of abundance and always makes a way, that those rams he provides are often hidden in the bushes of our circumstances.  It energizes me to move forward and trust him all the more. God, it’s your Kingdom. Let it come on Earth as it is in Heaven. Amen.  

Setting Captives Free- LB Human Trafficking Task Force

This week we want give you a summary and update regarding our Human Trafficking Task Force, which we helped found a little over a year ago. We asked one of the main organizers, Niko Galvez, to help share the journey this group has traveled together.

Just a few years ago a group of women came together to pray about how to address human trafficking in Long Beach.  Just two months ago, Kingdom Causes Long Beach, along with, law enforcement agencies, almost a dozen different organizations, community groups and several citizens, celebrated the one year anniversary of the formation of the first Long Beach Human Trafficking Task Force. 

Each person in attendance comes for a different reason and from a different background. To name just a few - we have doctors, immigration agents, direct service providers, neighbors, police officers, attorneys, retired teachers, mothers, daughters and brothers.  We meet monthly in the basement of a church in downtown Long Beach.  Our meetings revolve around building awareness and educating community members and potential victims, advocating for policy change and law enforcement, and providing aftercare for survivors- including providing assistance to those survivors, international and domestic, who are scheduled to testify against their perpetrators.

Some of our recent activity includes: January 8^th at a city council meeting, the City of Long Beach recognized human trafficking as an issue for the city, acknowledged the Long Beach Human Trafficking Task Force for our work, and also affirmed January 11 as Human Trafficking Awareness Day! 

January 12^th The Task Force partnered with the Bixby Strollers, a local walking club, to accomplish our first walk against human trafficking. (pictured above from left to right: Mary White- Gems Uncovered, Nicolassa Galvez- KCLB, Virginia Zart- Junior League LB, Dee Abrahamse- Lift Up, Mary Hinds- Junior League, Adam Anderson- KCLB, Councilwoman Jerry Schipske, Rohida Kahn-Dept Homeland Security, Mayor Bob Foster and Lyndsey Christofferson- research specialist)

Also January 12^th, Gems Uncovered, a drop in center for victims of trafficking and one of our key partnering organizations, held a press conference to raise awareness of the issue in Long Beach. We heard from Pastor Paula Daniels of Forgotten Children, Chief of Police, Jim McDonald, City Prosecutor Doug Haubert, and a representative from Councilmember’s Gerrie Schipske’s office. 

Most of us have full time careers, families, other community commitments, and the busy schedules that many passionate Long Beach residents maintain, yet we continue to make the monthly meetings.  While Kingdom Causes, Junior League of Long Beach and a few donors contribute a very small amount of funding to make copies of the agenda, buy brochures and a few other items – most (basically all) of our needs are met by the community. 

Someone knows a person who will donate their web design services, one family has a not yet rented apartment building and is willing to temporarily house victims waiting for their opportunity to face their captors in court; and a local church bought our Task Force banner. 

What I am reminded of every month as I walk down the stairs to the basement (that is “God-placed” under the church’s sanctuary) and see the faces of my fellow community members is that even without funding, without a boss telling us to attend yet another meeting, and without a full time administrator organizing volunteer task force members – a group of passionate neighbors can take a journey together (as long as it may take) to a destination – eliminating Labor and Sex Trafficking in Long Beach.

To find out more about the Long Beach Human Trafficking Task Force and how you can get involved, check us out on Facebook or visit www.kclongbeach.org.

30 Under 40 Introspection for Greater Impact

“A scientist, a barber and a beauty queen walk into a room…” Is this the beginning of a joke? Nope, it’s the scene of just a few of the leaders involved in 30 under 40 (30 leaders under 40 years old), arriving at our half-day spiritual retreat on Saturday morning. 30 under 40 is a leadership cohort that will meet quarterly for two years, whose mission is to create space for young leaders to explore, learn and respond to what Jesus is doing in the city. In February we met at Nino’s Italian Restaurant in Bixby Knolls for our kick off and to hear from Doug Richardson, founding pastor of Long Beach Christian Fellowship, about the spiritual history of Long Beach.

This past Saturday we met for a ½ day spiritual retreat centered on David Benner’s book, The Gift of Being Yourself. It was an incredible time of bonding and vulnerability with leaders from nearly every sector and district of Long Beach. We started by reflecting on who we were at our cores; past our jobs and roles we play, to how God really sees us. Then we talked about what that core meant about what we were created for, our calling and God-given vocation. That led into a time of sharing about our dreams for our city and the next two years as a group. Dreams shared included a spiritual healing and prayer center, cleaning up areas of Long Beach, prayer movements, night-walkers for violence prevention, congregations working together for collective impact, family being restored and education reform to name a few.

I believe this is a significant effort as we connect believers, Christ’s church, from every sector to represent God’s Kingdom come in Long Beach as it is in Heaven.  Jaci Anderson, my wife and a 30\40 participant, said it this way: “it is putting tangible faces to the response of what Jesus is doing in the city. It elevates the conversation from what we’re all doing as individuals to a much greater, collective, long-term impact on the city.” We’re all doing our best to answer Jesus’ call as individuals but if we truly heed his prayer in John 17, that we would all be one as he and the Father are one, our efforts are combined, the result is that the whole world would know that Jesus was sent by God, that he is the Messiah, the Christ and is alive! Our collective impact is the evidence of this, not just our individual lives as a witness. 

I have the privilege of working alongside Eric Marsh from Grace LB, Hope for Long Beach and Plant LB, Rachel Oblon from Parkcrest, Noemi Chavez from 7th St. Church and Del Black from Deep Roots Consulting in organizing this amazing cohort. This team very much represents the DNA we’ve tried to instill from inception of this initiative. We come from different places, worship at different churches and have different callings.

Please pray for our team as we continue to work well together. Our next cohort will be on the diverse make-up of Long Beach and the implications of this on how we lead in our various contexts. Pray for good and open conversations and increased unity as we explore, learn and respond together.