Sharing the Riches

“The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches, but to reveal to him his own.” - Benjamin Disrael

 

 

Over the years God has blessed us with great biblical fellowship, teaching and leadership as we’ve grown-up spiritually.  He has also allowed us to learn skills in education, the arts and family life.  All of these things we gladly give away as we help others discover for themselves the riches God has deposited in them.   We never came to minister in the inner city to give handouts, but to really shine light on and let God restore the hidden and broken gems.  Daily we polish these gems to bring out their natural, God-given beauty. 

 

Updates…

 

Sharing the Blessing – Report from our Marriage Conference

We really had a double purpose in putting on this year’s marriage conference:

1.      to bless, train and teach couples so that they might grow in their marriage and in turn bless other couples in their day-to-day life and be better equipped to train-up their children….and

2.      to impart vision and serve as a catalyst – training and releasing others to do this kind of conference so that it can have a further Kingdom impact in new communities.

 

By the numbers:

·         11 hours of teaching/activities over 2 days

·         22 adults in attendance

·         25 children/babies having a good time

·         11 volunteers serving the children

·         4 churches represented

·         3 first time visitors that learned about the Good News of Jesus’ love as well as marriage!

·         2 languages: our event was presented in Spanish and English allowing more couples to engage deeper.

This event truly has served as a catalyst for other couples and ministries helping them reach out to other couples they know.  We have 2 groups that have taken the materials we used and are replicating it with their community right now.  We have 2 other churches eager to do the same in the coming months.  We have been blessed in our marriage and ministry – why not pass this on – it’s what Jesus wants from us.

 

A sample of what one lady shared in her evaluation at the end of the conference:

“This conference changed my life.  It changed my thoughts towards marriage.  Thank you for helping me to see how marvelous it can be to love my husband.”

17 x 2 = MORE!  Tutoring Increase

We will be doubling the number of students we help from 17 to 34 this month in our tutoring program.  Pray for this transition as it requires more space than we have in our building to work comfortably…but we would rather help more children and families than be ‘comfortable’. 

Pray for quick and deep relationships to be formed as we meet about 10 new families in these next two weeks.  Our desire is to see them saved and activated as part of our church as well as part of our tutoring ministry. 

Pray that we would not lack in tutors or supplies as we make this leap of faith to help more children. 

A recent tutor training

 

It’s Raining….A Surprise Baby Shower

 We were blessed, encouraged and surprised by a group of ladies that came together from our tutoring ministry and our church to put a baby shower together for Fabiola.  They mentioned it to me (Chad) and told me to keep it a secret, but even I was surprised at all they did to bless us and celebrate with us.  There was lots of food, fun games and many guests we would have never suspected.  It really felt like a special time for the church to be a church - living life together.  It was special that we did not have to organize or plan anything – something we hope can happen more often in the coming months and years in other areas of ministry.  One family even took the step to shower us with prayers and spoke blessings over our baby and family.   

Training and Releasing Teachers

We have been constantly working on recruiting workers for our nursery and children’s classes on Sunday morning.  Fabiola has done the bulk of this work for the last couple of years and is getting ready to hand the majority of it off to 8 other teachers.  This does require a lot of training, meetings and organization, but soon Fabiola will be able to focus on the baby and know that other women, men and youth have been given the opportunity to grow through serving the children. 

 

Family Update

Fabiola is not sure how much bigger her belly can grow, but the doctors continue to encourage us that everything is going really well.  Thank you for your continued prayers! 

 

 

Please Pray with Us…

Marriage and Baptism

This Saturday (February 22) a couple from our church will be getting married.  This will be the first wedding at our church!  Everyone is getting involved and the house where our church meets will be transformed into a very special space.  Some of the men stayed after service on Sunday to do yard work on their own initiative as a gift to the couple (hoping things will look extra nice on their special day).

Another lady took some time off work to power wash the front walkway and porch. 

This day is special for the couple and our church because after the ceremony and reception the couple will also be baptized.  Please pray over this couple and our church as we celebrate their commitment to one another and their commitment to Jesus as their Lord and Savior. 

Music Workshop

Once again we are offering a special opportunity for our church and community – free music classes!  Please pray that we might grow musically and worshipfully as a church and that we may reach many new youth and adults through music. 

 

Thank you for sharing with us your time, love, prayers, finances and encouraging words. 

Together, with your help and support, we continue to share the riches of our King with more people so that they may open up the door to salvation and walk into their potential in Him. 

 

Chad, Fabiola, Rebecca, Justice and baby boy

Pleading the Cause of the Voiceless

Our hearts are heavy this month. We need your help. We cannot do this alone. There are so many people - not ten, not one hundred, not a thousand, but tens and hundreds of thousands of people in our neighborhoods that know their life is not right, but have yet to be told the truth and have no idea on how to get things right. We know Jesus is the answer – we must share this amazing news! 

Just this week in the children’s class that Fabiola teaches at church a boy that just started coming explained how he believed in many different gods because that is what his teacher at school had taught him.  He was not yet aware of the one, true God.  Fabiola was burdened at this information that a precious child had been hidden in the darkness for ten years before he was able to hear the truth about Jesus. This child has now been empowered and commissioned to share the love and hope of Jesus with his classmates.

“We become the voice of the voiceless, pleading their cause all the way to the throne of heaven. We demand to be heard. We insist that changes be made. Like Abraham we bargain with God over the fate of the city. Like Moses we argue with God over the fate of the people. Like Esther we plead with God over the fate of the nation.” (Richard Foster)

We need prayer more than ever. We have faith. We have vision. God gives us strength. But we need prayer. Pray for us – our family and our relationship with the Lord – but also for those that we are training up as co-laborers in this needy, yet strategic place of the world called South Central Los Angeles.  Would you take a few minutes and lift us all up right now? Imagine the power being released from heaven as many of us pray together for the salvation of the many lost and broken lives wandering in the city.  As we unify together we believe hundreds of thousands of people will be saved!  Thank you!!

Above: Our church at our Christmas banquet.  Many mighty warriors are being loved and trained-up for Christ.

Together we will see the power of God crush out the darkness,

Chad, Fabiola, Rebecca, Justice and baby boy