A Sense of Urgency

Are you doing everything that you can to help others?  Do you look for opportunities? Do you pray that God will put people in front of you who need some sort of aid, love or attention? In other words, is there a sense of deep urgency in your life for addressing the needs of others? When I talk about urgency, I mean a profound sense of longing, almost to the point of frantic desperation.

One evening not too long ago I was sitting at home minding my own business when the phone rang. It was one of my closest friends, and I knew immediately something was wrong.  One of our mutual friends was missing. His wife had no idea where he was and had assumed the worst. The lost friend was an avid biker, and rode his bicycle anyplace that was a reasonable distance to travel. He had been on his bike that day but had not been heard from in hours.

By the time I received the phone call, action was already being taken. The lost friend’s son was out scouring the usual travel routes, another friend was calling area hospitals, and still others were calling possible stopping points. Being that we were macho guys, we were ready to metaphorically saddle up our horses and ride like the wind (even though we had no idea where to go). After several tense hours of prayer and ongoing phone calls, our friend thankfully appeared. He been at a meeting that went long and had forgotten to notify his wife. It turned out to be a simple miscommunication and all turned out well. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, enjoyed a nervous chuckle and went on with life.

Upon hearing of our temporary lost sheep, our church pastor observed, “wouldn’t it be great if we approached evangelism in the same way that we approached our lost friend?” What true words he spoke, and we can apply the same thought process to loving our neighbors as we go about our day.

Obviously, our lives are busy, but are they really? What if we spent every waking moment thinking of ways to love our neighbors? Do I pace the floor fretting about the possibility of hurting souls in the same way that I paced the floor that night when my friend was lost?  I admit that seems a daunting task, and it cramps my personal desire for comfort, leisure and physical rest. But think about all the time we can spend entertaining ourselves, doing mindless activities and generally wasting time.

I’m not suggesting that we seek misery, or refuse to enjoy the joys of living life on this beautiful world that God has created. The point is that we can often have a sense that someone else is going to address the problems of this world. Transforming a community is accomplished one relationship at a time, and those connections include our daily interactions.

There is no time like the present. Do you have a sense of urgency?

God's people using their gifts to love their neighbors

One of the privileges of my job is that I get to meet good people in Bellflower who are interested in using their talents, time and treasure to love their neighbors and to make a difference.  Jerry and Betty Watts have been so generous with their time and I wanted to share the end result of some of their service.

As you may know we've been working over the last three years to help families who are experiencing homelessness or the risk of homelessness through coaching(case management) and rental assistance.  When a family actually becomes homeless they often lose everything but the possessions they can carry with them, or store in their car.  When we help re-house them we try to outfit their new place with some  furniture that has been donated so they won't have to sleep on the floor or live out of suitcases.

Recently Jerry Watts, one of the most handy-guys I know, said he wanted to share his talents for God's purposes and so when we got a "well-used" dresser donated, he came and picked it up promising to make the dinged-up and battered dresser a work of art.  Boy did he deliver!  Not only did he put countless hours into polishing, painting and repairing the old one, he made a new one to match!  Check out the finished product below.  I am excited to see the faces on the next family that comes through our program when they receive their "new" furniture repaired and created with love.  Thanks God for the unique gifts and abilities you've placed in your body to love our neighbors.

Together we helped 35 people stay off the streets last month!

I am again so blessed to report that thanks to the direct investment of Calvary Bellflower and First Bellflower CRC we've been able to tangibly bless several families in our community this month that would have been homeless during the holidays.

Thanks again brothers and sisters... let's keep working together to love our neighbors at the point of their need!

Here's one of their stories:

C. V. – Bellflower Neighbor

Last month, a woman came into the Community Center in desperate need of housing. This woman had been in a domestic violence relationship for the past three years. As of a year ago, she was able to gain the strength to leave this relationship, which in turn left her homeless. When she left this relationship she lost all of her belongings including her home, furniture, clothes, her car and some of her family and friends. All she has had for the past year are the clothes on her back. Sadly, she would sleep in friends’ cars, motels and on park benches. Fortunately, we were able to house this woman locally. Our Program would not have been able to help this individual get off the streets and into a safe place to live without the finical assistance and prayers that we have received from Bell One and Calvary Baptist. Now that this individual is stably housed, she is able to focus on healing from the pain she has endured during her lifetime. She has attending bible study and support groups through local churches and is excited to gain a network of safe friends in the Bellflower community.

Can we end homelessness in Bellflower?

Have you ever seen a homeless neighbor on the side of the road and given a buck or two?  Or maybe you've gone so far as giving them some food but were left wondering if it really did any good? 

I have been working with our homeless neighbors for over a decade and I have had some of that same feeling.  I feel good about doing something, but I also feel a bit like the little good I've done is a "drop in the bucket", or worse that my well-intentioned help in someway contributed to the difficulties for these neighbors by enabling someone to stay in their current condition.

I have learned that any effort to end homelessness in Bellflower is going to be complex and must involve change and shalom at personal, legislative and systemic levels. 


That's why I am so excited about what God has been doing in our little corner of creation lately with regard to our homeless neighbors.  This month KCB is leading Bellflower Counts, a united effort involving the City, County, State and even National groups to end homelessness.  

This month we're working to organize over 50 volunteers to identify Bellflower’s most vulnerable chronic homeless individuals over the course of 3 days using something called the Vulnerability Index.  After we complete the surveys, we'll work hard to find supportive housing for the 12 neighbors we identify as most vulnerable, and most likely to die on the streets if not housed.


Our hope is that over the next year, we will be able to pair these 12 neighbors with local small groups or churches who will lovingly support them as they transition to being housed.  Some of the support could be helping to furnish their new places, including them in group outings or events, and generally praying for and checking in on these newly housed neighbors.

This effort fits with our ongoing goal of mobilizing the church to love our homeless neighbors together.  It's a part of a complex solution to complexities that homelessness brings in the lives of Bellflower neighbors living on the streets.  Contact Kim at kimb@kingdomcauses.org to find out how you can get involved!

Community Responds to Prayer Requests for Bellflower

Photo courtesy of Diandra Jay/Press Telegram

Last Tuesday we hosted the Mayor's Community Prayer Breakfast.  We had a panel of community experts sharing, from their perspective, how we could pray for our city during the economic downturn.
(From left to right)

• Nichole McGahey, President of Caring Connections, a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the needs of children/families in BUSD, shared about the struggles that local families with school-aged children are experiencing.  She also remarked on the incredible support within our community & school district to help one another.
• Marina Flores, Program Director of Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing through OPHS, shared about the 150 families that have approached their program for help keeping a roof over their heads.
• Mike Egan, City Manager of Bellflower, expressed his deep gratitude for the staff who have remained faithful to serving even though they've had to take big cuts and for the many organizations who have stepped up to take over what the city can no longer afford.  He was transparent in sharing the many financial needs in our city and asked for the people to pray for wisdom for the leaders as they make tough decisions.
• Cristina McConnell, President of the Bellflower Chamber of Commerce, told the crowd about how several business owners are working together to creatively support local businesses in our city.  She also shared about the hard times many local businesses are facing due to people spending less of their paycheck locally.

After the panel shared their prayer requests, four community members led the group of 100 in prayer.

One guest was particularly moved by the stories of local families struggling to make ends meet.  The next morning he dropped off a check for $1000 to Caring Connections to be used toward basic needs for families in our school district.

Click here to read the article written about the breakfast on Press Telegram.

Helping a Lakewood family to stay off the streets.

Susie doesn’t fit my stereo-types about homeless people. She has got a college degree and is used to working two jobs at a high-paying employer in town. She’s used to having enough, she lives in a middle-class town amongst middle class neighbors.

But when Susie came to our office in April 2010 she was facing the reality of being evicted from her apartment and moving into her car with her daughter while struggling with chronic depression. You see, she’d lost her second job and had been placed on disability at her primary employer. Things looked really bad, little did she know things would get worse before they got better.

We were able to enroll Susie and her family in the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Program (HPRP), a program that is designed to help families through rental and utility assistance when they fall behind because of economic hardship.

Susie was able to remain in her apartment with her children and with some coaching from Staci, her case manager (pictured above), she learned more about her rights as a renter. Empowered, Susie was able to work with her landlord to lower her monthly rental payments. Things were looking good. But then Susie was laid off by her primary employer.

I thank God that Staci was there to help, encouraging Susie to remain steadfast in her attempt to find a new place of employment, providing the family with just enough financial help to remain stable and housed.

The good news came today. After only a few months without work, Susie was offered a new position with her old employer. She’s following a monthly budget and housing sustainability plan, she has been able to cut costs and locate other community resources that weren’t previously accessible to her.

Susie’s family is going to be safe from the streets. We are so thankful for this innovative program that provides financial and emotional support to families who are not used to the difficulties this economy is presenting all of us with.