Thank you Chrissy!

It was about three years ago that I met Chrissy Padilla at the Sheriff Station here in town at a meeting I was having with a deputy in charge of homeless issues. She was there to find others in Bellflower who had a heart for the community.  It wasn’t long before she was serving as a volunteer and eventually became a board member for Kingdom Causes Bellflower. In 2006, Chrissy left her well-paying job in Orange County to move into the Eucalyptus Ave. neighborhood (a place notorious for drug dealing and violence) to become an Americorps member. Volunteering full-time for two years now, Chrissy has been a catalytic influence in this neighborhood. She has worked hard to organize neighbors and other community members; identifying THEIR dreams and THEIR plans for the neighborhood.  After listening, she then went to work helping to make them a reality.

Here are just a few changes we’ve witnessed in the neighborhood as a result of Chrissy’s faithful service:
• Two photography classes provided creative outlet for neighborhood kids
• A team of neighbor women meet weekly to pray for the neighborhood
• A weekly time after school for algebra tutoring started this fall
• Two Summer Soccer programs provided over 40 kids with a place to play
• Teens from the neighborhood were identified and invested in as leaders

While her time with Americorps comes to an end, she remains committed to her neighborhood and will continue to live there as her role with Kingdom Causes changes.  This fall she will become our Operations Director helping with a variety of tasks including directing a Reciprocal Language Class that will teach English and Spanish to community members who want to expand their language competency.  I bless God for bringing Chrissy to Bellflower and for her partnership in seeking first the Kingdom here. Special thanks to Chrissy for her servant’s heart, may God move many more in his church to serve as she does.  

Bellflower Christmas Store: Dignifying Generosity

Through this unique initiative, Kingdom Causes Bellflower gives families a chance to have Christmas with dignity. You can help people have the dignity they deserve by providing donations for this innovative program. Instead of giving handouts to families in need at Christmas time, Kingdom Causes gives local moms, dads, grandparents and children the opportunity to purchase gifts for their family through the Community Christmas Store.
New toys significantly marked down 70% off the retail price and sold to those in the community who cannot afford to buy presents at full price. Families with children in Kingdom Causes’ programs are offered the opportunity to earn vouchers toward purchases made at the Community Christmas Store by completing community service work, such as helping in the Kingdom Causes office with newsletters and other mailings. Bring your unwrapped gifts to Kingdom Causes at 9881 Alondra Blvd. Call us @ 562-804-2189 for more information on how to get involved

Reciprocal Language Program: Hablame

We are EXCITED to announce the beginning of Hàblame, a new program that pairs native Spanish speakers seeking to learn English, one-on-one with native English speakers seeking to learn Spanish. Have you ever wanted to learn Spanish, or to help someone learn English? Then this program is for you! Hablame provides the opportunity for people from different cultures in Bellflower to build bridges. Each participant offers the gift of teaching their native language and sharing their culture, while learning a second language and culture. The one-on- one pairing throughout the class sessions, will give you an opportunity to practice your language skills and make some new friends!

City-wide Christmas Concert: Worshipping Jesus Together

We are so excited to be able to invite you to be part of a Bellflower Community Christmas Choir event.  The purpose of this event is to provide an opportunity for Christians to worship God together in unity.  This event will take place on Sunday, December 14, at 7:00 PM. (Location to be announced.) It will be a concert including a choir cantata called “There Is Peace in the World Tonight” as well as some carol singing and orchestra Christmas music. The cost to choir members is $10.00 for a book and an optional $6.00 for a CD. Contact Teri Larsen at tlarsen@property-taxes.com for more information.

Behold How Good and Pleasant it is!

"Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity..." This is what part of our Bellflower Christian community experienced about two weeks ago as we gathered on a Sunday evening to worship our Lord under a warm late summer sky. As the praises went up some people raised their hands in adoration while others simply held them reverently at their sides. Some stood; some sat; others clapped and even swayed with the rhythm of the music, while some remained immobile and in silence perhaps letting their hearts speak out. We were culturally diverse, yet we worshipped as one. We were of various backgrounds, but united in Christ.
As I stood there watching and listening to the praises of God's people, I was reminded that God not only delights but dwells in the praises of his people. We are God's Kingdom, and he dwells among us. We are his ambassadors to Bellflower. If we can come together as one to praise him, shouldn't we also come together as one to serve him in our community? Could we work together using our unique and different backgrounds for his glory? Could we worship him as one by uniting in service to the poor and the needy, to the homeless and the hungry, or to whomever God puts in our path today? It is my prayer that just as our praises were raised as one, that praying and working as one in the community in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ will cause the people of Bellflower to worship and give thanks to God, to declare his glory, and to acknowledge that God's Kingdom has truly come to them.

Breaking Bread Together--Going the Extra Mile

Tuesday evening is always a special time for me as I go out with other volunteers to distribute sack dinners to our friends and neighbors. It's good to see the friendly faces I see every week, like Darryl's, and to shake the familiar hand that greets me and makes me feel welcomed, like Ernie's. There's always the pleasure of meeting someone new, like Mama Dee, and the relief of seeing that one friend you have been praying for because you haven't seen him for a while and finding out that he is okay, like Kenny.

However, last week something happened that taught me that maybe once in a while at least, I should go the extra mile. As we gathered around an outdoor table at Pollo Loco on Alondra and Woodruff, passing out some of the dinners, Mama Dee suggested we pray first for the food. We held hands as she prayed, and two other people, including Kenny, spoke up excitedly asking for their turn to pray. One prayed the Lord's prayer and we followed; the other just spoke from his heart until he was interrupted. It was a special moment for me as I realized that I and they are just the same, sinners saved by grace. But as I drove away I thought, if Jesus had been with us, he probably would have stayed behind and would have eaten with them--the faceless, nameless homeless strangers which we see everyday on the streets of our city. So perhaps on another day, when I'm not so busy going around doing good deeds, I will sit down and eat and partake together just as Jesus did; just as I believe he might have done on this occassion.

Special thanks to our GREAT VOLUNTEERS!

Last Saturday we had people serving all over the city! It was awesome.

To start the day, I headed over to Calvary Baptist church where Rosewood Church had a group working hard in the kitchen to make breakfast for our homeless neighbors. They did a great job once again! People got some great food and a chance to hear and experience the Gospel.

After breakfast I went over to First Bellflower Christian Reformed Church where a team of 16 men from the congregation gathered to help out with some work projects. They spent the morning hours helping to repair a couple of the trailers that we use to offer affordable transitional housing, and hanging and sanding drywall at another local ministry. They were SO helpful and generous with thier time and resources.

That same morning, volunteers from Bethany Church spent time weeding the flower beds out front of the Community Center and washing windows. What a blessing that was to our neighbors here in the strip mall. Max, our Muslim neighbor who runs a business next door came in to the office on Monday and expressed his thanks for the work that the volunteers did. I was able to tell him that the volunteers did this because they were seeking to honor God and simply love our neighbors like Jesus commanded.

What a great day! Thank you to all who gave thier time to serve.

Memorial for a Neighbor

The Stagger Inn bar was as dark as I had expected it to be, especially in comparisson to the afternoon sun of late July. Heidi, Aura and I were here to attend a memorial for Cooksie, one of the homeless neighbors we have come to know during weekly outreach to our neighbors without addresses. Apparently he had died in the early hours of the previous Sunday as he slept. Kenny, another homeless neighbor who stays by the Inn was shaken as he shared with me his account of finding the body. He was clearly suffering this afternoon... missing his friend of many years. He showed me to a makeshift memorial that had been set up in honor of this good friend just outside of the bar. Back inside the crowd was sparse but filled with familiar downturned faces. Someone was passing out free 16 oz King Cobra malt liquor as a remembrance. Heidi, Aura, and I sat a bit awkwardly at the tables to the right of the bar where a small gathering had assembled. We did our best to converse a bit and communicate a little comfort to these hurting friends. Aura was sitting at the end of the table talking with an older woman whose dentures were perilously close to falling out of her mouth as she complained about her "old man". As Aura sat calmly listening, graciously ignoring the foul language that peppered the conversation I was struck that this would be a place... a gathering... an event that Jesus would have attended. I was struck by the fact that these neighbors, hurting and raw are passionately loved by God. He knows thier hearts, sees thier pain, and longs for them to reach out to him.

A funny thing occured to me, I felt the same presence of Jesus in this bar at this memorial as I have felt in sanctuaries and worship services. The same Jesus we worship on Sundays is present in the pits... and he invites us along. It is when we follow him to the lowest places that we learn about the radical love of God and his desire for shalom for the least of these.

God may your kingdom come in the Stagger Inn as it is in heaven.

Cooksie

Camping with EUCY Group

This week we took 4 kids from our neighborhood on a camping trip to Leo Carrillo State Beach/Park. We met up with another group from Artesia. It was the first time camping for some of the kids. We had a blast exploring the trails and playing in the ocean. Each day different teams cooked the meals and helped around camp. On Wednesday morning we took the group down to the beach and gave each of them a little journal to write their thoughts on. We asked them to consider what things in their life make them who they are today... the good and the bad. It was a great reflection time for them. Here are some more pictures:

At night we had a campfire with s'mores, hot chocolate and games.

The kids burried Joel in the sand. Great team building!

Carolina caught a big fat lizard. Some of the boys caught frogs in the riverbed.

Desiree helped with a lot of the cooking. The burgers were super good!

Jesus and The Kingdom of God

Photo Fundraiser

Here are some of the pictures from our photography class exhibit. Thank you to all who supported us last night at Streetfest. 8x10 photos are still available for a $20 donation. Email Chrissy for more information.

Ice Cream Truck AP-01

Behind Lock and Key AP-02

Shopping Cart AP-05

Bird Prints AP04

More...

Peace NM05

Majestic Tree NM01

Private Property NM03

Curtain of Bubbles Vn03

Vintage Downtown Bellflower VN01

More...

Feiry Palm MM03

Neighbor Boy MM02

Shoe Star MM01

Pink Flower w/ Bug MM06

And more pictures....

Pirates of Bellflower KR01

Boy on Stairs KR09

People Mug KR03

Blight Boat KR02

Caged Bird KR05

Bellflower Sunset CC05

Seal Beach Pier CC01

Seal Beach Local CM01

Focus CM07

More pictures from photo class...

Touching the Sun AM01

Reflections AM03

Green Moss AM07

Eucalyptus Signal CC02

Wave Crashing Under Pier CC03

Proud of our Somerset Graduate!

Yesterday we had the honor of attending one of our EUCY member's graduation from Somerset High School.  He won two awards and was specifically mentioned in the ceremony.  His family was so excited for him.  It was great to share in this special moment for our friend.  We are so proud of him and excited to see him excel after high school.  Pray that God provides a good job and a way for him to go to college.  This young man has a ton of potential!

These are the "Good Old Days!"

As we look around our city we tend to reminisce about "The good old days..."
Well these may not be the good old days, but these can be the "good new days"
if we reminisce about this one thing: The good old days were possible because
of the "good old neighbors."
We are "the good old neighbors" of today...
and the Bellflower of today can be the city our children and grandchildren will reminisce about tomorrow.
As we step out to bless Bellflower ... one neighbor at a time...one moment at a time...one playground at a time...one neighborhood in Bellflower at a time...these will become the "good old times...and the good old days" of today and tomorrow!
To all the good neighbors and friends who stepped out last Friday to help build the new playground I want to say: let's think of it as our monument to the new "good times!"

Mexican Dinner

Sometimes you just know when God is at work. It’s nothing you did, it just happened. I started working at Kingdom Causes last week and went to a meeting for EUCY, the teen leadership group from our neighborhood. Afterwards, the kids wanted to make dinner for Chrissy at her house and I was invited. I showed up and the kids were pushing Chrissy out the kitchen and started the long process of teaching me how to cook Mexican food. The meal was incredible! But more than that, the time we spent together was amazing. We laughed, drank sprite from wine glasses, laughed some more, and talked about life- the good and the bad. We shared a meal, prayed together, even sang a couple worship songs, and the kids initiated the whole thing. I couldn’t ask for a better start to moving back into this neighborhood. The foundation for a relationship was laid in that night, and I had nothing to do with it. It was a God thing.

Pictures from Photography Class

We're almost finished with our second Photography Class for neighbors. Here are some of the best pictures so far: