Grand Opening!

We had a great Grand Opening service! Thank you to The Movement Band, to all the support and encouragement from friends who came, and to Councilwoman Jan Perry for presenting the church with a Certificate of Commendation welcoming Live Church LA to the city.

We are ready to build! I imagine it will be like planting a seed, constantly watering it, giving it time, taking good care of the soil, patiently letting it take root, giving it sun, and watching it grow. It will be a labor of love, a walk of faith, and a true blessing.

Please pray for wisdom, favor, provision, and a constant focus on the goal - loving God and people!

Story

Story about Live Church LA - check it out:
http://blogdowntown.com/2009/09/4703-live-church-opening-its-doors-at-club-nokia

Word is Spreading!

This Sunday, September 27th (10am at Club Nokia at L.A Live) is the Grand Opening service! The word is getting around town - Councilwoman Jan Perry is coming to the service and will do a short greeting. Did an interview and took some pics today with a downtown news source (I'll let you know if its gets published). The Farm of Beverly Hills located just beneath Club Nokia is giving us free coffee and lunch specials so everyone can hang out after. Thank you for your continued prayers. We are a new church start-up and we have start-up needs. We are believing God will provide above and beyond all we could ever ask for or imagine!

New Strategies

When I look at what has made the biggest impact on the city of Los Angeles it has been things like economic development, jobs, small businesses, and lower crime, cleaner more sanitary streets etc. I think that most churches have good models for bringing Christians together and serving each others needs. I am challenged now with making a real, non-Christian attention getting, impact on my city. I want the low income families, the homeless, the police, city council and the mayor to bring up the names of Churches when they are asked what has made this city a better place.
What I typically find is that most models end up putting all their focus and energy into creating these communities and having big gatherings but little time, effort, and considerable resources are put into the tangible touch on the city and its people.
Having a big gathering does not impress the city, it doesn't show them unity, it shows them that there is a bigger group of Christians and they are probably going to use their leverage to unify on voting issues. That's how non-churched, non-Christians think. Until we display that we can really make a tangible difference in our city that isn't a church-growth strategy in disguise or political meddling, I don't think we are anything more to them than a religious gathering.

Cultural Shift

Just read a great book (very challenging and controversial). "Thy Kingdom Come" - An Evangelical's Lament: How The Religious Right Distorts The Faith And Threatens America, by Randall Balmer. In short, this book is a call to Christians and the Church to untangle itself from the distracting propaganda and power of the religious right and to realign with the message of the gospel. The message that God loves us and has made a way - that there is hope, forgiveness, redemption and real power to change the world - the message of Jesus Christ. That is what we should be known for, not for what we are against or who we endorse or what we stand on the corners of streets protesting.