Beloved,
The Psalmist writes, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
These words have always been a comfort to me, but I hold them in my heart dearly now. Every day, we awake to the challenging news that more people are infected, more people are dying, and the only way to mitigate the risk is to stay home.
These are very hard times for all of us, locally and globally. These are anxiety-provoking times, economically and emotionally.
The effects of the pandemic are causing us to re-evaluate who we are and how we function. Most of us have experienced a radical shift in duty, vocation, and focus. Some jobs have become decidedly essential, while others have evaporated.
As your pastor, I am praying for you. I pray every day that you are safe and well. I pray that your job continues to hold and that your home is secure. I pray that you have food on your table and a way to connect with your friends and loved ones. I am praying for your children. I am praying for our teachers. I am praying for our medical care professionals and our grocery store employees. I am praying for our houseless neighbors and those who are in the millions of unemployed.
I am praying without ceasing.
Today, I ask that you pray, too.
When I arrived at LA First UMC in July of 2017, I came with hopes and prayers. Serving a congregation with a long and rich history, and no building, is an inspiring challenge, and one I was grateful to share about during UMC LEAD in January 2018 (also on YouTube). This video went viral on Facebook and gained LA First UMC the reputation for being a congregation who is willing to see our biggest challenge as our greatest strength.
Our ministry has the gift that most pastors can only imagine: the ability to take each dollar and commit it to ministry, not overhead. We pay our property taxes and apportionments in full, and use the rest to create jobs, feed the hungry, and preach good news to the poor. We have prayed and considered how we could transform our most gracious asset, our land, into a solution for Los Angeles’ most critical problem: the lack of affordable housing.
For more than a decade, our church’s greatest financial support has been parking lot revenue. We have the thoughtfulness, creativity, and innovation of our predecessors to thank for this blessing.
But, on March 11, it was announced that the NBA and NHL would suspend the remainder of their season. On March 26, the Governor of California had issued a shelter-in-place order for the state. Our revenue for the month of March, overnight, went from the generous amount we earn from the parking lot to $0.
Our congregation has been wise and holds money in reserve that should enable us to sustain our work for a few months.
It has been a joy to pastor a church in which we didn't have to ask for money to support the operating budget. But now, we need your help.
Our goal is to raise $20,000/month for payroll, so that we can continue to employ all the people who are working tirelessly to bring the Good News to all who need to hear it.
My prayer is that we can raise enough money to cover our church’s payroll over the next three months. This allows the congregation to use any money we have on hand to directly support our ministries.
It has been a blessing to ask for support for other things. During our ministry, we have dedicated our communion offering to organizations who reflect our values and mission such as:
Destination Crenshaw in memory of Nipsey Hussle
the Trevor Project
and most recently, a Jubilee Fund to help eliminate the medical debts of our community.
We have converted our parsonage into a co-housing community, which now has 6 residents living safely and affordably together. We have been able to support people who might not have been able to find sustainable housing in the current market, and we can ensure that they will stay housed during the pandemic. It would be an additional hope to raise $3,000/month to support the utilities and expenses of the co-housing community.
What has not changed is our commitment to two things:
The radically inclusive and unfailing love of God, shown most powerfully through the ministry and grace of Jesus Christ.
The radically inclusive and unfailing love for one another, shown most powerfully through compassion and service to all people.
During this uncertain time, our church will continue to root and grow in our commitment to faith formation for all ages. We will continue to empower our community to feel confident in reading Scripture, to feel knowledgeable about how to engage these texts, and passionate about living out what we believe. We will continue to meet for Bible Study, Fellowship Time, and for worship.
The focus of our congregation will be seen in acts of service and outreach, social justice and advocacy. If we are not living out our faith in real ways, then we are empty vessels. There is so much work to be done in the world, and God literally became Incarnate to show us how to do it. We will take the teachings of Jesus seriously, especially now:
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’”- Matthew 25:34-40, NRSV
Feed. Quench. Welcome. Clothe. Care. Tend.
Those six verbs will continue to guide our work. Because Jesus said so.
This isn't new. In fact, it's the oldest possible mission statement for a church. We have known for some time that a building isn't necessary for our work. When we are able to gather again, what a great day that will be! In our work together, we have seen that the Body of Christ can be freed from the expectation that people will come through actual doors to seek out the Gospel. Right now, we, as Disciples, need to take seriously the work of bringing the Gospel to the world. Even now. Especially now.
I am so thankful for who we are, as a congregation:
We are a church that is Creative.
We believe that God created the world, and invited us to share our gifts as creative people. We recognize the movement of the Holy Spirit as we express our faith in a variety of creative ways - visual, musical, and theatrical. This is true in our worship, our work, and our mission.
We are a church that is Courageous.
We courageously claim our belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and Christ's commandment to courageously love God and love one another. We are courageous in our activism, our outreach, and our empowerment of others. This value leads us to be radically inclusive, social-justice oriented, LGBTQIA affirming, and open to all questions and doubts.
We are a church that is Compassionate.
We believe that the Holy Spirit remains with us as a comforting, advocating force in the world. Because of this, we are a church who values service to our neighbors, outreach to the lost, and care for the world. We listen with love, because we are called to be a voice to the voiceless. We work with dignity, because we are called to fight for the marginalized.
Thank you for being who you are. Together, we can continue to show God’s love to the world through our actions which reflect these values. It is an honor, now and always, to be your pastor.
Humbly,
Mandy