Serving is Hard!

By Gary Keith, Lead Pastor

Recently a person posed a question to all of his friends on Facebook. He asked “What makes it hard for you to serve other people?”

They gave some great answers, including:

“Serving is hard when it doesn’t fit into my schedule or plan. Like when I want to go for a walk or take a long bath, but my aging parent needs me to sort their meds, run an errand, or simply be with them.” 

“It’s hard when their need seems endless. I don’t want to risk helping
because I may get sucked in. Being swallowed up in the serving and
not getting to be the me I think I am or should be.” 

“There is such limited energy left after a demanding workday, meeting our basic responsibilities (whether with young kids or in the corporate world). How do you balance the need for rest and self-care with serving others?”

But my favorite answer was this one: “What makes it hard to serve others? Others.” How true! Serving is not something that comes naturally, but that’s okay because as Christians we have someone to follow and lead the way – Jesus. Most of us are familiar with Jesus’ words in Mark where He says, “I did not come to be served but to serve and give my life as a ransom for many.” There it is. As we follow Jesus, serving others becomes a supernatural practice He calls us to join Him in.

“What makes it hard to serve others? Others.”

Recently we held training for the 12 people who have taken a bold step of faith to serve. The training was for our new Open Table ministry. They each gave up six hours one Saturday to learn all they could about serving someone else. And what was so encouraging when the training was over was their
response. “Let’s get moving,” they said. “I’m ready to serve,” they said. Truly they are modeling the heart of Jesus.

In the very near future these 12 people will lead the way as they meet with a person in poverty weekly for a year. The goal is to build a lifelong relationship. And when this relationship unfolds they will be involved in helping this person achieve their own personal life plan.

In some ways I think these 12 are pioneers. They have a heart that beats for the things God’s heart beats for, and I couldn’t be more proud or excited for them and for our church.

LBF is not a place to come and consume the things you need. No, it is a place where together we serve one another in a multitude of ways to help us all see Jesus and grow in Jesus. If you’re not serving you’re missing out. And LBF is not all it could be without you serving. We have many places to start – just send me an email and we’ll help you start serving just like Jesus. Remember our value – every member a minister (one who serves)!

Open Table Launches at LBF

By Gary Keith, Lead Pastor

After more than two years of praying and planning and educating and building connections with our community, LBF will start a new ministry to those who are  experiencing poverty and I couldn’t be more excited.

During the month of February we will be training those of you who have
volunteered to be part of this “Home Mission” effort. I’m grateful for a man named Jon Katov, who started The Open Table in 2005 after his own encounter with poverty and a deep Christian desire to do something that will last.

As we begin this “Home Mission” it reminds me of my trip to Kenya in several ways. For example, I knew what I wanted to see accomplished in Kenya, but I had never met the actual people, so I needed to be ready to flex and adjust to their needs and not just my own pre-determined ideas of what to do. Starting this new Open Table ministry will be the same.

I know that our end goal is to help people in poverty return to a self-sustaining lifestyle, but I really can’t predict everything we will face or every situation that will come our way. With the Open Table model, the person we are helping has full veto power to anything that the table suggests. This is to maintain the dignity of the individual. It is also important for the individual to believe that they are in control of their life and that they can do this for themselves.

Yes, it is true that there is still much to learn as we enter this world of helping people in a genuine and authentic way. And in an effort to help in that learning, our elders and staff are reading a book called When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty without Hurting the Poor and Yourself. Although we are just beginning our reading, even the first chapter reminded us of something we may have forgotten or not thought about lately. The author asked, “Why did Jesus come to this earth?”

Now the answer for most of us would be to provide salvation, to provide forgiveness for our sins, to do what we could not do for ourselves. And you would be correct. But let’s not forget what Jesus also said: 

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19).

So as we start this new ministry to the poor, rest assured that we are smack-dab in the middle of God’s will for us as a church. May His name be glorified and His reputation enhanced in our community as we move forward.

Helping the Homeless

By Gary Keith, Lead Pastor

A recent study has identified at least 200 people who are living on the streets, in fields, or under freeway overpasses right here in Upland. Many of these people are not what we normally think of when it comes to homelessness. Many of these people were displaced as a result of the economic downturn in 2008. And it’s not just about single men and women who are living in chronic homelessness; it’s also about families with children. It’s a great need and we’re called by Jesus to respond. 

Meeting this need is complex and difficult. It’s about more than simply finding these people and placing them in an apartment. To really embrace this problem takes a much larger commitment of time, patience, and love. It requires making an effort to gain a deeper understanding of the needs of people who find themselves in poverty and homelessness and responding to those needs with
a holistic approach.

Helping the homeless can also be intimidating. It’s like heading out into uncharted waters. We don’t feel well equipped, the challenges are complex, each situation is unique, and we certainly don’t have all the answers. We are fearful that we’re going to let someone down. We’re afraid the burden and responsibility will be too great. These issues paralyze us and as a result, we just don’t get involved. 

The Open Table Solution

Open Table is a ministry organization with strategies and resources for helping families move from poverty to personal health and productivity. Through Open Table, you don’t need to have all the answers and you won’t bear the burden all alone. A collaborative team of 12 people will work together to solve the complex issues of re-establishing a person or family out of homelessness into stability. 

Picture a large table with 13 chairs. One chair is for the family we are assisting, the other 12 chairs are for people to come alongside and help. Each chair represents a different area of responsibility – for example, housing needs, finances, transportation, education, job skills, etc. Each person sitting at the table will take responsibility for their area and help the family regain their footing. The 13 people at the table are working together to bear the burdens and responsibility to bring the family to long-term health and wholeness.

This month LBF will officially begin a new project in alignment with our Love in Action
vision called Open Table. This is a project that has been several years in the making and it is all about connecting with our community and helping the homeless.

This project has two phases. Phase one includes partnering with Mercy House in
Ontario by sponsoring families while they are in their program. During this time we will
receive training from Mercy House and then be assigned to a person or family who has been taken off the street and have entered into Mercy House’s program. 

Mercy House does more than just house people. They also have programs designed to meet the specific needs of each family so that at the end of their program, they will have a better opportunity for success. During the time they are living at Mercy House, LBF members will meet the family and become acquainted with them. We want to be an encouragement to these families while they are in the program at Mercy House and create a foundation of relationship that we will build from when we launch phase two.

Phase two begins once they are released from Mercy House. It’s at this time that we will move from sponsoring a family to adopting a family. We will build upon the relationship started during their time at Mercy House and continue that relationship for the next 12 months. 

During these next 12 months we will assist this family in a variety of ways. Our goal is to wrap our arms of love around them and help them complete the process they began at Mercy House. 

As I mentioned earlier, what we are about to embark on has been several years in the making. This new effort takes into consideration the needs and the barriers to solving those needs, and provides a solution that really falls upon all of us as followers of Jesus. 

But in our church we will share the load of this need together. And together we will help people out of poverty, while at the same time we will have the opportunity to address their spiritual need as well. I could not be more excited for this opportunity and the impact it will have in our city and in our church, but more directly in the lives of people God allows us to love.

Next Steps

There you have it. This project involves our church, Mercy House, and Open Table. Together we have the privilege of helping people in very real and tangible ways. 

If this type of project makes your heart beat fast or you feel like you can’t wait to become involved, I want to invite you to an informational meeting on January 26, at 12:15 p.m. in The Garage. Lunch will be included.

In the meantime, please be part of this effort by praying for the families that God will bring into our lives, for the people from this church who will be engaging face to face with those in need, for the two organizations we are partnering with, and for the desire to grow this ministry and see it impact our city for Jesus.

There is a huge opportunity to put our love into action. Will you be part of the team?