The End of February

"There's an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth: A right time for birth and another for death, a right time to plant and another to reap." Ecclesiastes 3:1-2, The Message

I am struck by these verses once again. I feel like there is indeed a time to consider the construct of time; a time to open up Ecclesiastes and remember everything happens when God intends it to. There’s always been something about the shortest month of the year that makes me ponder the length of life and the need to find God within the details. This week brought that into focus.

It would seem that it is the time for a garden at 5846 Gregory. We are excited to announce work days, beginning the afternoon of March 8th (from 1:30-4:30), and have been so thrilled at the level of interest from God’s people and some kids in the neighborhood. Alison has taken the lead on organizing this and is pulling together the talents of FPCH Deacons, young adults, and other community members in designing and planning the garden.

It is also time to begin to share testimonials about the year, as Mary, Sara, Stephanie, Alison, and I (along with our board members and some prayer partners) will be sharing the story of the year thus far with the Missions Committee at Hollywood Presbyterian on Monday, March 2nd. Anyone is invited, so if you’d like to come learn more about what’s going on here, please come to the Hollywood Presbyterian Sanctuary, 1760 N. Gower, from 7-9pm on Monday evening. We will be drawing from many experiences, like this one from Stephanie:

"[Working at a ]non-profit for homeless families, we have certainly noticed an increase in phone calls and intakes. We just had two new families move in and we are officially a full house once again. With those two new families came 7 new kids for my after-school program, which brings us close to 20 kids. I feel truly blessed to be working with these children. They continue to teach me new things each day and am certainly learning to be very flexible and patient."

We have a Discover group coming from Rimrock, Arizona the second week of March, so it is a time to be their stay and praying over the work they will be doing here in the city.

And these verses, in particular, have rocked me this week. We are surrounded by the joys of newborns and pregnancies within our church communities in the midst of several painful passings. The Lord indeed takes people home, and amen for this, but he also provides new life constantly here on Earth. May we be encouraged and press on in our work!

Blessings to all of you reading,

Matthew

6 Months In....

6 months in, and I finally have figured out how to become a blogger. :) Where to start?

Diving into Dwell, our 4 interns are truly making an impact upon our Los Angeles community. Working at PATH , My Friend's Place , The Oasis of Hollywood , and Door of Hope , these young women are gaining perspectives on the complicated mosaic that is our homelessness and street-life culture. Through building relationships with both their coworkers and their clients, I also believe they are actively playing a role in expanding God's kingdom.

Plans are being made to build a garden in the front of La Casa de la Comunidad, and the prayer and hope is that it may serve as a tool of fellowship and ministry for years to come, as well as provide food for future Dwellers and the neighborhood. Community members and congregants from Hollywood Presbyterian Church are playing a huge role in the start-up!

As for me, I am thrilled to be witnessing the growth, both within the house and within the neighborhood. The Dwellers are challenging themselves to live simply on reduced budgets and reduced use of natural resources and automobiles. They are working hard to live intentionally, and though it is not easy and often turbulent, these four are finding ways to streamline their cooking, cleaning, and communication. Along with prayer mentors, weekly book studies and worship, and regular church attendance, the Dwellers are working hard to remain in prayer, both with each other and independently, over discerning God's will in their lives over the course of this year and beyond.

In fact, one specific prayer was that more men might be interested in serving in Hollywood, given the large population of young men living in the community. In response, I began receiving calls and emails from men around the country (and the world!) who felt a calling towards LA. At this point, we have two Dwellers confirmed for next year and they are both men: one from Mississippi, and one coming to us after serving a year in Peru! Amen.

In preparation for the summer, we have groups contacting us from Arizona, Northern California, Massachusetts, Colorado, and the calls keep coming in. Last month, we hosted a group from Montana, and were blessed by their willingness to reconsider homelessness and really seek to establish dialogue and communication with people that, most admitted, they may have previously tried to ignore. We all learned from each other that week through service and discussion.

I aim to maintain this blog every week or so, so come back often! -Matthew