CALLED

2011-08-26T14:52:00.000-07:00

I want to encourage you to listen to this message. It is a sermon entitled, "Seek the Shalom of the City," and kicks off our series on the vision of New City called, For the City. It lays down one of the things that is at the heart of New City, and in particular, why participating in our Grow and Serve Group is so important. This is a very important sermon on why New City exists.

Major Launch of a New Kind of Small Group at New City: Grow and Serve Groups

2011-08-19T19:33:00.000-07:00

We are launching new groups this fall called Grow & Serve Groups. These groups will replace Community Groups and become the basic building blocks of the church. The goal of the Grow and Serve Groups will be twofold: to grow together AND serve the city, in other words, to become a discipling community that is on mission for God.

Click HERE for the Grow & Serve Groups FALL 2011 Catalog. We have 13 new groups. It's a perfect time join a small group. The groups are 13 weeks long (9/11-12/15). Click here if you want to find a group.

FAQs re Grow and Serve Groups

New Series at New City: FOR THE CITY

2011-08-19T19:26:00.000-07:00

We are starting an important vision series this Sunday called, For the City. This is a series on what it means to be a part of the gospel movement in Los Angeles where we not only share the good news but be the good news by serving the city. This is an important series to clarify our vision as we move towards the launch of Grow and Serve Groups. Please join us!

A Community Prayer Vigil for Baby Marcello who was Killed at Artwalk Last Night

2011-07-15T16:43:00.000-07:00

My heart is broken for baby Marcello Vasquez, the 2-month old baby killed last night at Artwalk. He was crushed by a falling parking meter which was hit by a car. It was an accident.

I think we all feel the need for the downtown community to come together to mourn the death of baby Marcello and pray for the family. So, we are calling the community to gather for a candlelight prayer vigil tonight at 8pm at 4th and Spring, the site of the accident.

What is a gospel-centered church?

2011-07-14T16:59:00.000-07:00

Here is a blog I found from RethinkMission.org on the question of "What is a gospel-centered church?" I think he is right on. Check it out:

A movement has begun among a diverse group of evangelical churches. Simply, one by one, pastors are coming to the realization that they are not preaching the gospel.

Pause.

Christian churches that do not preach the gospel? Wait. Are they teaching anti-Christian doctrine? Satanism? Snake-handling? Neo-shamanism? (I don’t really even know what neo-shamanism is, but it sure sounds cool.)

Often, it’s not that these churches have fallen into some gross heresy. Most likely, it’s just that over time, they’ve let the gospel slip in favor of another way to try to draw people and change people.

A few of the most prevalent things I’ve seen that can crowd out the gospel:

Moralism – using fear, rules, and commands as the basis for discouraging sin and encouraging holy living, which sadly results in increased self-righteousness among rule-keepers and absolute despair in those who are unable to live up.

Pragmatism – when in an effort to reach new people, church leaders spend more time teaching helpful techniques or useful principles than actually pointing people to the only thing that has real power to change both hearts and lives.

Political agendas – out of a desire to get involved in the public square and to influence policy, Christians of every political stripe often begin to equate the spread of the gospel with the growth of a specific political party or platform.

What’s tricky is that usually these –isms start with a noble aspiration: a desire to help people change & grow, a desire to reach out to people far from God, a desire to use influence to change the way things are done.

Unfortunately when something other than God is our primary goal, no matter how good that goal is, we will eventually start taking short cuts to get what we want accomplished.

A gospel-centered church understands that change or transformation of any kind, especially authentic heart-transformation, cannot happen apart from the gospel of grace.

A gospel-centered church roots and keeps the focus of all its activity – teaching, worship, outreach, social activism, and discipleship – honed in on the gospel: the riches of the grace of God available because of the sacrificial death of Jesus for sinners.

Because of this, a gospel-centered church is committed to:

• Reading & teaching the entire Bible in light of the gospel.
• Preaching the gospel to believers, not just unbelievers.
• Leaders applying the gospel to themselves first; church leaders are the first repenters.
• Cultivating a leadership culture marked by ever increasing “gospel astonishment.”
• Being known for an atmosphere of grace; gospel-centered churches are safe places for seekers, skeptics and those outside of the faith.
• Producing people who don’t just know the doctrine of the gospel but who love the person of Jesus Christ.

These are the themes that we are committed to fleshing out together in greater detail at Rethink Mission.

At the end of the day, grace isn’t just something we “get” and the cross is not just some object in time. These things hinge on a person. At the center of it all is a person.

Jesus.

In an age when his name is easily tossed around or relegated to some minor point of doctrine used to win arguments and manipulate people, we long for the day when Jesus is seen for what he is: the hero of the story.

Studying Missional Community as a Vehicle for Discipleship and Serving the City

2011-06-10T17:03:00.000-07:00

We are in the process of studying, reading, listening, strategizing, and discussing the missional community model for growing together and serving the city. This video is by a guy named Mike Breen and I am starting to learn from him. Check it out.

Mike Breen: What is a missional community? from Verge Network on Vimeo.

Downtown Low-Cost Vaccine for Your Dog Day

2011-05-18T02:06:00.000-07:00

People say there are more dogs in downtown than humans. So, New City Church of LA has put together an event to serve the dogs and their humans. We are offering low-cost vaccination for their dogs. We are keeping the costs very low by using all volunteer veterinarians and by charging pretty much only the cost of the vaccines. So, bring your dogs and get vaccinated (not you, but your dog, that is).

Downtown Easter Fest Was An Amazing Success

2011-04-28T21:12:00.000-07:00

New City Church of LA partnered with City Light Church this year to bring the Downtown Easter Fest. It was an amazing success! We expected a couple of hundred people but we ended up with probably around 1000 people. There was a lot of energy and a lot of people were so appreciative that we put on this event free to the public. It was a great opportunity to serve the downtown community and a lot of fun. I want to thank all of the amazing volunteers who didn't even have time to eat lunch because of the overwhelming demand and people lining up. Thank you all!

Good Friday and Easter Sunday Service

2011-04-21T20:32:00.000-07:00

Please join us for Good Friday Service on April 22 (Friday, of course) at 7pm at Spring Art Tower, 453 S. Spring St., Second Floor, Downtown LA.

On Sunday, Please join us for Easter Celebration Service at 10am at Los Angeles Theatre Center.

Then, after the worship, please join us for Easter Fest at Grand Hope Park.

What If We Planted a Church in Every Neighborhood in LA

2011-04-12T14:37:00.000-07:00

This is a neighborhood map of the City of Los Angeles. There are 114 distinct neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Some are as small as 10,000 and some are as big as 150,000. What if we planted a vibrant church reflecting Jesus and serving the community in every one of these neighborhoods?

Downtown Easter Fest 2011 at Grand Hope Park

2011-04-12T12:16:00.000-07:00

The Third Annual Downtown Easter Fest is on Sunday, April 24, from 12:30pm to 3pm, at the beautiful Grand Hope Park at W. 9th and Hope Streets in downtown LA. Parking is free around the park.

We will have picnic lunch, drinks, Easter egg hunt, bounce house, face painting, bubbles, arts and crafts, sack race, popcorns, free haircuts, and much much more, all for FREE to everyone.

This is an event for the community, not the church. All are invited! Bring your entire family and have fun!

This event is co-sponsored by New City Church of LA and City Light Church, both downtown LA churches.

Here are some pictures from Downtown Easter Fest from last year:

How to Apprentice Someone into Leadership

2011-04-01T11:44:00.000-07:00

We have been praying and thinking a lot of leadership development at New City. We have been growing faster than we can develop leaders. I think this this is a great article and something I have been thinking a lot about lately.

Apprenticeship x Reflection = Multiplication
Tim Balow

Leadership development is the lynchpin of successfully reproducing and multiplying small groups. But how do leaders really develop? How does a small group leader go about developing a process for raising up apprentice leaders? What will truly help another leader grow in their small-group facilitation and spiritual maturity?

Before you ever think about multiplying small groups, leadership development needs to be on your mind. Without leadership, small groups stagger from week to week, struggle to keep discussion moving, and grow stale in the vision for their group. Apprenticeship is the lynchpin for successfully reproducing small groups in your church or ministry for the hopes of drawing more and more people into a friendship with Jesus and others. It's is one very useful way to develop small-group leaders, because it involves spending time with one another, intentionally observing and reflecting on experiences, and moving toward the goal of actually leading another small group.

Dave and Jon Ferguson of Community Christian Church in Naperville, Illinois offer a very helpful twist on one popular model of helping emerging leaders catch the vision. Imagine the "I" in this model is the small group leader, while "you" is the apprentice. You may want to read through this a couple of times before moving on; it's is not only a wonderful model for developing apprentices, but a wonderful model for developing anyone.

I lead, you observe, we talk.
I lead, you help, we talk.
You lead, I help, we talk.
You lead, I observe, we talk.
You lead, someone else watches, we talk.

The twist here -- and the trickiest part as well -- is the last two words of each phrase: we talk. Reflection is one of the most important things that we can do to help others develop. Intentionally talking and listening to another person seems so simple, and yet it's a critical piece that's left out of so much training. Here are three areas vital to the reflection process:

1. Help emerging leaders grow in their strengths. Some leaders will have the ability to ask good questions and lead discussions, while others are going to be stronger in their ability to create hospitable and friendly environments. Help your leaders to know how their gifts and strengths can best be used in a small-group environment.

2. On the flip side, it's important to help your apprentices identify weaknesses. It may not be their natural inclination to be a welcoming person or to be a good facilitator at first, but identifying blind spots and weaknesses will help the leader to develop the assets that are crucial to leading a small group.

3. With those two things said, the last important reflection point in an apprenticeship is tohelp leaders move towards crucial assets that make up a healthy small group leader. What I mean by that is: While a leader will always have strengths and weaknesses, all small group leaders need to develop the ability to catch and cast vision, facilitate life-giving conversation, and create an environment that can bear the weight of friendship, conflict, and time.

This model may take some time to really take root in your church, but a healthy and growing small-group ministry survives and thrives where leadership development is intentional and consistent. God transforms apprentices into leaders, especially as leaders help them to see God's vision for growing friendships with Jesus and others.

A reflection on the problem of pain: sovereignty of God vs. free will

2011-03-20T19:35:00.000-07:00

There is a lot suffering going on right now: in Japan, in Libya, all around the world. It's not just out there, it is also within our lives and in our own communities. I preached on this subject today.

The problem of pain is the argument that God can't be both good and all powerful at the same time because if he was good, he couldn't be all powerful because he has not stopped all of the sufferings; and if God is all powerful, he couldn't be good because he has not stopped all of the sufferings. He can't be both good and all powerful.

It is interesting that there are two camps among Christians on how to explain the problem of pain, and those two camps are the same two camps on the debate between Calvinism and Arminianism. Predestination vs. Free Will. Sovereignty of God vs. Human free will. Piper vs. Boyd.

Here's how Greg Boyd, who emphasizes human free will, explains suffering: Suffering is caused by human free will, which led to a fallen state of the universe. God is powerful, but this power does not mean he controls everything. God does not exercise power by brute force but by loving influence. Through Jesus, he demonstrated that he is not a God of the power-over, the power of brute force, but a God of love, the power of power-under. Because he seeks to change people by the power of love, God allows suffering.

Here's how Reformed Christians, those who emphasize God's sovereignty, explain suffering. God is in control of everything, even suffering. God allows suffering because he has a purpose for it. Just like a surgeon has a purpose in causing the pain of surgery, God has a purpose for our pain. Just because we don't know the reason does not mean there isn't a good reason.

I preached from the story of Joseph which culminates in Genesis 50 where he says: "you meant it for evil but God meant it for good."

My argument is a middle argument between the free will people and sovereignty of God people. As Joseph said, "you meant it for evil." Our suffering is caused by human free will which led to sin and the fallen state of the universe. But, God is in control. "God meant it for good." God is so powerful that he can actually turn even the evil actions into something good. "In all things, God works for the good of those who love him." So, I believe that suffering is caused by sin, but God is in control of everything.

The Debate about Heaven, Hell, and Rob Bell

2011-03-07T19:08:00.000-08:00

Rob Bell, the pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Michigan, wrote a book on heaven and hell called Love Wins. It has not been released yet. A lot of people have been blogging and tweeting on this topic. See the one blog that started the criticism. NY Times has written an article on this as well. I hear that it is one of the top ten trending topics on twitter. People are calling Rob Bell a Universalist. I think this is a difficult issue. Frankly, I continue to wrestle with this issue. I live with a lot of tension in my life on this issue. I will be reading this book to see what his position is. I don't want to judge him before I read the book. I think this article from Christianity Today captures the civility of the debate and the struggles of many Christians who take the Bible seriously. Check it out:

Heaven, Hell, and Rob Bell: Putting the Pastor in Context | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction

Craig Ferguson with Dr Cornel West About Black History and Music

2011-02-04T09:41:00.000-08:00

This is a great discussion on Black History Month and the history of music in the African American context. Good stuff.

A Thought Provoking Parenting Book: Loving Our Kids on Purpose by Danny Silk

2010-11-06T17:39:00.000-07:00

I highly recommend this book. I got it at Bethel Church when I went up there for a conference. Grace read it first and told me I had to read it.
It is paradigm shifting. It is the gospel applied to parenting. I don't agree with everything in the book, but it made Grace and I think. We've had a parenting workshop with this book, and it made all of us think.

Christus Victor

2010-10-30T22:01:00.000-07:00

We are in the middle of a series called Christus Victor, which means Christ the Victor in Latin. It is a series on spiritual warfare from Ephesians 6:10-20.

This artwork was done by Glen Baugh.

Exciting time at New City Church

2010-08-21T22:46:00.000-07:00

God is doing something here at New City. Summer has not slowed us down at all. We have grown the most during the summer. Two Sundays ago, we had 43 newcomers and last Sunday, we had 34 newcomers. I don't even understand how a church of our size can have that many newcomers. It seems like a lot of them are coming back as well. We've been breaking our attendance records lately (we are at around 200). We are not about numbers, but each person represents a soul that Jesus died for.

There is a sense that God is doing something here. We've felt the presence of God in a powerful way for the last few weeks. Our worship team has been great at bring us to that sweet presence of God. People are getting the gospel, deepening their understanding of the gospel, and getting filled with the Holy Spirit, and lives are changing everyday. It's exciting!

The Current, our wednesday night worship and prayer time, has been an awesome blessing. It has slowed us down so that we can soak in His love.

We are also about launch a new discipleship ministry, more Community Groups, and a recovery ministry.

We will celebrate our second anniversary of the church on September 12, 2010. We have a lot to be thankful for and a lot to look forward to.

The Coolest "Car" I've Seen

2010-05-15T15:30:00.000-07:00

This has to be one of the coolest cars I've seen. It seems like crazy fun to drive one of these. It's called Pursu and coming soon.

Easter Celebration Service and Easter Fest Coming!

2010-03-26T15:20:00.000-07:00

EASTER FEST is at Grand Hope Park (9th and Hope near Ralphs) from noon to 3pm on Easter Sunday, 4/4. We will have free food, egg hunt, arts and crafts, bubbles, snacks, drinks, games, and much much more, ALL FOR FREE. WE'RE INVITING THE ENTIRE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY TO JOIN US!

Awesome New City Winter Retreat

2010-02-27T15:54:00.000-08:00

We had a great time building the Body of Christ at our Winter Retreat last weekend. Here is our group shot:

Funny Monkey

2010-01-28T21:20:00.001-08:00

Just want to share a little fun drama of a monkey!

Funny Monkey @ Yahoo! Video

RUN!

2010-01-28T12:40:00.000-08:00

Check this clip out from a sermon at Time Square Church in NY. It is an awesome segment.

Ephesians Spoken

2010-01-27T19:33:00.000-08:00

Here is a great dramatic reading of the Letter to Ephesians. This is a great way to meditate on the word of God in Ephesians.

A beautiful solo by Mia Laity, one of our own at New City

2010-01-19T14:54:00.000-08:00

Mia is an amazing violinist. She sometimes plays with the New City worship team. Here's her playing when she was 15. She is now 17 and studying at Colburn School of Music.

How Mama's Helped a Woman Start a Business

2010-01-15T16:43:00.000-08:00

This is a facinating story of how Mama's Hot Tamales helps people incubate kitchen based businesses. Mama's is my favorite tamales restaurant and it helps the community by empowering people. Check it out.

The Full "I Have a Dream" Speech by MLK

2010-01-13T22:58:00.000-08:00

New Series Starting January 3 on Ephesians

2009-12-30T19:35:00.000-08:00

We are going to be starting a series on the Letter to Ephesians from January 3. This is one of the most amazing books in the Bible. We are going to go deep and dig into this book. The series will be meaty, powerful and transforming.

Christmas Series at New City

2009-12-06T07:54:00.000-08:00

An Interesting and Insightful Article in the Atlantic re Prosperity Gospel

2009-11-20T16:36:00.000-08:00

I know the title of the article is a bit too much; but hold on. It is one of the most insightful articles I've read about the prevalence of the prosperity gospel within the Evangelical churches. I was deeply sadden by this article. It slayed my soul. HOW CAN WE REDUCE THE GOSPEL OF THE CROSS TO THE GOSPEL OF MATERIAL PROSPERITY? It is so sad! I love what Rick Warran said to the TIME magazine in response to the idea that God wants everyone to be wealthy: "baloney! It's creating a false idol. You don't measure your self-worth by your net-worth."

Click here to read it.

Current Series at New City: The Adventures of Jonah

2009-11-08T09:38:00.000-08:00

People of New City

2009-10-10T09:48:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the peoples of New City Church of LA. Thanks Anthony for putting this together!

Solitude at LATC

2009-10-10T09:18:00.000-07:00

I went to see Solitude last night at Los Angeles Theatre Center. It was in theater 3, where New City Church used to worship on Sundays. We are now in theater 1 to accommodate this play.

This play was awesome. I thought it was thought provoking, funny, and deep. It not only showed a glimpse of the struggles of Mexican-Americans, but also the common struggles of the human heart, our desire for purpose and meaning--for something greater than ourselves. Solitude is a state of being lost and being without purpose, and the only way to meaning, the play implied, was through getting involved in something bigger than ourselves in community with others--out of solitude.

I dare to say that the play was a spiritual in the way it showed the struggles of the human heart. I applaud Jose Luis Valenzuela who directed the play, and Evelina Fernandez who wrote the play.

Courtney's Brain Surgery

2009-10-02T22:10:00.001-07:00

Let's pray for Courtney. Here is a letter from Courtney and Jason on Courtney's brain surgery. She has given everyone permission to share and pray for her.

Dear friends and family,

We wanted to let you know what is going on in our lives. Next week, Courtney is having brain surgery to have a brain tumor removed. This will hopefully be the end of a nearly 10-year battle with this tumor. The neurosurgeon, Dr. Keith Black, is at a top hospital in the US--Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, located here in LA. The doctor specializes only in brain tumors, and is incredibly skilled. We are grateful he accepted Courtney as a patient.

Courtney's surgery is October 8th (this upcoming Thursday). She will be in ICU for one day, followed by three more days in a regular surgical unit. Please pray for our family, as we attempt to be together, with our three-month-old, Norah, who will stay with us at the hospital after Courtney is out of ICU. Please pray that Courtney will recover quickly to be able to care for Norah when Jason goes back to work. The doctor says that she should be feeling herself two weeks after the surgery, though other surgeons have quoted us a recovery time of 3 months. Please pray that there are no complications--no bleeding or infection, no permanent neurological damage. Also, pray that Courtney would not need much physical therapy to regain normal fine motor skills (writing, walking, lifting, etc.). Thankfully, Courtney's mom will be here when we get out of the hospital to help with the transition back home.

Finally, we could really use your prayers for our finances. This neurosurgeon is not contracted with any insurance company. Our insurance will still help pay, but we estimate we will be paying $7-15 grand out of pocket. We have some savings, but we have been living as grad students with a small income, and this will probably wipe out all that we have. We think that it is worth it to obtain this neurosurgeon, but it is a big decision for us.

Thank you so much for your prayers. What has been one of the roughest years of our lives has been made so much more bearable by your support. You serve as reminders to us of God's goodness and love. Please join us in rejoicing that this medical battle is almost over. God has been good to us.

With love,

the Bilbreys

Jason, Courtney and baby Norah

A Reflection on the First Anniversary of New City

2009-09-15T08:04:00.000-07:00

Here is a prayer written by Nori Henk, one of our members at New City Church, reflecting on New City's First Anniversary:

Dear God,

Today we celebrated our first annual anniversary at New City Church. It wasn’t until later this evening that I found myself vacillating between acknowledging that this first anniversary was a big deal to this anniversary was a BIG DEAL. Perhaps it is because this year has gone by so fast. It seems like yesterday that we were just getting used to 740 and making the environment work for our needs, and now we’re in an entirely new place that we have comfortably made our home. We have seen our children and ourselves grow closer together. Our church has expanded; babies have been born and will soon be born. We have had a steady stream of new people coming every week, and by your grace and their openness many have chosen to stay. After service every Sunday, the time flies as I find myself catching up with as many people as possible before we all go off to do the work and live the life you have given us for another week. No wonder this event didn’t really sink in until much later, just how significant this moment is, because every Sunday at this church has been a moment of deep gratitude for me. This church has served as a backbone for my spiritual and interpersonal growth, and I assure you that support has not been taken for granted. Still, I think anniversaries are meant to be reflective, especially as I anticipate what the next year might hold. It is on my heart to pray for these three things:

1. God, creator of all things, may your hand be upon the downtown LA community. May we work alongside you to lovingly and thoughtfully provide for our neighbors, and with your wisdom and direction, may we understand and live out a Christ-like model of community.

2. God, omniscient and all-powerful, may you bless and make possible our vision to connect people to you, grow together, serve the city, and extend your kingdom. Challenge and empower us to consider the fullness and sheer wonder of what this vision could absolutely look like.

3. God, abba father, may your hand be upon New City. May our differences be a source inspiration and hope in a world that refuses to let go of bigotry, hatred, and violence, and may our singular focus on Christ and the sacrifice he made for us all be the courage and strength that we need to appreciate and understand every blessing you give us and every challenge you present us.

I pray these things alongside all the prayers that have been lifted on behalf of New City, and there are many, God that you would hear our prayers. In our celebration of our first anniversary, we recognize that through you we have done much here at New City, yet, we humbly and expectantly recognize that we have much to do.

Amen.

New City Celebrated its First Anniversary Last Sunday

2009-09-15T00:43:00.000-07:00

Here is a slideshow that was shown at New City's First Anniversary Celebration last Sunday, September 13, 2009:

New Series at New City Coming 9/20!

2009-09-08T15:18:00.000-07:00

A Story of Ron Smith

2009-08-25T01:38:00.000-07:00

Ron shared his story at New City Church last Sunday. Here it is. It is a story of a muslim who became a Christ-follower because of the prayers, love, patience, and generosity of Christians.

Swimming with the kids on the roof of Santee Village Loft

2009-08-23T23:49:00.000-07:00

We moved into Santee Village Loft early this week. We are actually living in a downtown loft! It's just one big room with a kitchen and a bathroom. It's a great loft. We will be living here temporarily until we move back to La Crescenta. We had to move out of our home in La Crescenta earlier in the summer because the landlord wanted the house back for his family. Well, the kids are having a blast living in a loft. The swimming pool is awesome!

New City Beach Bonfire Party

2009-08-23T23:31:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from the Beach Bonfire Party at Dockweiler Beach. We had a lot of people come out.

The beach party ended in a downer because there was a shooting in the parking lot by a gang member. No one was hurt but we all heard about 5-6 shots being fired. Later, the Police closed the beach. Overall, it made us confront the reality of gangs and what neighborhoods that are gang infested go through day and night. Lord, Thy Kingdom Come in LA!

We'll Miss You John Joo!

2009-08-12T16:52:00.000-07:00

John was our first worship leader. He has faithfully served God through New City from the beginning of our church. Now, he is going away for school. We are going to miss you John!

New City Dodgers Game Night

2009-08-10T09:58:00.000-07:00

Had a great time at the Dodgers Game. We had 45 of us go. The game was a great pitching duel until the 10th inning. It got really exciting during the 10th (I heard on the radio--my family had to leave during the 9th), but the Dodgers lost to the Braves. For the kids, the game was all about trying to get us to buy them peanuts, ice cream, cotton candy, etc. We had a lot of fun!

New series at New City: GHarmony: sex, singleness, and marriage

2009-07-25T12:30:00.000-07:00

We are going to start a new series called:

GHarmony: sex, singleness, and marriage

Have you wondered:

Is there a soulmate out there for me?
How do I know he/she is the one?
What does God say about singleness and dating?
How do I meet mine? Is eHarmony the answer?
How can I make sex beautiful?

Please join us as we look at what God (G in G-Harmony stands for God) tells us about sex, dating, and marriage. This series is designed not just for singles but also for married couples.

Here's the schedule of the talks:

7/26: "The Beauty of Sex"
8/3: "Singleness and Dating"
8/9: "God's Design for Marriage"
8/16: "How Do I Know He/She is the One?"

Rooftop BBQ at Chapman Loft

2009-06-28T23:36:00.000-07:00

We had a fantastic time at New City BBQ at the Rooftop of Chapman Loft today. It was so good to just hang out and enjoy the summer.

15th Anniversary Dinner at Geoffrey's in Malibu

2009-06-28T22:27:00.000-07:00

We just celebrated our 15th Anniversary Dinner at Geoffrey's in Malibu. This is the place I proposed to Grace about 15.5 years ago. They used to have a private rooftop table called the "crow's nest." I had them put some candles on the stairs, ordered some beautiful flowers for the table. We had a great dinner and I asked them for the desert menu, which I revised from their menu. I inserted, "Marriage Platter. Lifetime of happiness with Kevin. $Priceless." When she saw the item, I got on my knee and proposed to her. This was my formal proposal.

The way I actually proposed to her was very different. Because we had a long distance relationship, we used to talk on the phone all the time. Everytime we talked, I used to ask her to marry me. It became a tradition that I would ask her to marry and she would say, "maybe." To me, maybe was an encouragement. One day, Grace finally decided to say yes, but I didn't ask her to marry me. I was about to hang up the phone when she asked me whether I was going to ask her what I always ask her. I said, "what...? how...are...you?" She said, "nooo...." When I realized what she was saying, I got really serious and said slowly, "would you marry me?" She said, "Yes." I said, "Do you mean I got the question right or , .... are you saying yes to the the proposal?" She said, "proposal." That was the beginning of this wonderful marriage.

I never knew it would be so good. We had some rough times here and there, but overall, our marriage has been a great blessing.

Grace is my love, my best friend. She is my confidant. My best critic. She tells me the truth. She tells me when my sermon sucked. She is my great source of encouragement. I stand strong because of her. We love talking to each other. We never get bored with each other. Or at least, I don't get bored with her. I walked into marriage expecting a lot of difficulties, but what I experienced was delight. Grace has been the greatest blessings on this earth for me.

I look forward to growing old with Grace.

NewCityKidz! Outing to See "UP"

2009-06-23T12:54:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of some of the kids in NewCityKidz!, our children's ministry with Christine Whan, our awesome children's pastor.

Go Lakers!

2009-06-17T20:35:00.001-07:00

Check out this photo video! It's great. It was done by one of New City Church members--Kathy Pyon!

Video: Lakers win 15th championship - Los Angeles Times

The Original Team

2009-06-15T22:10:00.000-07:00

The pastoral staff at New City is changing. Jonathan McCracken, Christine Whan, Jason Bilbrey, and I have been together for almost a year now. Christine is going to start a full time program for her graudate degree at UCLA in Fall and Jason started to work full time at Fuller and will continue at Fuller part-time. So, they have decided to step down from their pastoral role. I am sad that the Original Four is breaking up. We have grown together and bonded as a team. However, they are not going anywhere. Both Jason and Christine will stay at New City as lay leaders. They are just stepping down from their pastoral roles.

In Memory of those Fallen for the Cause of Freedom

2009-05-23T18:40:00.000-07:00

I want to honor those who have fallen while protecting freedom around the world. I believe we owe more than we know to those who have given their lives to the cause of freedom. Let's make sure we all honor their bravery and heroism!

Several weeks ago, in a sermon entitled Sword vs. Cross, I argued that the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of this World (I don't mean the principalities of evil in a spiritual sense but just the governments of this world) are utterly different. In fact, I argued that they are basically the opposite. The Kingdom of this World is based on justice, coercion, and the sword. It is the Kingdom of Power-Over. The Kingdom of God is about grace, sacrificial love, and the cross. It is the Kingdom of Power-Under, the power of self-sacrificing love. And I preached that Jesus' mission, and as such, the mission of the Kingdom of God is not to take over the Kingdom of this World and force the agenda of the Kingdom of God on others through the tools of the Kingdom of this World.

Then, I discussed the dangers of fusing the Kingdom of the World and the Kingdom of God together. Some of you might have thought that I was a pacifist who does not believe in taking up arms or defending our country. That's not where I stand at all. Our military is an important part of the Kingdom of this World. It's essential. There are a lot of crazy rulers/terrorists out there. We need to defend our freedom and we honor those who have given their lives to the cause of freedom. The point I was trying to make is that two Kingdoms should not be fused together because Jesus didn't fuse them together.

Baptism and Celebration at New City!

2009-04-07T22:37:00.000-07:00

Our baptism celebration on March 29, 2009 was incredible. We had six people share their testimonies, and we dunked them, symbolizing the death to the old life and the beginning of the new life in Christ! I've never had more fun.

You can see the video of the baptism by clikcing here.

Here are some pictures.

Easter Fest and Celebration at New City Church of LA

2009-04-03T17:25:00.001-07:00

Join us at New City for our Easter Brunch, Celebration, and Easter Fest for Kids! It's going to be a CELEBRATION of our Lord's resurrection.

Here's our Easter Invitation Postcard sent to All of the residents of downtown LA.

Easter Fest for Kids at New City Church of LA

2009-03-25T14:36:00.000-07:00

New City Church of LA is preparing for the Easter Fest for Kids on Sunday, April 12, at the Los Angeles Theatre Center (the New LATC). We are sending out 20,000 invite cards to downtown residents for our Easter Fest for Kids.

New City Church of Los Angeles, a new multi-ethnic, multi-socioeconomic church in downtown, invites the public to Easter Fest for Kids on Sunday, April 12 at the beautiful lobby of the Los Angeles Theatre Center (the New LATC) at 514 S. Spring St. We will have an Easter egg hunt, a bouncy house, face painting, bubbles, arts and crafts, food, and other things, all for free to the public.

In this economically difficult time, we want to create an event where families can come and just have fun without worrying about whether or not they can afford it. There is very little activity for kids in downtown, and so, we want to do something fun for them.

Here’s the schedule of our Easter Fest for Kids:

• 10 am: Brunch (no charge) for kids and adults
• 10:20 am-12 pm: NewCityKidz! (fun at our children’s ministry: games, singing, dancing, Bible stories, etc.)
• 12 pm to 3 pm: Easter egg hunt, bouncy house, arts and crafts, bubble tricks, face painting, and lunch for kids and adults at the lobby of Los Angeles Theatre Center (the New LATC), all at no charge

There is free validated parking for all at Joe’s Parking Structure, right next to the church. Just follow the sign.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MARCH 25, 2009
CONTACT: Kevin Haah, 213-471-2415, Kevin@newcitychurchla.com
WEBSITE: http://www.newcitychurchla.com/
_
EASTER FEST FOR KIDS AT THE LOS ANGELES THEATRE CENTER SPONSORED BY NEW CITY CHURCH OF LA, A NEW DOWNTOWN CHURCH

LOS ANGELES, CA. –New City Church of Los Angeles, a new multi-ethnic, multi-socioeconomic church in downtown, invites the public to Easter Fest for Kids on Sunday, April 12 at the beautiful lobby of the Los Angeles Theatre Center (the New LATC) at 514 S. Spring St. We will have an Easter egg hunt, a bouncy house, face painting, bubbles, arts and crafts, food, and other things, all for free to the public. Pastor Kevin Haah, the lead pastor of New City Church of LA, states, “In this economically difficult time, we wanted to create an event where families can come and just have fun without worrying about whether or not they can afford it. There is very little activity for kids in downtown, and so, we wanted to do something fun for them.”

Here’s the schedule of our Easter Fest for Kids:

· 10 am: Brunch (no charge) for kids and adults
· 10:20 am-12 pm: NewCityKidz! (fun at our children’s ministry: games, singing, dancing, Bible stories, etc.)
· 12 pm to 3 pm: Easter egg hunt, bouncy house, arts and crafts, bubble tricks, face painting, and lunch for kids and adults at the lobby of Los Angeles Theatre Center (the New LATC), all at no charge

There is free validated parking for all at Joe’s Parking Structure, right next to the church. Just follow the sign.

While the kids are having fun at NewCityKidz, the children’s ministry, the adults are invited to the special Easter Brunch and Celebration Service at 10 am. at the New LATC. Please join us as we celebrate the hope we have in Jesus Christ! Pastor Kevin Haah invites, “Come for brunch and stay for our Easter service! You are going to be warmly welcomed, and I guarantee that you are going to have fun as we celebrate Easter. After the worship service, stay for the Easter Fest for Kids and lunch, all for free. You are going to love the diversity, inclusiveness, and spiritual vitality.” Pastor Kevin continues, “We are a downtown church that looks like downtown. I hope you can join us for Easter.”

The rapidly growing New City Church of LA, which held their grand opening last September, is richly diverse in ethnicity, socioeconomics, age, religious background, political view, and lifestyle, but united in their journey to love and follow—or at least find out about loving and following—Jesus and to love and serve their neighbors, whoever they may be.

Lead pastor, Kevin Haah, a former attorney who was a pastor to Skid Row residents, describes New City Church this way: “We are a Christian church that is, and is called to be, multi-ethnic, multi-socioeconomic, multi-everything, really. It can be difficult to love even those who are like us. But if we can truly love all others—including those who are unlike us—because we believe that ultimately, we are all the same, that every single one of us is more messed up than we can fathom and yet more loved by God than we can imagine, that really speaks to the tremendous unifying and transformative power and beauty of God’s love.”

New City Church’s Sunday service, which is held in an intimate but casual atmosphere, starts off at 10 a.m. with a complimentary continental brunch. The style of worship music is diverse—from traditional hymns with a modern accent, to contemporary praise songs, to songs from various different cultures. Pastor Kevin and the other pastors give fresh, dynamic, relevant sermons straight from the Bible, while Pastor Christine Whan and her assistants lead the fun and creative children’s program. New City Church is completely committed to serving the people of LA, so opportunities to serve and to develop new opportunities to serve the community abound. New City also offers several small groups which meet on various days throughout the week to allow members to “do life” together.

New City Church meets Sundays at 10:00 a.m. at the Los Angeles Theater Center (the New LATC), located at 514 S. Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90013. Parking is free with validation next door at Joe’s Parking Structure, 530 Spring St. Additional information can be found at www.newcitychurchla.com.

The Alpha Retreat

2009-03-15T22:22:00.000-07:00

The Alpha Retreat was awesome! The Holy Spirit came and filled us in a powerful way. Praise God!

A Case for the Existence of God

2009-01-31T18:06:00.000-08:00

I was talking to someone who comes to our church this week who had a lot of questions about God. I sent him this paper that I wrote a few years ago called A Case for the Existence of God. I wanted to share it with you. If you have questions about the existence of God, this might be worth reading.

An Invitation to the Alpha Course at New City Church

2009-01-23T00:37:00.001-08:00

The Alpha Course at New City Church will start on January 28, 2009, Wednesday, at 6:45pm in the Upper Room (church office and meeting area), 453 S. Spring St., Suite 833, Los Angeles, CA 90013 (which is at the NW corner of 5th and Spring St in a building called Spring Arts Tower).

Over 11 million people worldwide have attended an Alpha course, an opportunity to explore the meaning of life, now running in tens of thousands of churches of all denominations. Click here for Alpha USA's website.

At an Alpha course, people explore the Christian faith in a relaxed setting over ten thought-provoking weekly sessions.

It is low-key, friendly and fun – and is supported by all the main Christian denominations.

Why not take this opportunity to explore the meaning of life?

For more information or to sign up, email alpha@newcitychurchla.com or Temi at osilaja@gmail.com or Leo@newcitychurchla.com.

Parking

There should be ample free street parking available around the building after 6pm. You don't need to feed the parking meter after 6pm.

What happens at Alpha?

A typical Alpha course session consists of a dinner and a talk and small group discussions regarding key issues related to the Christian faith.

Our Schedule:

· 1/28: Introduction Dinner: Christianity: Boring, Untrue and Irrelevant?
· 2/4: Who is Jesus?
· 2/11: Why did Jesus die?
· 2/18: How can we have faith?
· 2/25: Why and how do I pray?
· 3/4: Why and how should I read the Bible?
· 3/11: How does God guide us?
· 3/18: How can I resist evil?
· 3/25: Why and how should we tell others?
· 4/1: Does God heal today?
· 4/8: What about the Church?

A Day Away (Saturday, 3/14):

· Who is the Holy Spirit?
· What does the Holy Spirit do?
· How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit?
· How can I make the most of the rest of my life?

In Honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.

2009-01-17T16:08:00.000-08:00

New City Christmas Party at Our Home

2008-12-29T22:38:00.000-08:00

We were able to fit more than 70 people at our home for the New City Christmas Party! We had a great time of fellowship--eating together, singing carols under candlelight and just hanging out together.

We kept to our Korean tradition of taking off our shoes. This is one of the piles of shoes we had.

Jesus always ate and partied so we are trying to be like Jesus!

Singing carols under candlelights

Some people just hung out outside around the firepit. It was too crowded in the inside.

For more pictures from the party, click here for the picasa web album.

A Special Christmas Sunday Service at New City

2008-12-19T12:16:00.000-08:00

Please join us for our special Christmas Sunday service at New City this coming Sunday, December 21, 2008, at 10 am at the Los Angeles Theatre Center (the New LATC). For more info, go to New City's website.

Also, the church is invited to our home for the New City Christmas Party. We will have dinner, dim the lights, turn the candles on, and sing Christmas carols together. Please let RSVP with Grace.

2008-12-16T23:19:00.000-08:00

If you want to laugh out loud, click this video:

New City Winter Retreat 2008

2008-12-16T01:23:00.000-08:00

We had a great time at the retreat. The theme of the retreat was unity in diversity.

Here is a picture. Click here for more pictures.

I Love Dunking!!! Baptisms at New City--Dying to Self and Living to Christ

2008-11-23T19:10:00.000-08:00

Edgar Augustin

Sandra Sykes

Derrick Sprouse

For a video of the baptism, click here.

A Blog about Blogdowntown's Blog about My Blog

2008-11-20T17:31:00.000-08:00

New City Church Moving to New LATC
By Pamela Rouse Published: Thursday, November 20, 2008, at 10:57AM

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — New City Church is on the move again. The "come as you are" Downtown church is soon to be in its fourth home, moving just a few blocks up Spring street.
Pastor Kevin Haah made the announcement yesterday on his blog. Haah, responding to the ever-growing and changing needs of his congregation, has inked a deal that will have the New City Church holding services in the spacious New LATC -- which Haah calls his "dream venue" -- starting December 7.

For the past few months the New City Church has made its home in the Globe Theatre's Club 740. Pastor Haah has said that the venue was meant to be a temporary location until more suitable space came available. Haah said that while the unconventional Club 740 location worked for the adults, it didn't quite meet the ministering needs of the congregation's families.

The congregation has grown considerably since it had made the move from the Arts District in August. The community-minded church had an intense marketing campaign that reached out to several thousand people around Downtown. With a mission statement of outreach across race and religious affiliations, New City intends to bring the gospel to the community, as well to the city as a whole through activism and volunteering.

On his blog, Haah says that he had tried to secure the New LATC previously, before the church made its last move. Arrangements couldn't be made then, but a recent followup conversation with the New LATC's General Manager, Paul Graham, resulted in a deal.

Graham has spear-headed many of the cutting-edge changes that are happening with the New LATC such as hosting the "Face of the World" festival (which runs through mid-December) that presents a wide variety of multi-media plays and dramatic readings that allow their audience to explore the multi-cultural identities of LA.

The expanded location will not only for the Sunday services, but also a more open space for the NewCityKidz (the childrens ministry program for kids up to sixth grade). Services will begin in the new location at 514 S. Spring on Sunday, December 7th.

New City Church is Moving to Los Angeles Theatre Center, Our Dream Venue!

2008-11-19T17:07:00.000-08:00

When we moved into Club 740 in August, we said that it would be a temporary location until we found something more suitable for us. Club 740 works well for adults but it is somewhat challenging for children. So, we have been praying for a new venue for several months.

God is good! From December 7, 2008, New City Church of LA will be meeting at Los Angeles Theatre Center (which is called The New LATC) for our Sunday worship gathering. It's only about 2 blocks away from Club 740 and it is a fantastic facility. It's been my dream venue. It is the only multi-plex playhouse in downtown. There are four performance theaters in there. They have a great room for kids ministry there as well. And, it is clean! The facility is operated by Latino Theater Company and owned by City of Los Angeles.

The first time I approached this facility a year ago, they didn't know how to respond to me. I remember praying for the space then. They didn't have a clear price sheet for non-profits and it was unclear who I was even supposed to talk to. We checked with them again around August of this year before we moved to Club 740 just in case they were open to us coming. They told us they could not accommodate us.

A couple of weeks ago, I thought I'd check again; they can only say no, I thought. For some reason, this time, they were open to the possibility of us meeting there, and at a reasonable price. I think Paul Graham, the relatively new General Manager, decided to bring us in because he saw that our church's vision of bringing diverse people of downtown together is similar to the vision of Latino Theater Company. Today, I inked the deal for New City to meet there starting from December 7. Praise God!

Here are some pictures of the New LATC:

An Article about New City Church in Downtown LA Life Magazine

2008-11-13T10:31:00.001-08:00

Downtown LA Life Magazine is a very progressive magazine with a significant readership. They wrote a very positive article about us. Here it is:

NEW CITY CHURCH
A New Downtown Church for All the People

By: Don Noyes-More

Pastor Kevin Haah has been given a clear path to follow in his life; it was a hard decision to be made, “Manna or God?” For Kevin “manna” was to be a lucrative legal practice and “God” was to be his decision and personal “calling” -to turn from “manna” and follow his God through the streets of Skid Row in Downtown Los Angeles.

Pastor Kevin, Masters graduate of Pasadena based Fuller Theological School, understood through his experiences with the diverse community in downtown, that the old concept of church “pay and pray” was not meeting the spiritual and real life daily dramas that faced the homeless and working poor. He also saw a need to reach those that were affluent and well off, but in need of something more than a good loft and money in the pocket; they needed a spiritual life. And he struggled with this knowledge and mission for some time.

How does one bring diverse communities together as a congregation? How do you bring together such populations as the working poor, Gays, homeless, rich, young and old, African-American, Asian, and white? A difficult task indeed.

For the rest of the article, click here.

Congratulations President Obama!

2008-11-05T21:12:00.000-08:00

No matter who you voted for, I think it was hard not to tear up last night when the networks called the election at 8pm and during the Obama victory speech. So many people, particularly African-Americans and other minorities (like me), couldn't help but feel extremely proud to be an American. It was a historic moment, a deep moment in the depth of my soul.

Here are some images of the moment:

The Most Important Thing in Picking a President

2008-11-01T10:52:00.001-07:00

I think the most important thing in picking a president is not his policy (although it IS important), but his judgment and character. Ultimately, the president does not have ultimate policy authority. He has to work with the Congress to change policy. But, the president alone for all practical purposes makes the decision in times of crisis--to go to war or otherwise deal with foreign threat or use our military. I think the most important thing should be: whose judgment do you trust? Who demonstrastes better judgment? Who better demonstrates intellegence, humility, honesty, wisdom, leadership, courage, love, faith, hope, and character? All of these things lead to better judgment in times of crisis.

Just ask youself if policy or judgment mattered more in the Bush presidency.

Christianity Today did an interesting article last June called How to Pick a President and argued that virtues should be the basis for picking our president, not policy. They focus more on virtues than judgment, but I think their point is similar to mine.

2008-10-28T13:31:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting exchange between Fox News and Bill Burton, Obama spokesperson about Burton's allegation that Fox News is biased and Fox New's defense that it is not biased. You be the judge.

"Most," A Moving Illustation of God's Love for Us

2008-10-17T10:45:00.001-07:00

Here is an excellent video clip from a short film called "Most," which was nominated for Academy Award. It is an extremely moving story of a loving father who had to make a choice between sacrificing his son or sacrificing a train load of people.

This is one of the best illustations I've seen to explain God's love for us. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16.

2008-10-03T15:51:00.000-07:00

I was listening to Warren Buffett talk about the credit crisis on Charlie Rose and I was very impressed. He had a way of putting complicated things into easy to understand terms. Here are some of the things he said that was memorable.

When asked about the bailout package, he said, "It's better to be approximately right than exactly wrong."

He thought the government can make some money on the deal with the financial institutions if they play the cards well. Essentially, the government is becoming the ultimate vulture capitalist. If he had the money and the staying power that the US Treasury has, he said he would play the cards.

On what caused the mortgage crisis: he mentioned the three "i"s: innovators, imitators, and idiots.

THE REAL JESUS: a series on the Book of Mark

2008-09-27T15:15:00.000-07:00

Since the Grand Opening on September 14, we have been in a series called THE REAL JESUS, a series on the Book of Mark.

Many of us create a picture of what Jesus is like from our past experiences or desires/imaginations. But a Jesus we create is nothing but a projection of ourselves, and this Jesus can't change us. In this series, we will look at the REAL JESUS as presented by Mark--the raw, unadulterated, unfiltered, straight-up Jesus.

This Sunday, we will dig into Mark 1:21-45 in a sermon entitled "The Authority of Jesus."

Some of my thoughts on the current financial market credit crisis

2008-09-25T21:11:00.000-07:00

I find myself very interested in the current credit crisis. This is a side of me many of you don't know. I am a student of the system. That's why I went to law school and that's why I am fascinated by what's going on in the financial market right now.

I am having a hard time figuring out what's going on out there. Ultimately, it seems like the government has to do something to create liquidity in the credit market. Banks are afraid to lend to each other and to their customers (which is crucial to the health of the economy). Banks are stuck with a huge amount of mortgage-backed securities with high percentage of the loans in the portfolio in default or foreclosure. This means that they are losing a lot of money and losing value of their assets. When they try to dump the assets in the securities market in order to raise money to cover their losses, they find that the market does not exist to unload their bad assets. No one wants to buy them! My understanding is that the government wants to step in and buy up bad assets (mortgage backed securities) in order to create liquidity for banks (so that they will lend again). The real issue I think is how much the government will pay for the bad assets. According to experts, it is very difficult to price the value of these securities because the market has dried up--the market does not exist anymore. So, the question is: how much is the government going to pay? The the answer to this question will determine how much it will cost the taxpayers, ultimately.

I think if the government is going to buy bad assets without really knowing the full value of the bad assets, the government should demand warrants (right to buy the stock of the company) on the amount the government lost on the deal. It doesn't seem to make sense to buy bad assets from banks to save the shareholders of the bank. I can see why it is important to buy bad assets in order to create liquidity in the financial market, but not to help bank shareholders!

If you know why the government is not requiring warrants, let me know. Is this on the table? If you understand what's going on, let me know if I am getting this right.

One other thought: I think the downturn in the housing market (although it is creating a huge mess in the financial market) might ultimately be good for young people and the poor who do not own a home. Ultimately, if the housing price comes down, the rental market also has to come down in the future because ultimately, the rental market is related to the housing value.

I think the biggest reason for homelessness is the price of housing. If that comes down, it's going to help the poor. This kind of market correction might be bad for homeowners like me but we have to think not only about own pocketbooks but also about the poor.

I hope the the housing correction creates a systemic shift that ultimately benefits the poor.

Let me know your thoughts!

Pictures from the Grand Opening of New City Church

2008-09-24T02:09:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of the Grand Opening Service of New City Church on September 14, 2008. I want to thank Sam and Dora Lim for taking these awesome pictures. Click here for all 196 pictures on picasa web album.

Another Postcard Invitation Dropped Off at Post Office

2008-09-16T17:57:00.000-07:00

Here's the fourth postcard invitation to New City Church. It was dropped off at the post office yesterday.

Exciting Grand Opening at New City Last Sunday

2008-09-16T17:36:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday's Grand Opening was amazing. God is doing something in downtown LA and Grace and I are so thankful that we get to be a part of it. God brought almost 200 people to the Grand Opening. About 170 adults and 21 kids. There are a lot of positive buzz going around.

I will post pictures of the Grand Opening as soon as they are ready.

Here's an excerpt from an email from Bruce White of Stadia to fellow church planters and staff re our Grand Opening:

Club 740 – one of the hottest and edgiest clubs in the heart of L.A. – took on a totally different look and feel on Sunday morning, September 14, as New City Church of Los Angeles invited the residents of downtown to come and check out “the real Jesus”. 191 people (170 adults and 21 children) responded to that invitation.

As people streamed into the club, it was apparent that the vision of Pastor Kevin Haah for creating a “multi-ethnic, multi-socioeconomic” church was becoming a reality. I have never been in such a diverse environment, and I suddenly realized that I was getting a tiny preview of what heaven will be like: Asians, Latinos, Blacks, Anglos. Young, middle-aged, old. Students and blue-collar workers and managers and business professionals. Skid Row residents. Loft dwellers. Singles and families. New City Church truly is a church that “looks like downtown”.

Club 740 is an integral part of that downtown scene, and it’s definitely a unique place for a church. Located on Broadway, in the heart of the historic “Core District” of LA, this site formerly was the Globe Theater, a classic drama venue for Shakespearean stage productions. The beautiful balconies and gilt railings remain, but during the evenings this is now a place for loud music, dancing, drinking, and raucous behavior. In other words: this is where lots of unsaved people hang out to party, so it’s a safe and familiar environment for them. Many of these people would never visit a traditional church on Sunday morning, but they just might stop by the club to check out New City. By choosing to “do church” in such an environment, New City Church is making a bold statement about taking the gospel into the heart of the city. About becoming a church where everyone is welcome. A church that is willing to engage the world. A church that is available and accessible to lost and hurting people.

In such a setting, with lots of unchurched people coming in, it might be tempting to soften the message…but Kevin tells the story straight. He shared his vision for the church – and his heart for the city – in a very personal and touching way, and he invited the crowd to join him in a spiritual journey to meet and know “the real Jesus”. He gave a humorous, insightful, and compelling message, straight from Mark’s Gospel.

In addition to Kevin’s sermon, we heard a powerful testimony of life-change from Eugene, a former drug addict. We enjoyed great food (New City lays out fruit and pastries every week), friendly interaction, vibrant worship (even alternating between English and Spanish verses during one song), and a reflective time of communion.

We finished the morning with some personal sharing, as Kevin had everyone get into groups of 4 to introduce themselves to each other and to reflect upon the morning. This is risky for a new church, but it’s a great way to get people to break down the barriers and make some immediate connections. And it sure seemed to work, as I listened to the conversations breaking out all around me. And I had the chance to meet 3 great guys.

The core team of New City Church did a wonderful job of making everyone feel welcomed and included. And throughout the morning, as Kevin watched over the “up front” ministry, I continually noticed his wife, Grace, handling a variety of “behind-the-scenes” details.

Back in April, New City did a “soft launch” and began holding services with a small core congregation. This group has been meeting weekly to build community and to lay a solid foundation for future growth. The Grand Opening now takes New City to the next level and extends their reach into the city. We are excited to see what God is doing in downtown L.A., and we covet your prayers for Kevin and his team as they continue to engage in life-changing ministry in the name of Jesus.

Here's an Article in Blogdowntown.com About New City Grand Opening

2008-09-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

Sunday Marks a Grand Opening for New City Church
By Eric Richardson
Published: Saturday, September 13, 2008, at 08:35AM
New City Church of LA

Sunday service in Club 740, courtesy of New City Church.

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Club 740, located in the historic Globe Theatre, isn’t the sort of place one thinks of when they think of church. The club’s website currently advertises a recent “Back 2 School” night featuring the scantily-clad “740 GoGo Dancers.”

And yet, for the last few Sundays the venue has served as home to New City Church, a growing congregation that started meeting just before Easter. In the time since, the church has grown from 15 to 70 attendees. This Sunday the church is having its “Grand Opening,” and Pastor Kevin Haah hopes the occasion sparks a new period of growth.

Club 740 is the third location for the church, which started out meeting in Promenade Ristorante, an Italian restaurant on Bunker Hill. For approximately three months the church met over in the Arts District, at e3rd Steakhouse. As the congregation continued to grow, they again needed to find a venue with greater capacity. Club 740 owner Ralph Verdugo was glad to host the church on Sunday mornings.

The church made its move in mid-August, and that first Sunday it learned that it can be a bit of challenge using a nightclub space just hours after it has closed. “When we first got there we were struggling a little bit because there was kind of that post-club, kind of alcohol smell that we couldn’t get rid of,” Haah recalls. “We didn’t know we had to ventilate the place. We learned that for the second week.” With the facility aired out, the space has worked out much better.

Haah likes the fact that the church integrates into the facilities of the community. “I really have no interest in owning real estate. We would rather be renters. We would rather invest our money elsewhere, to serve the city and to help the poor.” Haah also feels that the non-traditional facilities create a more approachable environment for those who might otherwise not attend a service. “We’re trying to reach out to people,” he said. “We’re trying to create a place where it’s comfortable for people to come to.”

Whether by neighborhood, or by setting, or by approach, New City has found itself a church that’s highly diverse. Haah notes that roughly a quarter of the congregation comes from Skid Row, a neighborhood where Haah ministered for several years before starting New City. The core group that started the church spanned multiple ethnicities, and that make-up has stayed diverse as attendance has grown.

For the rest of the article, click here.

Downtown Artwalk is Amazing!

2008-09-12T11:03:00.001-07:00

Downtown Artwalk is a blast. There are thousands of people just walking around going from one gallery to another. New City tabled at the corner of 5th and Main and we talked to a lot of people. Some of the comments we got were: "Man, you guys are everywhere." "I've have several of your invitations." "I'll be there." We've had a lot of positive feedback from people. Several volunteers came out: thanks to Joe, David, Rocky, Clarence, Shelly, Chris, for tabling, and Greg and Brian who stopped by.

I also went to Phamaka Gallery where some of the artists I know from Skid Row were showing: Gary and Wanda. Their art work was amazing! Never knew what could do.

OG Man was also featured in a documentary about Skid Row artists called Humble Beauty. They showed it at Los Angeles Theater last night. It was a great documentary. I went to see it and it felt like a little reunion of the Alpha Course at Skid Row. It was great to bump into several of my old friends there.

Downtown Bloggers Blogging About New City

2008-09-12T10:52:00.001-07:00

Downtown bloggers are starting to blog about New City. Here's a link to angelenic.com, one of the most popular downtown blogs and what they wrote about us.

My Friend OG featured in Skid Row Artist Documentary

2008-09-09T23:12:00.000-07:00

I have known OG for several years. He is a community activist and artist in Skid Row. I have one of his drawings hanging in my office.

They are showing a film about Skid Row artists in which OG is featured this Thursday night at 7 pm at the Los Angeles Theatre Center! More info on the film and the artists featured in the film, go to http://www.humblebeauty.com/

An Article in Downtown News about our very own Ron Crockett, Skid Row Activist

2008-09-09T22:40:00.000-07:00

Toy Story
New Skid Row Program Gives Kids a Chance to Play
by Ryan Vaillancourt
Downtown LA News

The Huntington, at 752 S. Main St., is home to about 240 low-income residents, including approximately 20 families. When Manning, the hotel manager, first thought of bringing new activities to the children in the neighborhood, he turned to Skid Row activist Ron Crockett.

Crockett, whose penchant for teaching sports to area youth brought on the nickname Coach Ron, lives blocks away from the Huntington in another South Main Street hotel. He too had been eager to do something positive for the youth in the community, he said.

After consulting with Manning, Crockett went to County Supervisor Gloria Molina, who then linked the hotel with the toy loan program, Blachman-Benitez said.

At the Huntington, Crockett, who runs the program with the nonprofit Pasadena Altadena Community Youth Association, has tinkered slightly with the county's toy loan model by combining it with a fledgling reading program.

Children who participate earn points by reading and writing short essays about their book. Once they've amassed enough points, they become eligible to sign out a toy from the loan program, he said.

He hopes that in the coming months, the program will attract the attention of Downtown Los Angeles residents interested in volunteering to read aloud at the twice-weekly sessions, or propel some book donations. The hotel's library consists of two small boxes containing about 50 titles, most of which are tattered and worn. But that did not deter Judee Suazo, 10, whose mother keeps a room at the Huntington

For the rest of the article click here.

If you want to volunteer to read to kids in Skid Row, let Ron know!

The Grand Opening of New City This Sunday (9/14)!

2008-09-08T13:06:00.000-07:00

The Grand Opening is coming up this Sunday, September 14. God is doing some amazing things. He has taken a small group and grown us to a group of about 50 people committed to the church as core team members and about 70 people attending on Sundays. Our worship services actually look reasonably creative and organized. Our Community Groups are growing in number and intimacy. We have laid down some of the basic framework and are ready for the Grand Opening of the church.

Here are a few recent pictures of the new venue at Club 740:

Please pray for us, and if you can, drop by the Grand Opening this Sunday, September 14 at 10am. I'd love to see you.

Today, I dropped off the third direct mail postcard invitations at the post office.

Second Direct Mail Postcard Invitation to the Grand Opening

2008-09-02T16:52:00.000-07:00

I dropped off the second batch of direct mail invitation postcards today. Here they are:

We also put up posters all over downtown residential area and talked to many people inviting them to New City.

Please pray that God will continue to use New City to connect people to himself.

The First Postcard Invitation to the Grand Opening of New City on 9/14

2008-08-28T00:28:00.000-07:00

Last Monday, I dropped off at the post office the first of four postcard invitations for the September 14 Grand Opening of New City Church to go out to all of the residents of Downtown LA.

Here it is:

Please pray that the Spirit of God will convict the recipients to come and take the first step towards reconcilation and wholeness.

An interesting article on why the church in America is still segregated

2008-08-25T00:40:00.000-07:00

The vision of New City Church is the break the mold of the segregated American church. We are a multi-ethnic, multi-socioeconomic Christian church. Our vision is not only to be an inclusive church of people from all racial backgrounds, but also people who live dramatically different economic lifestyles. Why? Because we believe becoming one because of our common brokenness and need for redemption is the greatest way to demonstrate God's love for us.

Here's an interesting article from CNN about why church in America is still segregated:

(CNN) -- The Rev. Paul Earl Sheppard had recently become the senior pastor of a suburban church in California when a group of parishioners came to him with a disturbing personal question.

They were worried because the racial makeup of their small church was changing. They warned Sheppard that the church's newest members would try to seize control because members of their race were inherently aggressive. What was he was going to do if more of "them" tried to join their church?

"One man asked me if I was prepared for a hostile takeover," says Sheppard, pastor of Abundant Life Christian Fellowship in Mountain View, California.

The nervous parishioners were African-American, and the church's newcomers were white. Sheppard says the experience demonstrated why racially integrated churches are difficult to create and even harder to sustain. Some blacks as well as whites prefer segregated Sundays, religious scholars and members of interracial churches say.

Americans may be poised to nominate a black man to run for president, but it's segregation as usual in U.S. churches, according to the scholars. Only about 5 percent of the nation's churches are racially integrated, and half of them are in the process of becoming all-black or all-white, says Curtiss Paul DeYoung, co-author of "United by Faith," a book that examines interracial churches in the United States.

Click here for the rest of the article.

A Great Story--The News Is Getting Around!

2008-08-02T16:07:00.000-07:00

I was talking to this guy who started to come to our church recently and he told me this story.

He said that he went to an AA meeting in downtown LA recently and shared his struggle that he was much more transparent and real in the AA meeting than at his own church. He wanted to be more real at church but had a hard time doing so; but at AA meetings, he felt accepted and freed to open up and be real. Then, someone who heard him share in the group approached him after the meeting and said: "Hey, have you checked out New City Church of LA?"

Man, I love that story! Praise God!

An Evangelical Manifesto

2008-07-31T19:13:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting story about An Evangelical Manifesto coming out of, among others, Fuller Seminary, my alma mater. I am looking forward to reading it. It seems to be saying some much needed stuff. Check it out:

'An Evangelical Manifesto' criticizes politics of faith

Conservative Christian leaders who believe the word "evangelical" has lost its religious meaning plan to release a starkly self-critical document saying the movement has become too political and has diminished the Gospel through its approach to the culture wars.
...

The statement, called "An Evangelical Manifesto," condemns Christians on the right and left for using faith to express political views without regard to the truth of the Bible, according to a draft of the document obtained Friday by The Associated Press.

"That way faith loses its independence, Christians become 'useful idiots' for one political party or another, and the Christian faith becomes an ideology," according to the draft.

The declaration, scheduled to be released Wednesday in Washington, encourages Christians to be politically engaged and uphold teachings such as traditional marriage. But the drafters say evangelicals have often expressed "truth without love," helping create a backlash against religion during a "generation of culture warring."

"All too often we have attacked the evils and injustices of others," the statement says, "while we have condoned our own sins." It argues, "we must reform our own behavior."

For the rest of the story, click here.

Thinking about moving to downtown LA? Check this out!

2008-07-30T15:04:00.000-07:00

Here are two articles (Her view and His view) from LA Times that list the benefits of living in downtown:

HER VIEW:

Lofty living for less: Downtown move pays dividends

By Julie Makinen, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
July 27, 2008

Something wonderful and completely unexpected has been happening since I moved from the hills of Sherman Oaks to a downtown loft this winter: My wallet has been getting fatter.Part of the windfall has come from trading my hourlong, 20-mile morning crawl down the 101 Freeway for a leisurely 1.4-mile stroll or bike ride to work. That means $160 less in gas expenditures each month. Cha-ching!

But keeping Big Oil's grubby paws off my hard-earned cash isn't the only benefit. There are so many other financial upsides to moving closer to the office and downsizing one's living quarters that it's a challenge to tote them all up.Downsizing may even be an overstatement. I've cut back from 1,800 square feet to about 1,400, which still seems bigger than Rhode Island.

Consider these savings:

For the rest of the story, click here.

HIS VIEW:

A walk to work on the wild side: Life in the city center exercises the body and the senses.

By Patrick McMahon, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
July 27, 2008

Since late May I've been living the loft fantastic above busy 7th Street in downtown Los Angeles. Exciting it is; peace and quiet it isn't. ....

From my fourth-floor window, I'm serenaded by the nighttime chatter of people lining up at the whiskey bar nearby and occasional shouts in the dark. And who knew there were so many different kinds of sirens? It is scandalous how rats are allowed to run free around the open trash bins in the alley across the street. Dozens of them can be seen at night. The city must know that people bed down in that alley. None of it really seems to stop a good night's sleep, and all in all, I'm settling into a comfy downtown life.

This is a name-happy city. On my new commute, I walk through the Civic Center, Gallery Row, the Historic Core, the Old Bank District, the Financial District, the Jewelry District.

More the rest of the story, click here.

An Email to New City Team: We're Moving Into Club 740 on August 17

2008-07-22T00:26:00.000-07:00

Dear New City Church Team,

I want to thank you for all of your prayers, feedbacks, and comments about the possibility of moving to Club 740 for our Sunday gatherings. Having carefully considered all of our comments and the options available to us (which is none after an exhaustive search of downtown), having talked to many people, mentors, and Christian leaders for advice, and having prayerfully sought out directions from God, I am convinced that God is leading us to Club 740. So, we have entered into a written use agreement with Club 740 today. They have agreed to rent us the space for $___ per Sunday (which is less than e3rd), which pretty much covers his added costs. This is an extremely generous deal. Ralph Verdugo, the owner, actually gave me the key today. He also agreed to allow us to use their lighting system, sound system, and video projection system. They will also clean up the space before we come in. They will give us storage space downtown stairs. He also said that they will replace the carpet within a week or two (which is a big relief). They are getting biddings on the carpet replacement right now.

I’ve also worked out a parking arrangement with the parking lot right in front which is operated by Joe’s Parking. They agreed to give us a 20% discount on parking.

My biggest concern (and several of you as well) has been about our children’s ministry (and the perception that our church is not for families with kids). Christine and I are committed to making the space inviting and fun for kids. But, this is going to take a lot of work. Right now, the kids’ space pretty much feels like a basement. We have to make it feel like a special place. One idea is to make the room like underwater world by putting up underwater décor and curtains all around the space as well as color foam tiles on the floor. If you have any ideas or if you are good at making a space inviting for kids, please let Christine know. We need your help. We believe it is possible to make the space inviting and fun for kids!

We are also going to need more people for our set-up and break-down team. We have to set up the children’s ministry space. In addition, we want to make sure we comb though the entire space to make sure that the space is safe for kids. And most importantly, we want to make sure we pray over the space every Sunday morning.

As you know, our Grand Opening/Hard Launch is 9/14. We are planning a four-part direct mail campaign to 20,000 homes in downtown LA. This means each home will receive four postcard invitations one week apart. So, they will get the first one on 8/20, and three more postcards, one week apart. The campaign will be called “WHAT IF the church was like Jesus.” A concept of the campaign is attached to this email. A graphics designer is already working on this. If you have any comments, let me know ASAP. The exact wording will be changed as per some comments I received already—I have not yet incorporated them yet; so it’s not final. I anticipate that some people who receive the postcards will want to come out to our church before the Grand Opening Sunday. So, we need to relocate before the first direct mail postcard goes out. So, that means we should move on August 17. So, that’s our plan right now.

I want to ask you to continue to pray for our Grand Opening and Launch. Please pray, pray and pray that God will use us to extend the Kingdom of God in downtown LA!

For the Kingdom of God,
Kevin

Jefferson Bible: A Perfect Bible for Moralistic Religion

2008-07-05T17:53:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting article in LA Times about Thomas Jefferson's Bible:

Nation's third president compiled the four Gospels into a single text without miracles that ends with Jesus' burial rather than the resurrection.

By Louis Sahagun, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer July 5, 2008

Making good on a promise to a friend to summarize his views on Christianity, Thomas Jefferson set to work with scissors, snipping out every miracle and inconsistency he could find in the New Testament Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.Then, relying on a cut-and-paste technique, he reassembled the excerpts into what he believed was a more coherent narrative and pasted them onto blank paper -- alongside translations in French, Greek and Latin.

In a letter sent from Monticello to John Adams in 1813, Jefferson said his "wee little book" of 46 pages was based on a lifetime of inquiry and reflection and contained "the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man."

He called the book "The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth." Friends dubbed it the Jefferson Bible. It remains perhaps the most comprehensive expression of what the nation's third president and principal author of the Declaration of Independence found ethically interesting about the Gospels and their depiction of Jesus.

For the rest of the story, click here.

Here are some of my thoughts:

This is a perfect example of one's existing paradigm trumping God's revelation.
If you have a Bible like Jefferson's, the Word of God will never change you.
It's a perfect example of the view of Christianity as nothing more than moralitic teachings of Jesus.
Take the Gospel out and you have "The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth" by Thomas Jefferson.
People do it now all the time mentally.

Our Prayer Letter Sent on July 4

2008-07-05T16:24:00.000-07:00

Wow! Time flies when you're having fun! It's been so long since I last wrote to you. I hope you are doing well. Here's what's going on at New City Church:

Where We Are Now: Two-Stage Launch Strategy

We are a church in the process of being planted. We are using a two-stage launch strategy. We "soft" launched last Easter, meaning that we started to have worship services, but we have not "hard" launched yet. The major goals since the "soft" launch have been to develop and train a core/launch team to about 40-50 and develop ministries and systems to facilitate discipleship and outreach. We have been faithfully doing that and our core/launch team is now about 40. So, we are now preparing for our "hard" launch, our Grand Opening, on September 14.

A Potential New Venue for New City: Club 740

In order to accommodate the anticipated number of people at our Grand Opening and afterwards, we have been looking for a new venue that can handle at least 150-200 people. Our current venue, e3rd restaurant, can only accommodate about 80 people max. It has been extremely difficult to find a venue in downtown. I have looked at every possible place--hotels, theaters, nightclubs, restaurants, empty spaces, schools, centers, etc. They are either too expensive or not workable for us. We have recently found a new potential venue that may work for us. It is a nightclub called Club 740. It is a converted old Globe Theater (a Shakespearean theater built in the 1920s). It is in the middle of downtown at Broadway and 8th. There is a large parking lot right in front of the club. The generous owner offered the Club to us at an unbeatable price (just his added cost).

Grand Opening on September 14, 2008

Our goal is to invite every resident of downtown LA and create a buzz about New City. We will do a direct mail campaign to approximately 20,000 households four times over the four weeks leading to the Grand Opening. We will put up signs all over downtown and plaster our flyers and invitations everywhere. We plan to hand out water bottles and invitations at downtown concerts in Pershing Square. We are going to table in front of Ralphs in Downtown. We are going to train our core/launch team members to invite all of their unchurched friends and family. We have a team of people planning all kinds of creative outreaches.

We've Moved: New Home Address

New City is a downtown LA church, so we wanted to live close to downtown. We finally moved from Santa Clarita to La Crescenta (not exactly downtown, but we couldn't afford downtown) a couple of weeks ago. Here's our new home address:

Kevin and Grace Haah
2760 Franklin St.
La Crescenta, CA 91214
(818) 306-8385

Prayer Requests

-Downtown residents opening their hearts to the gospel
-Continued development of our core/launch team to 50-60 by September
-Prayer re possible new venue at Club 740
-God would bring many unchurched people to the Grand Opening
-Our Community Group (small groups) launch in 2 weeks
-Building a worship team
-Training people and creating a system that facilites development of fully devoted disciples

Financial Needs

New City is still in need of financial partners. We are looking for people who will partner with us financially for the next 3 years, after which we expect to be financially independent. Would you be willing to invest in the extension of the Kingdom of God $50-$500 per month for the next 3 years?

We love ya!

Warmest Blessings,
Kevin and Grace Haah

A Great Presentation of the Gospel

2008-06-20T22:01:00.001-07:00

Here is a link to a great presentation of the gospel called Two Ways to Live. I just linked this to New City's website. Check it out! I am always looking for great gospel presentations. If you know of any good ones, let me know.

A thought on prayer at church by a newspaper editor visiting a church

2008-06-20T20:31:00.000-07:00

Here's an excerpt from an article about a church an alternative newspaper editor visited. I found it to be humorous:

A word about the praying: When I was dragged off to church by my parents, we folded our hands together to pray and assumed a posture of humility. In today’s emerging churches, you lift both hands up toward heaven, arms out, in what looks like a sort of double-armed fascist salute. It’s a posture that screams, “Look at me, God! I’m praying! To you!” The more enthusiastic worshippers looked like toddlers reaching up for Daddy, anxious to be picked up and hugged past their comfort levels.

Planting Fast Growing Churches

2008-06-20T19:20:00.000-07:00

I just read a book by Stephen Gray called Planting Fast Growing Churches. It is a finding of a study of over a hundred church plants to determine what made certain churches fast growing as opposed to struggling.

Interesting results. There are many findings that are suprising.

As for me and where I am in ministry, I found the following three factors most interesting:

1. Core group at the time of the launch was 40-50. It is important to develop a decent size core team before the launch. Those that had smaller core teams often struggled after the launch.

2. Multi-staff at launch. Fast growing churches had 2-3 staff members at the launch.

3. Large launch service (150-200). Fast growing churches started big and invested in massive outreaches and marketing.

Potential New Venue for New City

2008-06-20T18:04:00.000-07:00

New City Church will be officially launching on September 14, 2008. That's our Grand Opening! We are going to invite the entire Downtown community to our opening. We have been praying for a new venue where we can fit at least 150-200 people for our Grand Opening and afterwards.

Today, I met with Ralph Verdugo, the owner of 740 (http://www.740la.com/), a night club in downtown LA (at the corner of Broadway and 8th). He is a great guy and offerred to allow us to have our Sunday gatherings at the club at a very low price(pretty much at his added cost).

Here are some pictures of the venue:

Let me know what you think about having church at a nightclub.

We are Finally Moving Closer to Downtown!

2008-06-13T16:18:00.000-07:00

Finally, we are moving closer to downtown. When we decided to plant New City Church, we wanted to move closer to downtown, but we wanted to wait until Kaetlyn got out of school. Well, Kaetlyn is officially on summer vacation as of today (6/13) and we are moving to La Crescenta tomorrow (6/14). We found a great house to rent and we found a great family to rent our home. It all worked out great. Praise God for that! Now, we will only be about 15 minute drive from downtown. We hope to use our home as a place where love and hospitality is shown to the people of New City.

Wake Up Myanmar Military Junta!

2008-05-23T22:29:00.001-07:00

I have been so frustrated and angry at Myanmar's military junta for not allowing many relief workers to come in to their country to help the cyclone victims. This is a huge disaster (estimated over 100,000 death and millions of people homeless) and the world should be helping them recover but they are not allowed in.

It's amazing how evil power-hungry military junta can be!!

I understand that the junta recently promised UN that they will allow relief workers in. I am praying that they will keep their promise so that millions of lives can be saved.

Irena Sendler: An Ordinary Woman Who Risked Her Life to Save Jewish Children During WWII

2008-05-14T13:01:00.000-07:00

I was tremendously blessed by the story in LA Times a couple of days ago about Irena Sendler. She saved about 3,000 Jewish children during WWII.

She was just an ordinary Christian woman caught in an extraordinary situation. When she found out what was going on, she risked her life and smuggled children out of Jewish ghettos in suitcases, boxes, etc.

Here's an excerpt:

"By 1942, when the deadly intentions of the Nazis had become clear, Sendler joined a Polish underground organization, Zegota. She recruited 10 close friends -- a group that would eventually grow to 25, all but one of them women -- and began rescuing Jewish children.

She and her friends smuggled the children out in boxes, suitcases, sacks and coffins, sedating babies to quiet their cries. Some were spirited away through a network of basements and secret passages. Operations were timed to the second. One of Sendler's children told of waiting by a gate in darkness as a German soldier patrolled nearby. When the soldier passed, the boy counted to 30, then made a mad dash to the middle of the street, where a manhole cover opened and he was taken down into the sewers and eventually to safety.

Decades later, Sendler was still haunted by the parents' pleas, particularly of those who ultimately could not bear to be apart from their children."

At one point, she was arrested and tortured:

"During one particularly brutal torture session, her captors broke her feet and legs, and she passed out. When she awoke, a Gestapo officer told her he had accepted a bribe from her comrades in the resistance to help her escape. The officer added her name to a list of executed prisoners. Sendler went into hiding but continued her rescue efforts."

Click here to read the story. Senler died a couple of days ago. She was 98 years old.

One person can make a difference!!

Realizing the Magnitude of the Myanmar Cyclone

2008-05-06T21:42:00.000-07:00

The magnitude of the Myanmar's (Burma) cyclone's destruction is vast. The preliminary estimate is that 22,500 people are dead and 41,000 people are missing. Let's keep them in our prayers. For more information go to: As Magnitude of Myanmar Loss Grows, Aid Arrives - New York Times

Chris and Nancy's Mission Trip to Russia

2008-05-06T21:41:00.000-07:00

I want to encourage everyone to view the video on Nancy Blackman's myspace site. Chris and Nancy will be taking a couple of dozen high school students on a short-term mission trip to Russia, working with orphans there. This video/photo collage was taken on the same trip they took a couple of years ago. Let pray for them!

Just came back from National New Church Conference

2008-04-25T10:05:00.000-07:00

Just came back from National New Church Conference. Aric (New City's intern pastor) and I spent three days in Orlando, Florida for the conference.

I had a great time. I met a lot of great people.

The highlight was the Stadia church planters' dinner. There were about 200 people there. A lot of energy. I received a lot of encouragement. I saw a lot of guys I met at the assessment in Tennessee and at the bootcamp in Seattle. A great group of people.

I also hooked up with MosaiX network, a network of pastors who are leading or planting multi-ethnic churches. It was awesome to meet and hookup with George Yancey who wrote Divided by Faith and Mark DeYmaz who wrote Building Healthy Multi-Ethnic Churches. Great guys!

George Yancy's session on the racially divided America was compelling. According to research, there is more racial division among people who go to church than people who do not go to church. Why is Christian America so divided?

Mark DeYmaz's session on the biblical basis for a multi-ethnic church was powerful. I just started to cry at the end of the session. I could not help it. He argued against the homogenous principle--that churches grow faster when like-kinds of people gather together. He argued that such approach is not supported by the Bible. We shouldn't just plant growing churches, we should plant biblical churches. He argued that biblical churches were multi-ethnic churches where Jews and Gentiles came together. Heaven is going to be multi-ethnic; so, we need to be multi-ethnic as well. There was a lot more insight--John 17, Antioch church in Acts, Ephesian exogesis. Great stuff. Read his book.

Andy Stanley was good. Pretty staight forward from his book: Visioneering. Nothing new. Just some stories.

Tim Keller was great on his exposition of the DNA of a revival. His discussion of the gospel was also refreshing. A guy who sat next to me said that the talk changed his paradigm of the gospel. Tim focused on the three aspects of the gospel: incarnation (Kingdom of God), subtitutionary atonement (the cross), and restoration(eternal life, second coming), and said that different parts of the Bible focus on different aspects of the gospel. We need to share all three. It was very well laid out. I also heard that there was a Q&A breakfast with him in the morning and I heard that that was very good. I am glad that the leadership of the conference brought Tim into the picture of church planters.

Rick Warren was staight forward and personal. He led the commitment time. It was a powerful time. I need to learn how to lead people into commitment. It was great!

An Amazing Singing of The Lord's Prayer by a 2 Year Old

2008-04-15T11:13:00.000-07:00