Presenting the devotional message at a year-end brunch for conference Community Services (CS) leaders, Pastor Mike Elias, Sunland-Tujunga church, asked, “Are we to pray for more people to come to our churches? Matthew 9 tells us that we need more workers. We need to pray that our members will go out and work in the community. Rather than waiting for people to come to us, we need to go out to them!"

Elias introduced two new resources to the group to assist with outreach in local churches: a Christ-centered, home-based addiction recovery program and a computer touch screen listing community service agencies in the area. Details about both resources are being shared with leaders on request from the CS office (818-546-8406).

James G. Lee, Jr., Community Services director, coordinated the event at which leaders presented donations of toys for the Image of God Wellness Center in Watts. “The University and Breath of Life churches minister to people in this center each week,” Lee said. “We invited leaders from other churches in the conference who do not have a community outreach program already functioning to consider contributing toys for children in the center. Many responded, bringing wrapped toys to the brunch for us to deliver.”

At the annual conference Christmas party, staff opted to donate money for needy families in lieu of exchanging gifts. “We called Social Services, and an administrator helped to locate two working mothers with children in Watts,” said Lee.

“With the staff donations, we were thankful we could adopt the two families for the season. Two women from our churches volunteered to shop for food and other items for the families during the week before Christmas. The volunteers accompanied conference leaders to deliver the gifts.”