Where were you in the summer of 1965? What was God doing in your life that summer?

One of the significant “happenings” during that very tense summer was the riot in the streets of Watts, an inner-city community in Los Angeles, California.

Why bring that up? Because the Watts community is where our church’s young people will be working over the next few weeks. Partnering with World Impact, a Christ-centered organization whose purpose is “Empowering the Urban Poor,” our 42-person mission team will seek to share Christ’s love in that same location. The community is diverse: 40% of the residents are African-American; 60% are Latino. World Impact describes the community as “spiritually needy.” Our young people and their adult sponsors will join in the wholistic ministry, meeting the physical, social, emotional and spiritual needs of these residents by sharing the hope of Christ.

That’s what our youth are doing the summer of 2011. Will you join me in praying that God will be at work in them and through them?

I hope you will also join me at the Spaghetti Supper this afternoon in the Great Hall at 5:00 p.m.; tickets will be available at the door. Cornerstone Choir will present the music/drama they will share in California in the Worship Center at 6:00 p.m.; then we’ll return to the Great Hall for this year’s version of the Dessert Auction. All proceeds from the supper and the auction will assist our youth as they seek to serve Christ in the Los Angeles area.

Whether or not you remember 1965, let me ask you: What will God do in your life in the summer of 2011?

We ARE God’s family in this place: Let’s join together in prayer. Let’s partner as we care. Let’s celebrate as we share.