I am always pleased to read, and also share, my wife's reports on her amazing ministry. As I write this, she is traveling to Colorado to speak to a gathering of over 100 people interested in housing justice and policies to help end homelessness and promote affordable housing. Underlying all of Jill's work is a deep love for Jesus, for people, and for God's incredibly Good News: God loves the poor and wants everyone to be decently housed, as well as fed and cared for. That's God's intention, and it's beautiful to serve such a God. Jill reminds me of an old saying attributed to St Francis: "Always preach the Gospel, and if necessary, use words." Or as the Quakers say, "Let your life preach." That's what this report is all about.
Discipling and Authority.
At a recent Bible study I attended, it hit me how
consistently Mathew and Luke portray Jesus as giving away authority. He sends
out his disciples and gives them authority to heal (Matthew 10) He send out 72
other disciples and gives them authority to over the enemy (Luke 10:19) and
Matthew ends his book with Jesus parting words: “All authority has been given
to me, therefore go and make disciples.”
Making disciples….wherever
we go. On the ministry report that Missions Door asked us to submit, they
ask how many disciples we are pouring our lives into. I struggle with this
question.
Do I list my students in my Housing Justice course this semester
at APU? Do I count those who
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| Jill with her APU class |
Discipling a young
woman in transition. Jesus poured his life out not only for the whole world
but also for a few key people in his inner circle, namely Peter, James and
John. Similarly, God also gives us certain people with whom we have a special,
more intimate relationship. For me that
has been Maria. This young Latina woman has struggled with many personal
challenges, including finding housing that she can afford. Thanks to an African
American pastor named Juanita Edwards, I was able to get Maria into a women’s
discipleship home. We have become very
close. Please pray for Maria and me, as we grow together to become more
Christ-like. Pray for all those “disciples” being touched with my unique
ministry as an Urban Catalyst.
Making rents stable
and affordable: teaching a Gospel perspective. I was shocked to learn
recently that the rent was raised by $575 per month in an apartment building
down the street from our home. Such arbitrary and outrageous rent increases are
happening more frequently in our city, and there is no ordinance to prevent it.
That’s why I’m so grateful that God has brought Nicole Hodgson to Pasadena to
spear-head a rent stabilization initiative. I do all I can to nurture Nicole, meeting one-on-one, and sharing my contacts
and faith in Christ.
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| "Marv's Place": Affordable housing for formerly homeless families that just opened up in Pasadena |
Discipling Churches
on How to End Homelessness. Thanks in part to the Pasadena Affordable
Housing Group that I have been part of for the last twenty years, Pasadena has made
significantly strides in ending homelessness. Our group advocated for a Housing
Department for our city that has been very effective. Under the leadership of
its stellar director, Bill Huang, Pasadena has won a number of state and
national awards and recently recognized across the country for reducing our
homeless count by 54%. We’ve housed 220 of the chronically homeless people and
virtually ended homelessness for families. But to end homelessness, churches
need to play a more active and effective role. That’s why I am helping to
organize a Homeless to Housed Bus Tour. This tour will help church leaders learn
what the city is doing to end homelessness and how the city and churches can
work more closely together. God has given me a fabulous planning team,
representing the major churches, to plan this Homeless to Housed bus tour for
faith leaders of our city, as well as adjacent cities. We plan to initiate an
ongoing learning lab to explore what it will take to house our most vulnerable.
Please pray for us as we plan.
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| Jill with pastors and community leaders in North Fair Oaks. Janet Randolf is the woman with the bright pink blouse. |
Discipling through
service to the community. One way that we learn how to become more
Christ-like is through service. The Damascus Road College Church from Tucson,
AZ will be coming March 13-15 to bless the N. Fair Oaks Empowerment Initiative.
They will be tutoring children at the Harambee Christian Center, painting an
unsightly building, cleaning gum off the streets and in the gym floor of the
Boys and Girls Club, sharing meals with homeless folk at the Pasadena Church,
visiting the infirm at convalescent homes, picking up trash, and gathering
signatures for the city to allocate to slow traffic and beautify this forgotten
corner of Pasadena. Pray for Janet Randolf as she plans for their coming—her
first time to plan for a team. In additional to prayer, please consider giving
to support her efforts. See: https://www.missionsdoor.org/project/north-fair-oaks-community-empowerment/
Janet is a gifted leader and learner, truly a teachable
disciple of Christ, always quoting the Bible and keenly aware of her need and
dependence on the God.
I can’t thank you enough for your part in this work of
vision casting, developing leaders equipped to house and transform our
community. Recently one new donor began contributing $100 per month. It is encouraging
to see how God is raising up partners like you to keep this important work
going. Please consider giving if you are not already. See: https://www.missionsdoor.org/missionary/shook-jill/
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