Participants:
Series Code: LI
Program Code: LI200489B
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00:01 Welcome back to the Liberty Insider.
00:04 I'm sure like me, you've been captivated 00:06 by hearing Pati tell of some of the real world projects 00:10 that have presented themselves to you 00:11 as you've made yourself available. 00:14 And in particular, during COVID, 00:16 there are greater risks for many people, 00:18 but greater opportunities. 00:19 Exactly. 00:21 And, you know, I'm amazed to hear 00:22 of this simple washing station 00:23 and the opportunities that's provided for you. 00:27 It's portable, it's lightweight. 00:30 And I can give you a number. 00:31 It holds five gallons of water, 00:32 and in Skid Row one day, 00:34 I washed probably close to about a hundred hands off 00:38 about five gallons of water. 00:39 And it doesn't take much, but it leaves a big impact. 00:43 And then to give them a clean mask. 00:46 And I tell you, I thank them all day 00:47 for letting me help them. 00:49 And I think Ellen White said, I'm going to paraphrase. 00:53 I think she said, if we only really knew 00:55 what the work of God really is, 00:57 there's no end to the opportunities. 00:58 I know. 01:00 And that is so true. There's no end. 01:01 And Jesus says the poor you'll always have, 01:03 which means there's plenty of poor. 01:06 But the main poverty is hunger for God's Word and for... 01:10 It is. 01:12 So I'm sure you have opportunity 01:14 to speak that word in season, right? 01:15 Yeah. 01:17 And just for helping them, 01:18 it will raise a question in their minds. 01:20 You know, what lies beyond that? 01:21 Why is someone doing this? 01:23 And especially during COVID, I'm sure a lot more people, 01:25 or a lot of people that normally would have been 01:27 out in the homeless encampments aren't. 01:29 Yeah. 01:31 The hygiene is very important. 01:33 You know, CDC is telling us, wash your hands, put masks on. 01:36 Yeah. They need it too. 01:38 They need it too. Social distances, we keep it. 01:40 Social distances. 01:41 Yes, they're not, but we try to, 01:42 when we're out there, 01:44 we hold to all the requirements. 01:46 And also with COVID, 01:48 it's put a change in how I reach out 01:51 also to our churches. 01:52 Because what I've been doing for the last three years 01:55 is I would visit churches within Southern California, 02:00 San Diego County, Riverside County, 02:05 and I would visit our churches and let them know, 02:08 this is what I do for church state council, 02:10 Public Affairs, Religious Liberty, 02:11 North American Religious Liberty Association. 02:15 They need to know that we're out there 02:16 as an organization and just build relationships, 02:19 raise up the awareness in our churches 02:21 because when we do have events 02:23 like I did for our home church, 02:24 we had a community Christmas event, 02:26 which was always the dream and the vision 02:28 of our community services director. 02:30 This was his, and it was so richly blessed, 02:34 but when you involve 02:36 and it doesn't have to be a lot of elected officials. 02:38 One elected official, 02:40 when you involve a county resource 02:41 to be there at your event, 02:43 ready to sign up people for I guess, 02:47 well, for services for emergency money, 02:49 food stamps. 02:51 When you, and when you let the, 02:54 I had let the LA County supervisor, 02:57 I let her aware of what we were doing 02:58 in our community. 03:00 She's, well, we'll give funding. 03:01 So we wanna give free lunches. 03:02 We have $998 03:05 it's a good amount of money for food, 03:07 but also free marketing. 03:09 The County Services Department put out our flyer on there 03:13 saying, we're going to be here. 03:15 Because they need to let the community know 03:16 where they're going to be. 03:18 So they can sign people up for help, 03:19 let them know where they were gonna be. 03:20 It's a win-win. Free marketing. 03:23 You're helping the society, they're helping spread 03:24 the awareness of Adventism and... 03:26 Exactly. 03:28 Help with the questions about what we're doing. 03:29 I mean... It's amazing. 03:31 I mean, there's just no end to the blessings 03:32 that flow from this. 03:33 No, and the elected official who's table 03:35 who I invited there that day 03:36 was the one again going back to the chocolate chip cookie. 03:40 Anyway, when I accidentally ran into 03:42 or not accidentally, 03:43 providence brought me to this certain assembly man. 03:46 I invited him to be there. 03:47 We're gonna have to rewrite the story to a tofu... 03:49 I know tofu, sorry about that. I keep forgetting it. 03:52 I'm struggling with that one. No. 03:53 It's just a joke. Cheap joke. 03:55 But I gave him a flyer since he was gonna be there. 03:58 Yes, we will be here at my home church, Long Beach. 04:00 If I could say that 04:02 Long Beach Seventh-day Adventist Church. 04:05 The email blasted it out. 04:06 Our pastor did amazing marketing himself 04:08 with Facebook. 04:10 So we got the word out there. 04:11 We had about 400, 600 people show up 04:13 and we were prepared for 150. 04:15 But we made it work. We made it work. 04:17 It was wonderful. 04:18 But now with COVID, 04:21 I've obviously heard of our churches closed down. 04:23 I don't visit our churches like I did. 04:25 No, they're not all closed down, are they? 04:27 They're not all closed down. But my reason also... 04:30 You know, recently, when I visited there 04:32 you were able to get me to speak at what? 04:35 White Memorial. White Memorial. 04:36 And they were meeting outside under an awning 04:38 which I thought was a naturale and very safe. 04:44 You know, they were keeping social distance 04:46 with masks and so on. 04:47 But at least they were meeting. 04:48 Yeah. 04:50 They had a good amount of people show up. 04:51 But have all of the churches that you know 04:53 of in the area are opened or? 04:54 No, no. 04:55 Pretty much they're still all closed 04:57 because what I was... 04:58 Unfortunate. Yeah. 04:59 What I was trying to do was let them know, 05:01 look, let's hold resource fairs at your churches. 05:03 I can, within your district, 05:05 bring the elected officials in. 05:07 I can bring nonprofits in. 05:09 I'd let the community know that you can be a resource hub 05:11 for your community. 05:12 Let them know if they're looking for help, 05:14 whether it be, I don't know, maybe attorney's aid, 05:18 there's a Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles. 05:20 Maybe if they need help with social services. 05:25 If they need help with runaways, 05:26 if they need any kind of help, 05:28 I have the resource tables for it. 05:30 Now the community will know you're there. 05:32 They will. 05:33 If they need help, they will come to your church 05:35 and I'll leave you with stacks of brochures. 05:37 You know, when you go into the stores, 05:38 you see those little turnarounds 05:40 with brochures, 05:41 put one of these in your foyer, community comes in, 05:43 give them, or even your members. 05:45 So I was working on raising that up 05:46 for our churches. 05:48 I travel and go into stores. 05:49 I check out what those little... 05:51 Little turn tables. 05:52 I just wanna see the types of groups 05:53 and organizations. 05:55 Exactly. 05:56 And I've thought many times, 05:57 why couldn't we put our stuff there. 05:59 That's what I was working on. 06:00 I wanted to work on having it there. 06:01 They're tall, little tall metal stands 06:03 that flip around put all. 06:04 I would furnish everything. 06:06 I would furnish everything and keep up on the supply. 06:08 And if they do hold a resource fair, 06:10 free marketing. 06:12 I would get the free marketing 06:13 from the nonprofits and county services. 06:15 They would meet, email the blast out the community, 06:18 just be there to welcome the community in. 06:20 And let them know you have resources 06:22 other than our own resources. 06:23 And this sort of thing works about putting the materials 06:27 where people are normally, 06:30 it's another magazine and another place. 06:32 But I remember many years ago, when I was at Pacific Press, 06:35 there was a pressman 06:36 who had a vision like you to get. 06:38 He came to talk to me about the magazine I was editing, 06:41 which was the drug education journal. 06:43 And I didn't have any way to work with him. 06:45 He'd rather have done it 06:46 because it meets an immediate need 06:48 in the community. 06:49 So in the end, he quit his job. 06:52 And with the trailer, went around, 06:54 driving all over the US 06:56 pitching with different churches 06:58 and organizations to place a signs box. 07:02 They would pay the fee for the books 07:05 and he would leave it with them and then subscriptions, 07:07 and they would be stocked, 07:08 and putting these in public places. 07:11 There was a point where, 07:13 you know, they sent him out to die in the wilderness, 07:15 the management, they were happy 07:17 for free labor and, you know, figured he wouldn't do much. 07:20 There was a point where that was the majority 07:21 of the circulation of the magazine 07:23 one man in placing. 07:25 He was doing 50,000 subs a year. 07:28 So I know the potential of this sort of thing. 07:30 This is what I was wanting to do, 07:32 then COVID hit. 07:34 The Bible says, where are the workmen? 07:35 The workmen are few. 07:36 If it's ready workmen that the harvest will come in, 07:41 and that's what I'm waiting for in COVID. 07:44 This is an emergency that we didn't anticipate. 07:46 It may or may not be the beginning of a sequence 07:49 for the very end of time, 07:50 but it's the type of thing that we can expect. 07:53 And, I'm still hoping and expecting 07:56 that God's Spirit will sweep over our membership 07:59 and we will rally and come forward. 08:01 This is not the time to go back and sleep at home. 08:04 And yes, Zoom can work to a point, 08:07 but Zoom is not a substitute 08:08 for these many and myriad contacts 08:10 that we're called to make. 08:12 And we can still do it. 08:13 And now I hear people say 08:16 church isn't in the walls of the church. 08:18 Churches isn't a building. 08:19 Well, then go out in the streets, 08:21 then go out, please. 08:23 With a mask, but go out. 08:24 Go out because let's meet people, 08:26 Christ method alone. 08:28 Let's you can still meet people where they are. 08:30 Even if you take literature out, 08:31 walk the streets. 08:33 Even if you take resources, 08:35 take pamphlets of nonprofits 08:38 that are feeding and where they're going to be. 08:40 Or if your church is still open for food banks, 08:42 go out in your neighborhoods, 08:43 pass out the pamphlets and say our church food bank, 08:46 this day, this time. 08:48 Like a little church, where I, when I'm around, 08:51 when I attended in Hagerstown, 08:53 they've got a drive through food bank every week. 08:56 I think my son had been working on it 08:58 particularly. 08:59 I think it was on the Friday 09:00 and they'd been quite surprised 09:02 that the number of families in the area 09:04 that depend on that. 09:05 Not just appreciate it. Thank you. Yes. 09:07 Without that, they would be on starvation level. 09:10 Out of work because of COVID and other difficulties. 09:12 Exactly. 09:13 My home church, Long Beach, 09:15 our community services director threw it all. 09:19 He has opened up our food bank, 09:20 still every third Sunday, 09:23 we probably have close to 60, 70 families 09:26 that come to us. 09:27 We bag up about a month's supply of food. 09:29 Where would they have gone otherwise? 09:31 And I, I think, you know, what you're doing is amazing, 09:34 inspiring every time I hear something about it. 09:37 But as we sit in the middle of COVID, 09:39 I think in the middle, 09:40 I don't believe this is the end of the adventure. 09:42 There'll be at least most of next year to go. 09:46 The emergencies are going to increase the need. 09:49 Of course, the spiritual, 09:50 underlying spiritual leaders is crying. 09:53 But the approach to discover that 09:55 is often food and contact and human support. 10:00 COVID is a disease, 10:02 but I believe that we're entering 10:04 into an uncharted territory on the finances. 10:06 We're very likely to see 10:08 a almost a Great Depression again, 10:11 and people will be literally needy 10:13 for the most common things. 10:14 Not just that old diapers. Right. 10:17 You know, maybe children's diapers, 10:19 maybe shoes, the simplest things, 10:23 even in our so-called advanced country. 10:26 There are people that are living 10:27 in the most abysmal, basic circumstances, 10:30 and they need our help. 10:31 They do. And it's not difficult. 10:34 If you can start out with one day a week, 10:36 it doesn't have to be burdensome and it's not. 10:39 It can be one day a week. 10:40 And if church is outside the building, 10:42 then go outside, then go outside of your home also. 10:45 And I was building a lot of relationships 10:47 with several churches 10:49 because I would visit pretty often. 10:51 What I can say good about Zoom and the conference calling 10:54 is that I am now on some days I can be on 10:58 with two or three different churches 11:01 at the same time building relationships. 11:02 Yeah. 11:04 And there are great opportunities. 11:06 I shouldn't bad mouth it totally. 11:07 But I just don't think 11:09 it's a direct alternative to the personal touch. 11:14 But, yeah, 11:15 you know, it's inspiring what you're doing. 11:16 And the takeaway from this 11:18 is that it's not just do good-rism. 11:20 It's directly linking 11:22 to our Religious Liberty Public Affairs agenda, 11:25 isn't it? 11:26 It is. 11:27 And, you know, like I said before 11:29 it's real heartwarming. 11:32 We are spreading the gospel. 11:33 They do see and know 11:35 and hear about Seventh-day Adventists, 11:37 our church and what we're doing. 11:38 And they see us as an asset 11:40 and as a positive influence, the elected officials, 11:43 the community, the nonprofits, 11:45 and it's a wonderful feeling 11:46 to be called on for requests as a resource. 11:49 When they call me and say, "Pati, can you help?" 11:51 And I say, "Yes, I can." 11:57 It's quite a few years now, 11:59 since as a young man with my parents and siblings, 12:03 we took the long way back from the US to Australia. 12:06 And we stopped off in India 12:08 and I will never to my dying day 12:11 forget some of the scenes that I saw. 12:13 Of course, India has moved a long way 12:17 since then in most ways. 12:19 But to see the degradation 12:22 that existed in certain places then, 12:24 poverty on a level as a westerner, 12:27 I could have never imagined the degradation, 12:29 people with broken arms and legs deformed 12:33 by their parents often, so they could be beggars. 12:38 It's worth remembering 12:39 that COVID with its death and destruction 12:41 on many families in the United States. 12:45 It's not the only thing that's going on, 12:49 whether it's in India 12:51 or in the inner cities of the US 12:53 or the working towns in Europe, 12:56 there are people in desperate straits 12:59 and COVID should not blind us to this crying need. 13:04 We should like Jesus Christ in His ministry, 13:06 see the needs, 13:08 physical and spiritual of people all around us. 13:11 And even though people are dying 13:13 and in desperation, 13:14 they are desperately of need of the word of salvation, 13:20 that they are free in Christ. 13:22 And that the great liberator and healer is soon to come. 13:27 For Liberty Insider, this is Lincoln Steed. |
Revised 2021-03-12