Tour of Fullerton: Gang Neighborhood

By Paul Mason

While on the tour, I learned that the gang in Fullerton was actually connected to a larger organization called the Mexican Mafia (which according to NOC speaker, Tommy Nixon, is run just like a business) I was amazed to hear that the gang had such ties to a larger entity such as this Mexican Mafia. My perspective definitely changed about how wide the gang issue actually reaches.

In the few areas of Fullerton we went by, there was also the juxtaposition of old run-down fourplexes (where 12-18 people lived in each) on one side of the street while there were new "low income" houses being built on the other side of the street. However these new low-income houses were still going to be unaffordable by the people who had lived in the fourplexes that had been bulldozed to make way for the new housing. I haven't made any decisions yet, but it started the wheel in my head. Well, what about those people who were in the fourplexes? Where do they go to live? Why is this happening?

I recommend anyone who has had any curiosity even just about the Fullerton community to go on a tour like this, so that your eyes may be opened up to some of the things that are going on right in our back yard.

Five Things That Aren't in the Bible (humor)

by Chris Cheung

Okay, fair warning. This is an article from Cracked.com. The language is a bit salty and the idioms are unlikely to grace a Sunday worship. Still, it is 1) funny, and 2) actually mostly accurate.

It also begs a question: do you really know what's in our Bible?

http://www.cracked.com/article_18757_5-things-you-wont-believe-arent-in-bible.html

Tour of Fullerton: Understanding Homelessness

By Dennis Han

I had been looking forward to going on Tour of Fullerton for the homeless where I might be able to gain some hands-on perspective on the situation.

Our first stop was Bastanchury Park. We arrived to see a circle of people standing around Chris Lee who was sharing some things about the park. Bastanchury Park is a nice park that looks new; one would never guess that a string of homeless people live just out of sight on the edge of the park. Chris shared how the homeless who live there keep to themselves and don’t intend to bother anyone but people complain about them being there so they are regularly driven out of there by the police. Chris then invited one homeless man named Corey to come share with us about some of his daily experiences. He shared about how sometimes when he sleeps in the field, he would wake up to see ants crawling all over his legs. He said that the ants do not mean to harm him, but they are just trying to get to where they are going. As Chris had told us earlier, the homeless don’t intend to bother anybody and after hearing Corey share, I believed that statement. As he was sharing, a girls’ soccer team formed in a line behind us to buy snacks at a snack counter. Their chattering drowned out Corey’s voice and I got to thinking about the juxtaposition I saw with the girls’ soccer team, oblivious as they were, and the homeless man in front of us. At that moment, I felt glad that I was not oblivious.

Our next stop was the FIES Food Distribution Center where an employee named Michael Shepherd gave us a tour and talked to us about operations. I learned some interesting things such as not having a refrigerator creates a host of problems for people and this center actually provides services to address this issue. This center seems small and meager, but it is heavily relied upon in this city. With the approaching holidays and cold weather, Michael addressed increasing challenges and hinted at the need for more volunteers. By now I was beginning to feel that problems continue to mount, but not new solutions.

Next was the FIES Inter-Shelter Network. Michael explained that this shelter was for those who were serious about finding a job. I was unaware that a shelter had this type of condition. The shelter has a shower, and the staff sets up cubicle like dividers for its clients so they can be in an environment conducive to research and study. Michael invited volunteers here that could teach life skills. Once this tour wrapped up, it was lunch time and we were all invited to a barbeque in La Palma Park.

La Palma Park is home to quite a few homeless people and is one of the regular destinations of the Burrito Project. Thus, many of the homeless people there already know many of us so it was going to be a time of fellowship among friends. I observed in many of the homeless that I saw here that they have a passion for life and I felt excited to catch a glimpse of it. I also saw Corey there. He walked around, mingled, and had fellowship. I began to think to myself that all we need to do is to get Corey to the place where he would be able to help others because he looks like he is ready. What prevents this from happening are various things: the city council as Johnny Lee described, that seems convinced that addressing the homeless issue hurts progress for the city, the people who feel paralyzed because of feeling overwhelmed with what must be solved, etc. If we each realize that one step upon another is what allows someone like Corey to finally get out of the park he sleeps in, maybe we wouldn’t feel overwhelmed.

As I’ve learned these past few Sundays, God only expects us to do something as opposed to everything and I think this tour helped me to understand this better.

Sermon Rewind: Sheep, Not Goats (Liz Yim)

Matthew 25:33-40 (NIV)

³³He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
³⁴"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

³⁷"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

⁴⁰"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Liz Yim continued the "(W)hole" series, sharing from Matthew 25. She exhorted us to be sheep, rather than goats. Sheep have the following three attributes:

1. They have a relationship with Jesus. John 10 tells us that sheep recognize the Good Shepherd.
2. They have eyes to see. We must refuse to allow some people or situations to be “invisible.”
3. They commit acts of compassion. We are not called to save, liberate, provision, or embrace every person in need globally, but to love the ones GOD puts in front of us.

Listen to this sermon and others online!
http://noc.newsong.net/grow/resources/message-archives/

Sermon Rewind: (W)hole, Part II

Vaughn Thompson continued the "(W)hole" series, revealing wisdom from Peter's confession of Christ in Luke 9:18 - 27. Therein, Jesus states that whoever chooses to follow Jesus, must "deny himself and take up his cross daily." In order to follow Jesus, then, there must be radical change. Our hearts are naturally wicked, and thus, we must strive to surrender our natural selves to walk out the gospel. Vaughn outlined three things we must surrender. We must surrender to His call, and proclaim Jesus for who He is. We must also surrender to His process of salvation and transformation to continually work in us. Finally, we must surrender to His leading, and follow Jesus as he calls us to move forward. The nature of the call should not be mistaken for our dreams and desires although they may coincide. Rather, understand that the call comes from outside of us and speaks to the inside of us. Only then can we recognize the voice of God calling us to do the things we may not otherwise want to do.

Listen to this sermon and others online!
http://noc.newsong.net/grow/resources/message-archives/