April 19, 2001
It’s a beautiful day. The sun is out and the weather is unseasonably warm. Some friends from a supporting church are in town. As is typical, we are traveling on the MUNI - San Francisco’s public transportation system. Kellie and the baby have a seat. The lady next to her rocks back and forth. She’s middle aged, clean and obviously mentally ill. She turns to Kellie and says, “Lady, are you going to be friendly with me?” Kellie answers, “Yes Mam, how are you?” The lady answers, “I have been struggling. What’s wrong with me?” She continues, “I have been struggling with these fantasies and I need medication!” The conversation continued for 15 minutes and was quite intense. Kellie spoke blessings and encouragement to her, but who was that lady? Where did she come from? How did she end up that way?
Our city has almost 800,000 people. There are hundreds of cultures, rich and poor, educated and uneducated, conservatives and liberals, caring and uncaring, and on and on we could go; all living in a 7 by 7 mile space. The intensity of one day, one conversation has transformed the way we understand ministry. So many of the programs, events, and ideas that work elsewhere are futile here. The hope for our city is only One - the risen Jesus!
We are so pleased to report that our family is settled in our new home and neighborhood. The home that God has provided is nothing short of a MIRACLE! Our first night in the home was quite comical. Having lived in a small studio for almost 2 months, we were accustomed to being together in a single room. Well, you can imagine…we had no idea of what to do with this much space J.
Our days are consumed with learning and engaging into the already present work of God here in the city. We have partnered with a local center called the Page Street Center that feeds approximately 150 to 180 families each week. I would need 10 pages to appropriately share the impact of this ministry on me personally and the Lower Haight neighborhood. The Page Street Center, led by Eric Bergquist, is truly blessing those who live in that community. These are real people, with real needs!
Our work with REimagine continues. Several of you have asked what REimagine is. REimagine is a group of about 30 to 40 followers of Christ led by a team of six. It exists to step into the spiritual openness of San Francisco and create new ways to communicate, manifest, and unleash the good news of Jesus so that people can become followers of Jesus and become participants in what God is doing in His city. I have spent a large amount of time working on the development of REimagine with five other team members.
Kellie and the kids are active in the community also. Kellie has participated in several kids’ playgroups, connected with some local moms, and has met new people almost every day! I am helping my friend, Dieter Zander, coach a 10 to 12 year old boys’ soccer team at Golden Gate Park. This too has been a unique way to interact with people. This next week we will participate with some of the Earth Day projects here in the city. I will also connect with a one-day youth event this weekend. Next week we will host a REimagine work project in our neighborhood and also a gathering in our home the following day. We have been so blessed by visitors! Already, six groups of ministry partners and friends have come through. One of the blessings of being
here is that our city is a popular place to visit J. This next week, Kellie’s mom will join us. The kids are so excited.
So many of you have asked, how you should pray. Here’s how we are praying: We pray that God would guard our hearts and our family, giving us wisdom and direction. We pray that God would bless His people here in the city and do a wonderful thing amongst us. We pray that God would continue to move in the lives of those seeking Him here in the city. We pray for an awakening! Thank you for praying with us. As Chase was in the hospital, we felt the presence of God throughout the entire situation. As Kellie sat in the hospital, the phone calls and the notes were clear signs of God’s love for us. Thank you!
The cities of our great nation are complex places. The traditional majority, for the most part, lives in the suburbs and edge cities. As you know, your support allows us to establish a presence here in the city; a presence that seeks to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God, inviting people to join us on the journey with Christ. Thank you for being a partner and believing that our city, San Francisco, needs this message of the Kingdom.
We miss you dearly but know that our unity in Christ is permanent. Please feel free to email us at heartofcity@aol.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
Blessings,
Ken and Kellie McCord
PS. Thank you for giving! Your giving is the means and catalyst to our presence in San Francisco and the start of our ministry here. All donations should continue to be sent and payable to:
posted by Ken McCord @ 4:34 PM
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