July 10, 2002
Some days, more than others, we realize that time, like a fighter jet in flight, is passing us by. Just as its thundering, supersonic sound lingers long after the jet is out of view, so we too, live out our minutes, hours, days, months and years not realizing that time is passing us by. For the McCord family, time has passed so quickly. We have now been in San Francisco for a year and a half, I have reached my thirtieth birthday, and our family has grown by 20 percent with the arrival of baby Hannah. Time is passing by like a fighter jet on a mission.
The past two months have been a tremendous season of life and ministry for us. We hosted two missions’ teams, several friends and supporters, and are now mid way through a summer internship with a young lady from Pompano, Florida. Our Faith Communities continue to grow both in number, and most importantly in an understanding of life with Christ. Life in the city continues to prove challenging but full of rewards. Many great relationships continue to come our way, some new and others developing. We realize more than ever, that city ministry is about the minutes, the hours and the days. Events have little impact here.
Last Wednesday, as we were working with a group from Southern California, we ate breakfast at the Golden Gate Park. This park is one of the treasures of the city with its gardens, bike paths, lakes, fields and even buffalo. It is an oasis. Most San Franciscans are not surprised to see homeless teens, veterans, and other individuals living in the park. For this reason, we enjoy including our homeless neighbors for a pancake breakfast when we are there. It’s quite simple, really. A couple of camping stoves, some pancake mix, bacon, a five-gallon cooler of orange juice, and the party is set.
That morning was a little on the cold and damp side, so the park was quiet. A few joggers, a policeman on an off road motorcycle, the sound of the wind pushing through the trees and the crackling of grease were the only sounds in that serene space. We arrived around 8:00 AM to begin cooking. The smell of cooking bacon spread with the wind and little by little, people began approaching our hot stoves. A man named David was the first to come through asking if he could borrow a match to start his own fire. I realized that David was hungry and asked, “Would you like to join us for breakfast?” He smiled and said, “Yes! Thank you!” David is from England and has been in the U.S. for two years.
As I was cooking the pancakes, a Vietnamese man named Ken asked me what we were doing. I shared that in our faith we are commanded to love those in need. Matthew 25:40 tells us “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.’ ” As this man observed my children, he said, “These kids are lucky, they will grow up to be strong.” He told me that he and his family came to the park almost everyday and that he too was going to begin cooking breakfast for our neighbors.
As we continued preparing breakfast, two, three, ten, then twenty others surrounded our camp and joined in on the feast. When it was all said and done, we cooked over 350 pancakes and served over 100 people. Kellie, Kayla and Chase mingled with the crowd along with our team and ministry partner Dave Lantow. All around us were smiles and conversations. A small group began playing with a soccer ball in the spirit of the world cup. Our children played amongst the crowd and learned that these people aren’t much different than you and me.
During that morning at the park we didn’t preach or hand out tracts and Bibles. We simply sought to love as Christ called us to. Truth be told, these people are inundated with tract giving Christians. That morning we opted to cook a warm meal, smile big and treat each and every one of these friends in need as if we were serving Christ Himself. You see, most of the time we are called to simply be there, believing that God is at work long before our arrival. Don’t get me wrong, we pray that the day comes when one of these run away teens, addicts or disoriented people confess Jesus with their mouth, but as the apostle John said in 1 John 3:18, “…let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” Our hope is that our service to them would simply be an important hour in the rush of their passing life. Time is passing them by also. Maybe that moment was like the supersonic sound that startled and awoke one of them to a time past when life was better. These experiences continue to shake our faith.
All around us are opportunities to love with action. No matter who we are or what we do, God is at work and calling us to love. Love simply is that act or reality that touches the eternal soul of those around us. Love is the language of heaven, spoken first by our Creator. What if we were simply to live a life of love? What if love is the currency of God’s kingdom and those who seek to abide in Him have unlimited access to this currency? What if love is the first step in accomplishing the great commission?
We believe this is so. We believe that our work apart from love is simply powerless. There lies the good news! We cannot sustain the giving of pure love without being in a right relationship with our maker, a Creator who wants us to become all that He created us to be. As we love we are realizing a closer relationship with Christ.
So we continue to live, learn and love here in San Francisco. We continue to pray for the awakening of our city, our neighbors and our friends. We deeply desire an awakening and a moral revolution that would blow down from the heavens.
Our work continues to center around our neighborhoods, Faith Communities and Reimagine. We are beginning to realize fruit in all three areas and hope for much more. We are committed to continue to walk with God and to not get ahead of Him. Every goal and expectation has been exceeded to date.
Thank you for believing with us, praying for us and being generous to us. We could not establish roots here in the city without people like you having a heart for the city of San Francisco. Our finances are always a matter of faith. Kel’s pregnancy is putting us back $3,000 to $4,000 as our insurance dropped us mid way through. Rent continues to be high, so we are seeking God’s will for long-term city housing by way of a purchase. That’s a mountain that only He can move. As we seek to start-up Reimagine as a non-profit, we are in need of some office equipment and Imax computers. All of these needs are very small from God’s perspective, however for us they are big, and we pray that God would move these mountains. Would you pray with us?
We miss each of our churches and ministry partners in a big way. Thank you for being so faithful to us over the past year and a half. We pray that God would multiply your generosity ten times over.
Blessings,
The McCord’s
posted by Ken McCord @ 4:54 PM
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