Spiritual Life and Leadership 29. Serving the Poor and the Immigrant, with Ebenezer Church, San Diego
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What do you if you’re leading a local congregation and you find out that a boy in your neighborhood has asthma because the landlord won’t fix the mold problem in his apartment building? If you’re the pastors of Ebenezer Church in San Diego, you cancel your regular worship service, meet the congregation in front of the apartment building, and stage a protest until the landlord agrees to do the right thing.
This is a great part of the story of Ebenezer Church. But what I especially love is what Pastor Noel Musicha says about this protest. He says he’s not really interested in protesting. What he’s interested in is restoring shalom.
Of course, there’s much more to Ebenezer Church than this. In this episode, I speak with Pastors Noel Musicha and Jere Lester, a really great church located in the Linda Vista community of San Diego.
THIS EPISODE’S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
- Noel Musicha and Jere Lester are the pastors of Ebenezer Church in San Diego.
- Noel and Jere feel called to minister to the poor and immigrant community in San Diego’s community of Linda Vista.
- There is power in the tradition of being a church. It is the environment where inner life transformation takes place, which allows for the outer life of ministry to the community.
- Ebenezer Church meets in the sanctuary of Linda Vista Presbyterian Church. Noel and Jere highly value the ministry and heritage of their host congregation.
- They learned early on that the most important thing they were going to take to the community was not good theology, but their own pain.
- Ebenezer Church exists to meet the immigrant and the poor.
- Ebenezer Church’s leadership reflects the diversity of the community.
- Jere learned about a boy who had asthma because his building had mold. When the landlord refused to do anything about it, Ebenezer Church moved their church service to the apartment building and protested until the landlord agreed to fix the problem.
- Noel isn’t interested in protesting. He is interested in restoring shalom.
- Ebenezer Church’s website is www.ebenezerchurchsd.com. You can also find them on Facebook and Instagram.
- Worship services are Sunday nights at 5pm (followed by dinner) at Linda Vista Presbyterian Church.
RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS
- Ebenezer Church
- Website: http://ebenezerchurchsd.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EbenezerChurchSD/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ebenezerchurchsd/
- Linda Vista Presbyterian Church
- Website: http://lvpres.org/
- Presbytery of San Diego
- Website: https://www.presbyterysd.org/
- 1001 New Worshiping Communities
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