Park Hill Church Podcast

As a lawyer fresh out of law school, Jonathan Derby thought he knew what justice was. Punishment for the evildoer. Right? Today, Jonathan knows the justice of Jesus encompasses so much more than that. It's less about seeking punishment for evil and more about restoring humans who have been deprived of the flourishing God intends. Jonathan Derby is the Director of the Center for Justice and Reconciliation at Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU). He oversees an incredible initiative, which Park Hill financially partners with for 2025, called the Beauty for Ashes Scholarship Fund. This fund empowers survivors of sex-trafficking by enabling them to receive a college education at PLNU. Hear more about Jonathan and Beauty for Ashes in this final episode of our SEVEN conversations series.

Do you know what sex-trafficking is? Would you recognize it happening if you were staring right at it? Many of us think we would. But the sad truth is, our view of trafficking has been shaped more by the movies than by reality, which in turn enables human trafficking to hide in plain sight. It's time for the Church to open her eyes and move toward this issue with active compassion and willingness to learn. Wheeler Fisher has worked directly with survivors of sex-trafficking for years. After serving in Recovery & Transitions for survivors, she currently serves as Philanthropic Relations Manager at GenerateHope. GenerateHope exists to provide long and short term housing and wrap-around support to survivors who have experienced sex trafficking, right here in San Diego. Please click the links below to learn how you can be part of the healing process of survivors today. Online learning: Shared Hope International Polaris Project Safety Planning Tools Trafficking in Persons Report by Dept. of State (TIP) PLNU & USD Research study on Sex Trafficking in San Diego CDC: 6 Guiding Principles to a Trauma-Informed Care Approach The Exodus Road Influenced Parents Academy Recommended reading: “Walking Prey” by Holly Austin Smith “Runaway Girl” by Carissa Phelps “The Body Keeps the Score” by Bessel Van der Kolk “Trauma and Recovery” by Judith Herman Recommended watching: “Nefarious” by Exodus Cry (documentary) STOLEN

Hope Leadership Academy (HLA) exists to give San Diego children a chance to thrive in a world full of hope and joy. And it is easier than you think to get involved. Sarah Reed is Program Director, Volunteer Manager, and Elementary Lead Academy Coordinator at HLA. In this conversation, she shares the biggest struggles facing at-risk youth right now. The Church can be an immediate solution to many of these problems. The question is, will we get up and move toward the vulnerable? Get involved in helping at-risk youth thrive

10,000 people are currently homeless in San Diego. 70% of those people became homeless while living here. Can the Church be a crucial part of the solution to such a rampant problem? We believe so. Ashley Guzik Murray is Associate Director of Church Partnerships at San Diego Rescue Mission. She's also an amazing leader in our Park Hill Church community. In this conversation, hear Ashley's personal story of Christ's transformative power. If you don't want your heart inspired to actively love the homeless in your own backyard, don't listen to this episode! Volunteer at the Rescue Mission

There are currently 1,400 kids in the San Diego foster system. What is life like for a child in the system? What happens to the kids who don't end up placed in a foster home? In this illuminating conversation, Missy Bell briefly describes "the state of the union" of foster care in our city, as well as practical ways the Church of Jesus can literally participate in saving young lives. Find simple ways to get involved in orphan care.  Contact Olive Crest San Diego – 619.291.9347

Today we kickoff of SEVEN 2025—a multi-church week of worship, prayer and fasting. According to Isaiah 58, the fast God chooses is not a fast that simply benefits the ones fasting. Instead, true fasting leads us to embrace the poor and vulnerable in the name of Christ Jesus. But what does this look like practically? Today, Evan Wickham presents the "what" and "why" of fasting, and then we get to hear from amazing representatives from the following four Park Hill Church's justice partners. Our true fasting will lead to kingdom action alongside partners such as these:  Missy Bell, Olive Crest. Ashley Guzik Murray, San Diego Rescue Mission. Alex Huerta, Hope Leadership Academy. Wheeler Fisher, GenerateHope.      

Matthew Pursley teaches from Genesis 45:1-7, exploring how challenging and frustrating forgiveness can be. Saying "I forgive you" is often easier than truly meaning it from the heart. Yet, God promises that when we lay our pain at the feet of Jesus, we can experience true healing.

This is part three of our vision series. When Jesus calls disciples to follow him, he invites them to become fishers of people. This means all followers of Jesus are to be agents of renewal by drawing people into the kingdom work God is already doing in the world. And Jesus doesn’t leave us alone in this work. He promises the empowering presence of his Holy Spirit to us.

For Part 2 of our 2025 Vision series, we consider what it means (and requires) to become like Jesus. Could it be true that God offers us the power to change today? What would it look like to become a church that “strenuously contends” to see one another mature spiritually? Come and see.

As a family of three churches in San Diego (Neighbors, All Saints, and Park Hill), we are praying through the whole Bible in 2025, together in unity. To join us, purchase a BREAD journal at one of our Sunday gatherings, or get a free digital copy of our BREAD 2025 journal HERE.