Today we take a break from Pastor Greg’s new series to welcome a dear long-time friend of Lake Avenue Church, Dr. John Perkins, endearingly referred to as “JP” by his fans and friends across the country. As I reflect on my experience of being a part of God’s Unexpected Family at Lake Avenue Church, a few lessons come to mind that are deeply connected to this very special man.

The first thing that struck me back in 1999 when I stepped in the room to tutor at STARS was the very unlikely mix of tutors and students. I thought, “Wow, this is different. Here sit a multi-ethnic bunch of adults working with and loving a predominantly Latino bunch of kids.”

These Christians who were already reconciled to God, were now agents of reconciliation in a hurtling neighborhood — this is what God wants most from us: Love Him, and love our neighbors. Reconciliation: This is the message that JP has preached all over the country and all over the world. He has taught and inspired our church and others to effectively minister in our local community in a way that brings about this type of reconciliation.

Another life-altering moment for my husband, Chris, and I, was our first encounter at the Christian Community Development Association conference, a ministry founded by JP, where we attended a workshop on another of JP’s core values: Relocation. We were not sure what that meant — but something happened in that room. God spoke to the deepest part of our souls. A year later, Chris and I moved our family to Northwest Pasadena to live among those we felt called to serve. This is what Jesus did. He was God incarnate, living among the people. Several of the LACF key staff also live in our local community. Physical relocation is not for everyone — but we are all called to minister in this manner in some form.

Relocation leads to the next lesson: Redistribution. This is a value that grows from Relocation. When you live amongst the people, you can’t help but care about what they care about. It is no longer about their needs and my needs — it is about our needs. It is about our schools, our crime rate, our local economy. We begin to care about others having what they need for the sake of the entire community. We begin to see that wealth and power needs to be distributed justly. God loves all of us. These three values have changed my life. Today you get to hear how they relate to the story of our friend, Dr. John Perkins, and how they are a part of our own church’s story — and how we get to pass on the legacy!

To His glory,

Mayra Macedo-Nolan
Associate Director
Lake Avenue Community Foundation