God continues to use the people in our church to remind me of his faithfulness and love for his people. I received an email this week from one of our Catalyst ladies. She was reflecting on the July that we’ve had at Catalyst. Her email reminded me of all the outstanding things God continues to do in our midst.
Our July was full of incredible times of fellowship at our various Family Fellowship Dinners. I’ve had the privilege of attending most of our dinners, and each one has been awesome. Each fellowship dinner has been full of fun, laughs, stories, and great food. I’m so grateful for each of our dinner hosts and am looking forward to a couple more dinners in August.
On July 8th, Catalyst and Principe de Paz hosted a Paradise Hills Neighborhood Block Party. We had food, games, prizes, music, bouncy houses, a dunk tank, and lowriders! Several local churches helped us out with volunteers. Families from Paradise Hills and the neighboring communities came out to enjoy a day of family fun and connect with our church volunteers.
Two mission teams blessed us by coming out and serving at Catalyst. We had one group of volunteers from Resonate Church in Washington. This group of ladies chopped weeds and cleaned out and organized a shed of tricycles for our preschool kids. They blessed us.
Then came the missions team from Valleydale Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Wow! What a group. The team from Valleydale was an incredible example of service and love for God’s people. On Wednesday, July 12th, they cleaned and organized one of our preschool rooms. Because of their work, we’ll have an extra room ready for preschool children this fall. That evening, Bubba joined me to minister to people at East County Transitional Living Center in El Cajon.
Then, on Thursday, July 13th, the team went with me to the San Diego Police Department Southeastern Division. We purchased hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, and other food items and had a big cookout for the officers. Our SDPD officers had smiles and enjoyed themselves. The captain spoke about how great the event was to boost morale amongst the officers.
That Saturday, I walked to our church and found volunteers from Principe de Paz working on a much-needed repair on our back stairs. They saw a need and stepped in. They continue to be a fantastic partner with us in bringing the Gospel to this community.
Our Catalyst Kids ministry hosted a Family Beach Day at Glorietta Bay Park in Coronado this past Sunday. What a day! We had food, the kids enjoyed the beach, and we all had a great time together. Everyone enjoyed the day. Then, that evening, my wife and I joined the Catalyst rec group at La Mesita Park for a fun and competitive game of Pickleball. It was a great way to end the day with our church family.
With all this ministry and fellowship activity, we are reaching our neighbors and making an impact. This month, a gentleman dropped off an Instacart delivery at our church. After he dropped off the delivery, he asked to speak with me. I chatted with him in my office, gave him a Bible, and he left. I saw him again that evening at Walmart and greeted him and his girlfriend. The next day, he came by the church again to see me. He told me he read a Psalm in the Bible I gave him. We spoke about the Bible, about the need to be born again, and prayed together. I continue to pray for this young man and am hopeful for what God is doing in his life.
We continue to see God’s incredible faithfulness at our church. I am blessed to see how God continues using his people to change lives in our midst.
