Reality L.A.

What a blessing to hear from and connect with Jeff and Lauren Cardell today, our missions partners who have been serving in Timisoara, Romania, for 11 years. 

As a part of Greater Europe Mission, they’ve founded a faith and work initiative through which they encourage and equip people to live out the gospel practically. Their vision is to see the workplaces of Romania and Europe reached by disciples who make disciples.

Let’s continue to pray for them and for their ministry in Romania. We pray that God will refresh them, will equip the saints to glorify him, and ultimately, will reveal himself to many!

Helen Bernstein High School Teacher Supply Drive

🗓️ July 14
📍Both Sunday gatherings 

Teaching is no easy task. 93% of educators report paying out of pocket for supplies needed in the classroom. Most are using at least $500 of their own money to cover the shortfall of supplies provided by the school district.

Let’s serve Los Angeles this month by showing the amazing teachers of Helen Bernstein how the love of Jesus changes everything!

We ❤️ Social Sunday! There were nearly 400 sign ups across 18 activities! Building community with our Reality LA family is the best. If you missed it, don’t worry—registrations for open activities are up on our website. ➡️ events.realityla.com

2024 is half-way over! 😳

That means it’s time for our Mid-year Vision Update, when we revisit our vision for this year, celebrate what God has done thus far, and realign ourselves as we move forward.

We’re also supporting our youth this month (and if you’re a student, having a TON of fun!), worshiping Jesus together, and serving the teachers at Helen Bernstein High School.

Bookmark ➡️ events.realityla.com.

Good morning, church!

Today Pastor Jeremy is preaching from Luke chapter 10 and we are celebrating Social Sunday after church!

See you at our gatherings:

10AM Helen Bernstein High School
5PM the Hope Center

We are praising and thanking God for a formative, healing, and joyful Royal Family KIDS Camp!

In the seven years of camp we’ve never seen a year with more unity—not only within the volunteer team but primarily between the kids themselves. Seeing the adults and kids walking alongside one another in reflecting the theme of seeking God’s kingdom through relationships, prayer, and even times of games and silliness was a testament of God’s faithfulness and love.

The little children certainly came to Jesus this week, and your sisters and brothers were so faithful in their committed, patient, and steadfast love. Continue to pray for peace over the children who attended and for more opportunities to reflect God’s love through the mentorship program that takes place throughout the year!

Thank you, church family, for helping make this camp a reality. 

Back-to-school season is COMING! We are excited to serve Los Angeles this month by supporting the amazing teachers of Helen Bernstein High School, which has graciously hosted our Sunday gatherings since 2009!

At our Sunday gatherings on July 14, we will be collecting school supplies to gift the teachers and, in doing so, show them the love of Jesus. 

Add some of these items to your shopping list, and bring them on the 14th!

• Pens
• Pencils and erasers
• Masking tape
• Highlighters
• Dry-erase markers, erasers, and sprays
• Post-Its
• Staplers and staples
• Scissors (adult/craft)
• Electric classroom pencil sharpeners
• Tissue boxes
• Disinfectant wipes
• Batteries (AA & AAA)
• First aid kits (e.g. Band-Aids)
• Correction tape
• Scotch tape
• Tape dispensers
• Binder clips

Save the dates for the 2024 Summer Animation Project. 💫

This is a unique opportunity for animators, illustrators, storyboard artists, scriptwriters, and composers to join a team of animators and artists who work full time on a Bible translation for a language in the Middle East.

Use your unique mix of skills to contribute to animating sections of the book of Matthew.

You’ll learn about the Middle East local culture, religion, and worldview, how these affect the way the story is presented visually, and how the team tests materials with the audience so the final product is accurate, beautiful, and clear!

🗓️ August 9-12 
Stay tuned for more details!

Our next Worship Night is coming up!
Join us for a few hours in worship led by the Reality LA worship team.

July 12, 7PM
Hope Center Chapel
4903 Fountain Ave

Applications are open for the Center for Faith + Work Los Angeles’ 2024-25 cohort of Framework Fellows.

Framework is a high-impact, vocational discipleship program akin to an executive leadership certificate course, consisting of weekly cohort meetings, in-depth theological study, deep spiritual formation, periodic city retreats, and a capstone project designed to leverage your work for gospel-centered impact and transformation of our city.

As our church explores how to follow Jesus in our work this year, we are excited to share this opportunity from our partners .

Visit events.realityla.com for details.
Applications close July 31.

We have wrapped season one of The Drop In!🎬

After 46 episodes, we’ll be taking a break from our weekly schedule—and as we prepare for season two we invite you to email us at [email protected] to give us feedback and share topics or approaches you’d like to see in the future of the podcast.📝

Thank you, church family, for joining us on the pod, sharing your stories, and encouraging one another. Now go forth—follow Jesus, love one another, and serve Los Angeles!🫶🏽

reality.la/dropinapple
reality.la/dropinspotify

It’s day two of Royal Family KIDS Camp!

There are many ways you can continue to pray for all those at camp (and the caretakers at home!).

Pray for the children and caretakers.

• Pray the beauty of the gospel will be revealed or reaffirmed in their lives and that they’ll know they’re deeply valued and loved by their heavenly Father.
• Pray that every child who has signed up is able to make it to camp.
• Pray for soft hearts that are being prepared to receive love and good news.
• Pray for a week of sweet respite and reprieve for the caretakers.

Pray for deep relationships to form.

• Pray that this camp—paired with the mentoring program that occurs throughout the year—will not just be centered around fun activities, but will be truly rooted in cultivating and deepening relationships through which the kids, caretakers, and volunteers all feel truly known and loved by God and one another.
• Pray for endurance and commitment even if relationships aren’t natural at the beginning.
• Pray for safety in relationships and even redemption/healing where it is needed.
• Pray that our team would love each other well as a testimony to the love of Christ.

Pray for our volunteer team.

• Pray for endurance, patience, and an eagerness to put forth the name of Jesus over our own “good plans” or self-motivated desires.
• Pray for safety, that each volunteer will be able to make it to and through camp.
• Pray against the temptation of distraction leading up to and at camp.
• Pray for God’s heart and eyes for these kids, and pray against the temptation of judgement or condemnation based on behaviors or past experiences.

Pray for safety.

• Pray for physical safety, health, and spiritual cover over the participants and the space.

Pray for all of the details involved.

• Pray for all the final planning, purchases, organizing, and strategizing that is happening before camp.
• Pray that things will go off without a hitch so that there will be no hinderance to sharing the gospel in the most effective way possible.

To the dads—

Fresh out the baby gate, seasoned, with graduating seniors, or who have reached the glory of grandfatherhood. To the foster dads, uncles, mentors, and fathers in faith…

When you listen, we feel valued. Your vulnerability shows us strength. The fears you face teach us courage. Be your words many or few, they stick. The time you give is the best gift of all.

To any man who has chosen the hallowed work of fathering, for all the ways you have chosen to speak into our lives with guidance, friendship, perseverance, and corny jokes:

We cherish you.

Happy Father’s Day!

Reality LA Youth is BBQ’ing after church in the Helen Bernstein courtyard. Come hungry. Come ready to eat. Come ready to donate whatever the Lord puts on your heart!

We’ll have long-smoked brisket sandwiches, burgers, hotdogs, and even some veggie/vegan options.

All donations will go toward student scholarships for this year’s Youth Summer Camp!

camp.realityla.com
     

As we seek to flourish in Los Angeles, we also seek the flourishing of Los Angeles. And we know that if anything meaningful is going to happen in us and through us, it must begin and be sustained through prayer.

Royal Family KIDS Camp (our annual☀️summer camp for kids involved in the foster care system) begins next week and we are grateful to commission the incredible team of volunteers who will be serving there!

We pray for the team that they may demonstrate God’s unconditional love, showing every child how known and valued they are by God.🤍

We pray that they have strength through long camp days and late nights, that they be filled with the joy of serving God as they serve the kids, and that they be blessed by seeing lives transformed by the good news of Jesus.

For more ways to pray for our volunteers, the children, and their caretakers, visit ➡️events.realityla.com

Our next Social Sunday is June 30! The focus is on making connections around our fields of work or study. The activities don’t need to be directly related to the fields of work—y’all can just go get ice cream together. But if there is an industry-specific convention coming up and you want some Reality LA buddies to go with, sign up to lead the activity!

Visit: reality.la/socialsunday

This week we send Pastor Jonathan Fitzgerald on sabbatical. Jonathan has served faithfully in our church for 14 years and his sabbatical is long overdue!

We pray that in this time, he rests in God, is rejuvenated, and has restored to him the joy of the Lord.

See you in September, ! We are thankful for you!

Good morning church! What’s better than one gathering on Sunday? TWO gatherings! Join us today at either of our gatherings, and let us come together to worship before the father.

10AM Helen Bernstein High School
5PM The Hope Center

On Sunday we gathered in our regions to share samosas and to share about the work God has led us to. We want to continue building these connections across our church community! If you are interested in meeting with others from Reality LA who follow Jesus in your field of work or study please take a minute to let us know!

🔗 reality.la/vocationmeetup

Serve LA is one of our church’s most tangible expressions of love.♥️

On June 2, we will get to hear an update from the ministry, connect with the staff, and hear ways that we as a church can join them in serving Los Angeles. 

Check out their new website!
weservela.org

This week we’ve ordained 3 new elders to help lead and pastor our church: Alex Hitchens, Goodwin Deng, and Kevin Weiner! 

They’ve been in a formal process of leadership development for years. Through this time, we’ve trained them in how to pastor our church and we’ve given you the opportunity to provide feedback of their qualifications based on 1 Timothy 3. 

We’ve witnessed many years of their godly character and faithful servant hearts, laboring together with God. We’ve seen their passion for the church, their love for the city of LA, and above all, their dedication for upholding the truth of the gospel.

Alex, Goodwin, and Kevin—we are so excited to see how God uses you in our church as you step into your new role of overseers and shepherds!

Come share a meal with us!

We will meet at our Hope Center building on the corner of Fountain and Edgemont (4903 Fountain Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90029).

We are looking to hire a part-time social media manager to communicate the church’s vision and mission through our various social media channels, seeking to encourage the church body and celebrate the Lord’s work in our church, individual communities, and city.

If you are interested please apply! Pass this on if you know a friend who may also be interested!

It was a joy to see these three families commit to raise their children in God’s love and to hear our whole church family commit to supporting them at yesterday’s baby dedication!

As these parents raise their children to know God and be known in community, we as a church seek to include the children, affirm their identity in Christ, and pray for them. 

If you would like to join our next baby dedication, please email [email protected].

On Sunday we highlighted some incredible, faithful local ministries who we are partnered with in our mission of witnessing to, caring for, and loving not just children in the foster care system, but also foster families, biological parents, social workers, wraparound care communities, CASA advocates, and many more. We desire to be a church educated and equipped on how God’s people are to pray for and get involved in this mission!

Learn more and get connected to the work of these ministries by reaching out to [email protected]