Reflecting on 2009

December 23, 2009

This Sabbath is the last of 2009. Where do the years go? As my family and I prepare to celebrate our fifth Christmas in Hollywood we have been remembering God’s blessings in our lives. When I think about those blessings, what I see in my mind’s eye are faces: your face and the dozens of others that have blessed us these years.

Every Christmas we’ve spent in Hollywood has been different. Some have been punctuated by intense and painful personal loss, with others filled by genuine joy. Last Christmas I had the privileged of uniting Angie and Matt in marriage (Happy Anniversary, you two!).

When I think about our two girls, Zoe and Sophie, I’m reminded that they’ve spent more than half of their lives with you. Zoe was only four (4) when we moved here and Sophie had just turned two (2). Now they are becoming young ladies. Nothing makes me happier than to watch them interact with so many of you who they consider big brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, grandmas and grandpas.

2009 has been a challenging year for me. It didn’t have the “Wow” factor that 2008 did, when the church grew so quickly and our Missional Action Teams were cranking out all kinds of new ministries. This year has been a little more “steady as she goes.”
But I think we’ve grown deeper this year. Last January we sat in the chapel together and asked ourselves what we wanted to see in 2009. Overwhelmingly we said we wanted to go deeper in our relationships with God and each other. We certainly have not yet arrived at that place, but we’ve made some significant steps, such as the next Missional Action Team being prepared for the new year.

Our leadership had deepened in a big way. This year we’ve welcomed Nathan French to our team. He has led out in our Peace & Justice ministry in ways that we could not have imagined before he arrived. This coming year is only going to be better, as we develop a non-profit organization to extend our community work and deepen our commitment to justice through our partnerships with LA Voice, Imagine LA and others.

We also started a brand new venture this year called Cinema Divina and so welcomed Julia Alty to our staff. Her imagination, personal magnetism and hard work have already begun to bear fruit in many creative projects that will only grow in 2010. God has brought so many talented and creative people to this place at this time. I’m on the edge of my seat with anticipation about what God will do next.

I also want to thank Cecilia Luck, who has stepped into the very large vacancy left by Lennox and has already proven herself more than capable of administering the church and our relationships with our partners in the community. Scott Arany has assumed the other half of what Lennox was doing and is already making plans to grow our worship and music ministry in directions we’ve only been able to dream about until now. Pastor Wayne Jones continues to serve as a volunteer member of our staff and uses his incredible social work background to serve the members of our church in ways that even make me tired. Finally, our church board faithful keeps us focused on our mission and provides essential accountability. Thank you to all our tireless leaders who make this ministry possible! I can’t imagine doing this without you. I wouldn’t want to.

I hope you’ll pause for an hour or so this coming week and think about this past year and what it’s meant to you. Think about the important people in your life and take a minute to thank them for what they’ve done to make this year special to you. Think about the ways God has grown you in 2009 through the trials and through the good times and give thanks to God!

May you be richly blessed this week wherever you are, and whomever you’re with.

Merry Christmas!

Ryan

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