lscrc - Dave and Susie Lindner

The first person I ever met from Sacramento was Gil Ramirez. Gil spoke to me of his neighborhood- Gardenland/ Northgate, the “corridor of neglect” sandwiched between the exploding new growth and energy to the north and the homeless camps along the American River bordering downtown Sacramento to the south. God used Gil and his vision for community transformation to call me and my family to plant Bridge of Life in this corridor- which God (and we) see rather as a dearly loved, blossoming oasis fed by Christ’s living water in a parched land.

The first time I met Gil’s wife Lucy, she asked me a pointed question at the Gardenland/Northgate Neighborhood Association (GNNA) meeting: Where is your church going to be? The subtext: Are you running north to join the feeding frenzy among the new growth/wealth/power? Isn’t anyone coming to our neighborhood to be with us?

It’s 7 years later, and her question still resonates. Gil and Lucy, along with many others in the neighborhood, have embraced our family in so many ways, cementing our calling and reminding us, often just in the nick of time, that God doesn’t call the worthy, but the willing, to love and serve in lonely difficult places that the world would rather avoid but where we (and Jesus) call home.

Jesus called our friend Lucy Ramirez to her true home in heaven this year, and we grieve with Gil and an entire community the loss of such an amazing light. She is missed. Gil remains a close friend and partner in God’s call to community transformation here, and he is still active on the GNNA and Sports 4 Life, our local basketball league. Amazingly, the very community room where Lucy asked me that question 7 years ago has become our new place for Bridge of Life worship services- Stanford Settlement Community Center (450 W. El Camino Ave.) 1 PM Sundays. Where, Lucy? Right here. God is calling us right here, to be your neighbors, to make your needs our needs, your home our home. Su casa es mi casa. Su barrio es mi barrio.

This is a tough barrio. I found some furniture for a troubled family that moved in a couple years ago. I prayed with the single mom of 7. A year ago one of her younger boys broke into our community center to steal. She asked for prayer while he was in juvenile hall. The home where they live has become a well-known hotbed for illegal activity. Last week her 17 year old son was shot to death in the street next to her apartment and 4 blocks from our home, after a hard look and a fight that ended in gunfire. Our neighborhood grieves, and we feel the pain, sadly wondering how/why/if we could ever be anything but outsiders in a culture so foreign to us. “Make their needs our needs…their pain our pain…” says community development pioneer John Perkins…and Jesus. We do feel it… more and more… Maybe we are becoming more a part of the neighborhood…

Bridge of Life is committed to being a community church in Gardenland/Northgate. One that stays, with a ministry of presence rather than programs, one that builds bridges rather than walls, one that listens and learns rather than dictates, one that values local resources rather than decries perceived deficiencies. So, we are continuing regular prayer visits among our neighbors, and want to start a regular community dinner, to be served and enjoyed with one and all in the neighborhood where I met Lucy. We are looking for a space for that! Your prayers and support are absolutely vital in the work that God has called us to do here in Gardenland/Northgate. Thank You! Please pray for our strategic planning as we move forward in God’s grace!

PRAY... GO... STAY... GROW... LISTEN... LEARN... SERVE... TEACH... BRING... TRANSFORM

Comments:

Hi Dave and Susie,

I was checking the web and found your site.� Congratulations on the grant.�

Can donations to your ministry be made at Living Stones?� Also, are the donations tax-deductible?� Will you give a statement at the end of the year for tax purposes?�

You can write me back with the answers ar you can leave a message on my phone.

Marshall

(Cynthia Fair's mother)

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Dave and Susie Lindner

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