Dear friends in Christ,

Last week we had an extraordinary opportunity for service. A woman and her eight year-old son reached out to Family Solutions Center. She had been working and housed, but when a relationship ended she became displaced. Trying to care for her son and maintain employment without housing proved impossible. She was not able to maintain her employment and the situation rapidly deteriorated. By the time she made it to the Family Solutions Center, they had been out all night sleeping in bus shelters for we don’t know how long, and they were exhausted. Family Solutions Center had a shelter available, but not until the next day. They called Melody at CIRCLE to ask for help, because Melody is know as someone who gets difficult things done, and Melody called me. “Can you help put them up somewhere tonight until they can get into their shelter tomorrow?” she asked. I am so grateful that our church is uniquely positioned to answer calls such as this.

This readiness is not an accident. We have spent years funding the Pastor’s Discretionary Fund, assembling a stash of sack lunches, and building relationships with CIRCLE and with our neighbors. Our Council Members and Treasurers have prepared our finances so that we have a church credit card to make emergency payments and purchases. Our staff is a well-oiled machine of rapid-response teamwork.

When I got the call, I was at home because my mother-in-law whom we live with and caretake had just gotten back from her third stint in the emergency room within seven days, and she needed constant care.  I had very little time and no way to go up to the church at that point. I called our neighbor who I know – the manager of the hotel two doors down from the church – on her cell phone, and explained the situation. She said she would be “absolutely delighted” to take in the mother and son. Because she knows me, she waved the requirement that we be there in person to sign the credit card authorization form, and I just texted her a picture of my ID and the church credit card. Giselle called to make the arrangements and they said that the mother and son could come immediately, they did not have to wait until check-in time at 4 PM. The proximity of the hotel to the church made it easy for CIRCLE to drop them off and to have help nearby at our church if anything came up. Giselle had the authorization and means to get them any additional supplies they needed, as she deemed necessary. Within an hour, the family was off the street and in shelter.

When the wildfires hit Los Angeles last month, there was much talk about how our churches and denomination in Southern California don’t have a Disaster Response Plan. But the reality is, we at WeHo UCC do. I remember when I first started and was trying to make arrangements for situations like these. Tere and Giselle and I would scramble for hours trying to find a motel for folks, calling shelters, driving around in the dark to pick up fast food, trying to figure out how to transport folks to places all over the city, hoping I had enough cash in my bank account to pay for the room and then get reimbursed from the church weeks later, and dropping everything to drive across town to check in so we could sign the credit card authorization form in person. What a difference a couple of years make. Last week I made a couple of phone calls, and our team of staff, neighbors, and CIRCLE created a solution even though I couldn’t be there in person or help in any way. It is raining as I write this and I am relieved to know that a mother and her eight-year-old son are warm and dry and indoors, not freezing and soaking wet at a bus stop in the middle of the night. As of today, this mother and son have been sheltered since last week at the Bailey Shelter and they are on track with the Family Housing Program to be in permanent housing soon. I have lost count of the number of people we have helped off the street and into permanent housing.

At West Hollywood United Church of Christ, Our Mission statement is simple:

 No Condemnation here! We are a Loving Community embracing Christ’s spirit and justice.

One of our core values is:

We are an intentional community of compassion and love. We know that it is often difficult to find community in an impersonal city. We seek to be an intentional community built upon Jesus’ values of care, compassion, service, justice, and support for one another.

We live out our values through action every day, and it is because all of you work together that makes stories like this possible. Every week, we strive to be able to say, “We don’t just talk the talk, we walk the walk.”

This Sunday we will be reading the parable of the sower from the gospel of Matthew. In times like this, Jesus’ words and example inform and encourage what we are doing, regardless of what craziness happening around the world. In this story, Jesus quotes from Isaiah who was in his own whirlwind of political drama. Their words and actions have much to teach us.

This Sunday we will also be blessing all of the February birthdays and anniversaries, and after worship we will be assembling sack lunches. Special thanks to Mavery for single-handedly shopping for supplies for 100 sack lunches last Sunday. They filled two shopping carts!

At Bible Study this Monday we will be studying two brave and unorthodox women from the Bible: Jael and Judith.

This month we are also beginning to organize around our Twelve Goals for 2025. Watch for more info in our upcoming newsletters, during worship, and on our website.

Finally, there have been repeated requests for Pledge Forms, so I am attaching one here. If you sign up for recurring payments through our website, we count that as a pledge. But for those who love the smell of ink and paper, we will have printed copies available in the sanctuary or you can email our office and we will mail one to you.

SAVE THE DATE

Pastor Tracy’s Installation will be Sunday, March 30, 2025 at 3 PM in the Sanctuary. Reception to follow.

Please scroll down for more upcoming events.

We will look forward to seeing you there!

Many blessings,

Pastor Tracy