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Los Angeles Church to Hold Preview Service
LOS ANGELES, CA (February 11, 2004) - Church of the Redeemer, a multi-ethnic church plant, will be hosting its first preview service on March 14 at the Foshay Learning Center.
Pastors Danny and Donna Martinez and their three children moved to South Central Los Angeles as part of the call to plant a multi-racial church with an emphasis on compassion and justice. Danny Martinez had recently finished his seminary education at CHET, an Evangelical Covenant Church Hispanic seminary in Bell Gardens, California, and was working as a youth pastor at Bell Gardens Covenant Church since August 2001.
Martinez, who had served 10 years as a voluntary worship director and youth pastor at Iglesia del Pacto Evangelico Belen in Chicago, had been employed as a vice president of marketing for his company while in Illinois. In 2003 he listened to a presentation for a new ministry by Pacific Southwest Conference administrators Wayne Carlson and Walter Contreras. After praying about the idea, the Martinez family agreed to explore the possibility and they haven't looked back.
"We met an exciting group of people in South Central Los Angeles who shared a lot of our core values for ministry," said Martinez, one of last summer's Main Stage performers at the Covenant's triennial high school conference CHIC2K3 in Tennessee. "They wanted to plant a multi-ethnic church that concentrates in the immediate neighborhood. Racial reconciliation, compassion and justice were their main values. We (wife Donna and I) were completely struck by the mission to plant a church in this torn neighborhood and here we are.
"As a church we are excited about the demographics of our neighborhood," Martinez continued. "We have a ratio of about 60 percent Latino, 30 percent African American and 10 percent Asian and Anglo. We want to show the face of God through all the races and promote racial reconciliation in our services. We, as a church, hold the value of being a church in the neighborhood, for the neighborhood, Compassion and showing the love of Jesus, as a core group. We hope to pass these values to the church as a whole."
Already, Church of the Redeemer has made inroads with the community as the congregation's core group has established a tutoring program called Adventures Ahead. The goal for the program is to achieve grade-appropriate literacy among children grades K-6 who are enrolled in the program, and to nurture each child's enjoyment and experience of success in their development as lifelong readers.
A local business owner, Tom Roark and his wife, Rose, helped Adventures Ahead procure storefront space free of charge - a converted garage at the back of the property is also being used free of charge. Nearby Pasadena Covenant church has partnered in the renovation of this new facility, as well as assisting in the planting the Church of the Redeemer.
Donna Martinez and Tom Roark have also partnered in opening a local bookstore called Family Resource Center in the same building as Adventures Ahead. They hope to offer resources to parents on raising children, teenagers and young adults. A compassion ministry to the local homeless population is also being planned and the Martinez family has already distributed food and blankets in recent months.
"We ask for your prayers as we united the races, classes and different customs of our neighborhood and plant a church with a great worship experience and the heart of the Lord Jesus Christ," said Danny Martinez. For more information about the new church in Los Angeles, email Martinez at danmar32@msn.com.
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