NEW site and blog!

So if you are wondering why we have not blogged in almost 1 year, it is because we have a new website and blog!

To view and catch up on "Kingdom" happenings click the links below!

Also be sure to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook!

Kingdom Causes Long Beach Website

Kingdom Causes Long Beach Blog

Kingdom Causes Twitter

Kingdom Causes Facebook Page

2010 Fall Back To School Backpack Drive - Get involved details!

Looking for a great way to connect with your local neighborhood middle school in support of both the students and the teaching staff!?

This year we will once again be partnering with a number of other community minded organizations in order to provide 1500 backpacks to students at some of the most under-performing middle schools in our district. Often times these great kids do not even have the supplies necessary to have a fighting chance at a good education. It might not solve many of the challenges these young students are facing but it sure can eliminate another hurdle that stands in their way of succeeding! This is why we come along side the schools by providing the teachers with backpacks full of school supplies so that they can provide them to the students of their selection. Over the past few years we have stood behind thousands of local middle school students and we need your help again this year!

Here is what I need to know from you:

Would this opportunity serve the desire of your congregation for tangible community impact? If so, simply contact Jeanette and let us know!

If so, here are the details that we need from you in order to get your congregation moving forward as the new school year rapidly approaches:

1. What neighborhood school would you like to be partnered up with? Or are you open to our selection based on balanced need?
2. How many backpacks would you like to sponsor for this effort? ($15 each)
3. Who will serve as the primary contact so that we can arrange for them to be contacted by the Long Beach Rescue Mission for assembly and delivery opportunities. Your congregation can participate in either if you would like to do so!

We do have postcards and a pdf file available for promotion for this drive at your local congregation if that is helpful over the next couple of weeks. Don't hesitate to contact us if you have any more questions!

The deadline for donations is August 20th. Volunteer dates for backpack assemble are also available. For more information please contact us or the Long Beach Rescue Mission at volunteer@lbrm.org

Pressing On~
Brad Fieldhouse

Gospel Fest: Shutting down Pine Street!

Thousands of people gathered on Pine and Broadway to celebrate the second annual GospelFest on Sunday, July 11th. This years event doubled in size. Several congregations shut their church building down and brought their worship service to GospelFest. As one body, the Church of the City joined in fellowship and worshiped together. Pastors (Sheridan McDaniel, Davie Copp, Paul Thiemens, and Wayne Chaney) spoke prophetic words of encouragement and unity. All day the streets of downtown Long Beach was filled with preaching and music praising God.

My favorite part of the day was to see all the pastors in partnership with Gospel Fest stand in unity on the stage. As I worshiped with the crowd, I saw a glimpse of how heaven would be like.

There before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:
"Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."

AMEN!

I am grateful for Gospel Fest and the light it brings to Downtown Long Beach. May we continue to be a beacon of hope in the city

Homeless Assistance Training - Sept. 19th!

Homelessness: How Can You Help?

Sunday, September 19, 2010 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Come learn from a panel of homelessness leaders in Long Beach!

Some of the topics covered are:

• What do I do when someone comes to me or my church asking for help?
• What resources can I refer people to?
• How can I tell if someone has a legitimate need?
• When is NOT providing the requested assistance the right thing to do?

Who should attend?

• Church staff (pastors, administrative assistants, etc.)
• Church leaders who deal with financial requests for assistance
• Anyone with a heart to help
  
  
  Where: Seacoast Grace Church
  5100 Cerritos Avenue, Cypress, CA 90630 (map)
  Lunch will be provided
  Please RSVP to Jeanette Cheng at jeanettec@kingdomcauses.org by Tuesday, September 14, 2010.

LB Connections Project Update!

After a year of ongoing partnership with the city and various homeless agencies, 64 people have been housed through the LB Connections project. That means over 20% of the homeless population in Long Beach are off the street and into a home! Kingdom Causes, in partnership with many local churches, was a part of furnishing 26 of those apartments and we are continuing to go strong! What I believe to be most important are the new friendships that have formed with the various agencies, churches and the city of Long Beach officials. Right now we are in the strategic stage of having our own warehouse space and plan to involve even more churches and groups to play a part in this significant project. Please keep in mind that this project never ends. There are always opportunities to serve and this is just one way to be involved. More will be housed so I encourage you to consider joining us in this cause. Great thanks for all those involved and all the glory to God!!

- Somatra Sean
Homeless Task Force Leader

the REAL Susana

"Susana in Wonderland" was my first blog I wrote as a member of Kingdom Causes Long Beach. Three years ago, I was an intern for Kingdom Causes. The first day I started, I attended the Long Beach Leadership Prayer Breakfast. I was thrown into the crazy wild adventure of Kingdom Causes Long Beach. I felt like Alice falling into the rabbit hole into a whole new world that looked familiar but with a twist. As I am transitioning into a new role as a full time graduate student. I still feel like Alice but the Alice in the 2010 version of Alice in Wonderland. I feel I am more of the "real" Susana than when I first started Kingdom Causes Long Beach. My experiences here have molded me into a closer version of me, the woman God created me to be.

At Kingdom Causes I was an intern to AmeriCorps Community Developer to Operations Manager. Now I will be Susana, USC Masters of Social Work Graduate Student and AmeriCorps Site Supervisor. I will still be at Kingdom Causes but at a minimal capacity so that I could balance school. But I am privileged to introduce Jeanette to the Kingdom Causes Long Beach Team. She will be the Operations Director. I am excited to be working with her and for the assets she will bring to the team.

Please continue to pray for me as I transition back into school. Thank you!

Summer Night Lights @ MLK Park is going strong

The collaborative effort of community stakeholders continues to be a success. In pursuit of holistic care of local neighbors, the faith community has been stepping up to the plate on Wednesday nights. In addition to creating lots of laughs, putting some amazing local talent on display (see event flyer in a post below), serving up some some great food and providing a safe and fun place for families to come out to the park there has been a message of hope and healing being shared each week to all attendees. It is great to see many aspects of a healthy lifestyle being addressed for community members through this 5 night a week summer effort. *(though if you had to pick one, Wed night is the one night during the week that you want to come out!)

Special thanks to LB police and fire for their support. They have both been contributing to this effort and some of them have even been seen working a spatula behind the grill!

The picture above is of Councilman Dee Andrews receiving a birthday cake on stage on a recent Wednesday night. Due to the fire codes and a potential wax shortage we were unable to put candles on the cake ;) Totally kidding. It has actually been great to see the councilman out supporting this community driven effort! And Happy Birthday young man! Your passion for the community is contagious.

WOW Jam Preliminary Results

Stephens Middle School
Attendance: 6,000
Commitments: 291

Houghton Park
Attendance: 8,000
Commitments: 467

Poly High School
Attendance : 10,000
Commitments: 486

Totals for all Wow Jams Including Los Angeles Commitments to Christ 1710!

Summer Night Lights 2010

"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together!" African Proverb

Do you believe that this is true? We at Kingdom Causes actually build our efforts on this conviction. One of our default questions that we ask before we move forward on any project is how can this important effort be more collaborative. Especially when it comes to seeing an impact of a more vibrant "Church of the City" expression?

One project like this that we are heavily involved in and are really excited about is a collaborative community event called Summertime in the LBC at MLK Park. This is actually an 8 week community gathering that is sponsoring events each night of the week geared for neighborhood families. The local congregations have been given each Wednesday evening to bring a night of fun and a message of hope to the community. The events for the weeks will be as follows:

July 14 - Eastside Laugh Factory
July 21 - Eastside Idol
July 28 - Open Mic Night
August 4 - Karaoke
August 11 - Long Beach's Got Talent
August 18 - Long Beach's Best Dance Crew and So You Think You Can Dance?
August 25 - MLK Block Party
September 1 - Live Drama

Local residents are the stars! The treasure hunt for raw talent is on! Each week, after the time of fun and craziness, the evening with conclude with a brief message of hope from a local pastor.

This project has been made possible by the working together of the following groups: Councilman Dee Andrews, Office of 6th Council District, City of Long Beach D.H.H.S. Weed and Seed Program, Ministers Alliance of Long Beach , Antioch Church, Treasure Box, Parkcrest 7th Street, New Life Church of the Nazarene, and Victory Outreach Long Beach!

It started as a "what could be possible if we all worked together" conversation over some good food at King's Fish House on Pine Avenue with Councilman Dee Andrews, Kingdom Causes staff, a number of local pastors and some Christians that also happen to work as MLK park staff in various capacities.

Come and check it out one Wednesday night this Summer!

Back to School Drive 2010

Last year, we ended the drive with a total of 1,282 backpacks for junior high school students, and 22 backpacks for elementary school students!

If you would like more information visit the Kingdom Causes Website or would like to donate please contact Kingdom Causes Long Beach at longbeach@kingdomcauses.org or Long Beach Rescue Mission at volunteer@LBRM.org

Large Commercial Size Freezer Space Needed!

Kingdom Causes is taking part in an 8 week long Summer outreach in partnership with various entities here in the city and we are excited to be able to share the hope of the Gospel each week!

I need some help finding some commercial size freezer space. We have been able to secure a significant donation of food from a great partner organization with one "little minor catch" - we need to find freezer space to store the entire delivery this Saturday and then be able to access it on a weekly basis on Wednesdays between July 14th and Sept 1st. We are looking for some help so that we can utilize this great opportunity.

Here is what we will be receiving:

We would be happy to donate 2500 each of Hamburgers and Hot Dogs. This equals 31 cases.

Hamburgers
18" x 10" x 14"
1.44 cu feet
18 cases
26 cu feet
756 lbs

Hot Dogs
16.5" x 11.25" x 5.5"
.58 cu feet
13 cases
8 cu feet
338 lbs

Total
31 cases
34 cu feet
1094 lbs

Let me know if you someone/someplace that would be willing to allow us to keep this frozen. Thanks!

Pressing On~
Brad Fieldhouse

WOW Jams happening in Long Beach this week

They seemed to appear literally overnight. Empty school fences, vacant corner lots and bare exterior church buildings all at once seemed to have been plastered with these yellow signs. It is hard to drive very far across town without seeing one flapping in the wind. If that wasn’t enough, numerous groups of volunteers have been hitting the streets passing out hundreds of flyers to every one of their neighbors that they come across. In unison, these banners and flyers are announcing the return of the WOW Jams here in Long Beach.

What exactly is a WOW Jam? Well, it’s basically a community party thrown by local congregations for thousands of their neighbors. Because of strong community support, everything is FREE. Local people provide free haircuts, free contests and prizes, free make-overs, free plants, free family portraits, free groceries, free dinner and so much more. Free, free, free. It is quite an impressive undertaking. Stephen and Linda Tavani (“Peaches” from the group Peaches and Cream – “Reunited” anyone?) are the leaders of the WOW International organization that helps local congregations host these events all across the country.

Beyond the message of hope that these events help communicate, what gets us most excited to see is that local congregations are working together! We need to see more of this in Long Beach. Over 50 local congregations from our city have come together, crossing denomination, size and ethnic lines to collaborate on these 3rd annual gatherings. This important community stakeholder group is an important part of a flourishing city – economically, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually whole!

The West side hosted their event last night and there are 2 more planned for later this week.

Friday, June 25th – Houghton Park in North Long Beach (6301 Myrtle Ave by Jordan HS)
Saturday, June 26th – Poly High School (1600 Atlantic Ave on the football field)

All events start at 4:00 pm and conclude at dusk.

June School News Article

It was a treat to see Kingdom Causes along with several community partners in the School News June issue. Here is what Principal David Downing wrote about Hamilton Middle School:

Outstanding Community Partners Science Fair


Community volunteers from North Long Beach joined Hamilton staff recently as Science Fair judges. This year, Hamilton invited community partners to adjudicate and the people responded enthusiastically. Staff and students were greatly encouraged by the volunteers who generously gave of their time, celebrating student creativity and scholarship. Kingdom Causes Long Beach recently joined with Light and Life West, Church One, Community Grace Brethren, Treasure Box, Fountain of Life and HANDS On International, to thank Hamilton teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week. Teachers were surprised at their May 4th staff meeting with a lovely spread of food, beverages, beautiful decorations, and generous gifts. Hamilton is grateful for thoughtful community partners who contribute their time and talent serving the great work of teachers and students!

If you would like to see the article click here on School News on Page 11.

HCI Surprise!

Long Beach Connection Monthly Meeting


On May 20th, during a regular Long Beach Connection monthly meeting case workers, volunteers, and leaders involved with the Homeless Connection Initiative were surprised by a lovely lunch catered by Nino's Restaurant. Case workers walked in with a confused look upon their faces, thinking that they accidentally walked into the wrong meeting. After reassuring them they were in the right room, they happily piled pasta on their plates. Community partners, Sea Coast Grace Church; Grace Harbor Church; We Love Long Beach; The Garden Church; Friends Church and many more, joined with the Kingdom Causes Homeless Task Force in supporting the surprise lunch. Volunteers from the Homeless Connection Initiative move ins were able to connect with the city workers who were finding apartments. We were also received updates from the leaders including Joel Roberts, Susan Price, Martha Long, and Elsa Ramos. Currently, there have been 56 move-ins, of these 13 were veterans and 6 were youth (18-25 years old). Long Beach Connection express their gratitude toward the community partners and open the meeting to them. They also shared other ways we as community members can continue to be involved through advocacy, educating others, and being part of the next Homeless count taking place on January 27th.

One visible impact the Homeless Connection Initiative has had in Long Beach City is that Pat West noticed there was a third less homeless individuals at the Civic Center.

Thank you to Long Beach Connection for commitment to our homeless neighbors. Thank you for literally taking them off the streets! Thank you community partners for being their support and making their apartments into homes!

The FIRST HAT 2.0

The Homeless Assistance Training has just welcomed a new member to the HAT Family. HAT 2.0 made its debut on May 18th. Over 20 individuals representing 6 organizations came Tuesday evening to learn how to build relationships with our homeless neighbors. In conjunction with Long Beach Connection's mission to move in homeless individuals into homes, Kingdom Causes would like to also provide long-term support by establishing relationships with these individuals. Our first step into this process is HAT 2.0.

Our Homeless Task Force Leaders, Eric Copeland and Somatra Sean, imparted practical knowledge and tools from their own experience and training into 2 hours. Participants learned how to share their story and to find out other's stories. In pairs, they learned the importance of communication and how to actively listen. There were great group discussions and interactions through out the training. Overall my favorite quote from the night came from an elderly woman. The participants were asked to draw a river representing their life. In response she said "do you have a longer paper for me to draw on?"

Look at how great their communications skills were!

I was very impressed or they cheated!

Ministers Alliance High Pastoral Study

May 18th HAT 2

DATE: Tues, May 18th, 2010

TIME: 6:30 - 8:30 PM

LOCATION: KC LB Office (1965 E. 21st St)

MORE: Already been to a HAT training? Already involved in the LB Connection Project? This evenings training will be for those interested in providing relational follow up! How to set goals and boundaries, frame mutual expectations, and establish healthy two-way conversation. Please RSVP Susana at susanas@kingdomcauses.org if you plan to attend.

National Day of Prayer 2010

There isn't many days where our Christian Leaders gather together, but yesterday was one of the few days. It was an exciting and uplifting experience to see people praying and on their knees before the Lord. There were over 500 people and at least 40 pastors gathered on the afternoon of May 6th at the Civic Plaza, in the heart of downtown. The worship and prayers were powerful and heartfelt. Many things were prayed for including a time when people gathered around pastors and lifted them up in prayer. It was a taste of people who call upon the Lord daily that God is our only hope. We witnessed the embodiment of 1 Timothy 2:1-2, "... Requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness." May we continue to pray daily for everyone and not just on the National Day of Prayer. AMEN

Thank you Hamilton Teachers!

Volunteers from Light and Life West, Church One, Community Grace Brethren, Fountain of Life, HANDS International, Kingdom Causes and new council member Steve Neal joined together to bless the Hamilton Staff with a continental breakfast on Teacher Appreciation Day

Teachers walked into the Hamilton library thinking it was a typical early morning staff meeting to receive testing packets for state-wide testing for the students that week. Instead they walked into a room decorated with pastel tablecloths, flower pots, an array of breakfast goods and drinks, and the smell of Starbucks coffee. Some teachers were so stunned by the display of gratitude, they didn't know how to respond. Volunteers welcomed the teachers in and guided them to the breakfast table, which was set with an array of bagels, donuts, fruit, yogurt, and juices. Many of the teachers marveled at the various Starbucks coffee. It is amazing to see how just Starbucks coffee is a treat for teachers. As the teachers ate at the tables, some fought over packages of seeds given as favors. On the seed packages a little tag said "Teachers plant the seeds that help our children grow". The leftover seeds were taken to be used in the school's organic garden. Principal Downing raffled off gift baskets filled with snacks, bath goods, and movies and gift certificates including passes to The Aquarium of the Pacific, Nino's Restaurant, and Target. The teachers became as giddy as their students while Principal Downing read off names. There were so many gifts, all teachers at the meeting received one and the rest were raffled off through out the day. All left the breakfast blessed, teachers and volunteers.

It was a privilege to show our appreciation for the work teachers do each day year round. The Church of the City was a beacon of hope during a difficult time for teachers. Thank you to all who contributed to the breakfast and especially thank you to the teachers who continue to "plant the seeds that help our children grow".

To see more pictures of the Hamilton Breakfast see our Facebook Album!

Welcome New AmeriCorps Members!

Kingdom Causes welcomes 3 new AmeriCorps members into the KCLB family. As AmeriCorps members, these individuals are committed to listening and empowering neighbors in key areas in Long Beach. Through Asset Based Community Development, they will come along side their neighbors in achieving the hopes and dreams of the neighborhood.

Joe Shabel will continue the work Somatra Sean had started along 9th Street and Atlantic Avenue. He has been in the area for over thirty years! Joe attends the local neighborhood church, Long Beach Friends Church. He is currently building bridges with neighbors and the local businesses along Atlantic Avenue. He hopes to create leadership and unity through completing community projects with other neighbors.

Calvin Tatupu is walking with Andy Street in North Long Beach. There
are at least three local congregations in support of Calvin and Andy Street including Light and Life North, Community Grace Brethren, and Lakewood International Church. Calvin has already built relationships with the neighbors through Metro Kids. All the neighbors recognize his big orange bus. Neighbors trust him with their youth and keep him informed of news along Andy Street. He hopes to invest in a core group of neighbors to take ownership and leadership in Andy Street.

Scott Jones is our newest AmeriCorps member. He is moving into the Wilmore City district in Downtown Long Beach. With the support of Grace Harbor Church, he hopes to create unity in this diverse area of Long Beach. As the founder and director of We Love Long Beach, he has hosted many neighborhood breakfasts and supports Long Beach City. Scott's heart for Long Beach is very contagious.

Please continue to support Joe, Calvin, and Scott and the specific areas they are working with 9th and Atlantic, Andy Street, and Wilmore City. I cannot wait to share stories of hope and transformation in these areas!