Love that Transforms

I can still remember meeting Bobby Ortiz. It was the day of our Backyard Boogie—one of our first attempts to engage our neighbors as well as invite our family and friends into the work of planting Emmaus San Bernardino. Bobby and his wife Annette were related to one of our core families. Bobby stood out. In a group of Christians who have gotten very comfortable in Christian culture, someone who isn't churched stands out. Bobby was wearing an LA Rams jersey. The Rams are my favorite team. Naturally, we found things to talk about. I wish I could say that I was intentionally trying to draw him in but, honestly, we were just two guys talking football in a backyard.

The Ortiz family became regulars at one of our small groups. Over the coming months, God provided for the family through Emmaus San Bernardino and our supporting partners. Bobby was going to school to become a machinist. It would be an opportunity for him to have a profession not just a job. But it also required him to be out of work so he could go full time and get the certifications he needed sooner rather than later. When the men of Emmaus decided they wanted to go to World Impact Men's Retreat, we were able to sponsor Bobby. It was a weekend where we got to see how much God has worked in Bobby. There was a life and light in him that wasn't there before. You could see God changing his heart. Bobby was growing not only as husband and a father but as the spiritual leader in the Ortiz home.

When their car had issues, we came alongside them and helped them with the repair costs. We were able to get backpacks and supplies for the kids when it was time to go back to school. When Christmas came and they were faced with having no gifts for their kids, the church was able to provide them not only with toys but with a tree. Then on Christmas Eve, the Ortiz family lit the Christ candle during our service.

One of our values at Emmaus San Bernardino is displaying the true community of God. A covenantal family that is built on the powerful blood of Jesus where everyone is accepted and welcomed. Acceptance is not based on what you give or what you can add but it is based on the acceptance we have in Christ. Christ, through the cross, brought us outsiders in and made us family. We got to experience that with the Ortiz family. They went from outsiders who were without a community to being members of the family of God where they are unconditionally loved and supported.

Support is not just emotional. In a city like ours where nearly 50% of the residents receive government assistance, people need support with the everyday things like diapers and food for dinner. Because others give, we have been able to step in and be Christ's hands and feet. We have been able to help the Ortiz family experience the love of Christ and the provision of the Father in real, everyday ways.  

Another of our values is having a transformational impact in our city. We believe that the Gospel not only saves people but it also transforms them, which, in turn, transforms those closest to them—their families. Families change neighborhoods and neighborhoods change cities. The Ortiz family is one story (of what we pray will be many) of transformation in San Bernardino as the light of Christ pushes back the darkness and life comes from death. God loves the last, the lost, and the least. He cares for those who are on the fringes trying to survive and He has called his church to do the same. Love is real and love is tangible. And it is love that transforms.

Read more from Daniel Garcia.