The prophet Isaiah envisions a people transformed by the gospel who are planted like oak trees, rebuilding the cities and renewing the devastations of former generations. We believe God has called us to this same work in Southeast Los Angeles in our generation.

Throughout our 10 years of Imago Dei, and the 90-year history through Bethel/Encounter, we’ve always been a community of grit and kingdom vision. We’ve believed nightclubs, bus garages, schoolhouses, and dirt lots could be transformed into places of worship. We’ve never stopped trying to be present in our cities: blessing and proclaiming the good news of Jesus.

We stand at a unique time in Imago Dei history. We are experiencing new life all around. 35 babies have been born to members in the last two years and over 50 baptisms in the last 18 months. There is new life sprouting in Huntington Park, where we are launching our first campus. At Easter this past year, we had 900 people worship with us, up from 90 people ten years ago. These numbers don’t tell all the stories of lives changed by God’s grace, but they give a glimpse of what God is doing. We believe that this is just the beginning.

We stand at a unique time in Los Angeles history. Originally, Los Angeles’ “Gateway Cities” were suburbs surrounded by farmland. Over the last 50 years, these cities have transformed to become a densely populated, multicultural urban center. Over 2.2 million people made in the image of God call these cities home. Even still, because we are not the beach cities or Hollywood, we are often hidden in the shadows of LA.

When these cities were first established, new churches were planted alongside them. Today, the opposite seems to be happening, more church buildings are sold to developers than churches are being started or revitalized. We need a gospel renewal corresponding to how dramatically the cities have changed.

Friends, the fact that we are often overlooked by the world doesn’t discourage me. I’m reminded that God delights in showing his glory in the little and the overlooked places. If anything, we are exactly the type of place we can expect to see God at work!

So let us join in the prayers of generations past, dreaming of revival multiplying from Southeast LA to the nations. Let us be willing to lay down our comforts and take responsibility for the mission. Let us work to re-saturate these cities with the gospel so that church buildings are not gravestones of a previous move of God, but vibrant homes of hospitality and gospel community.

The Seed Project is an initiative to raise $500,000. This is a lot of money, but compared to the scope of our buildings and cities, we see it simply as our next step toward what we believe God is calling us to be: a hub church for gospel renewal in the Gateway Cities, planting and strengthening churches, and trusting God to use our little to bring renewal for generations to come.