Together LA Listening Tour

f you are a believer looking for a dose of wisdom in leadership, inspiration through self-doubt, or awe of how God is activating multi-ethnic, urban youth leaders, you are in for a treat. Our special guest this week is Tommy Nixon, CEO of non-profit Urban Youth Workers Institute, husband and father (to five kids, six chickens, two dogs and two ducks!). As he talked about his current mission  of "developing urban leaders who will shape the future of the Church" and its significance, Tommy offered nuggets of wisdom he had collected along the way. A few of them included: Ask the Holy Spirit specific questions, press into nuance while standing on the truth of Scripture, and know that attitude and perspective are things within our control. Tune in to hear the full conversation and his personal testimony. Do you also wok in the realm of urban space or want to stay connected with Tommy or his organization? Follow them on Instagram (@uywi), Youtube channel, Facebook, Twitter and Website.

How can the Super Bowl and the gospel collide? This week, we talked about that seemingly impossible intersection with Terry Bortz, Athletes in Action’s Director of Special Projects. Within her many responsibilities, Terry oversees and plans the Superbowl Breakfast -the next one being in February 2022, a day before the game, in downtown Los Angeles. Tune in to her explaining the history of how the Superbowl Breakfast got started, the famous athletes who have attended and been awarded prizes for outstanding integrity, and most importantly: how this event has been a springboard for many to share their personal testimonies and even calls to faith to fellow athletes and individuals of influence in corporate America. She also describes how our Los Angeles listeners can be a part of making this event possible. For more information, check out their website, superbowlbreakfast.com.

Our podcast guest this week is Steven Yu, Staff Analyst at Housing for Health, a division of the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. Here, he has been one of the key members spearheading the “Faith Collaborative to End Homelessness”, a government initiative to support and implement faith-based organizations into LA county’s homeless services continuum of care. Steven is also the Founder & Executive Director of “Mentor for Change”, an organization that provides youth with mentorship, opportunities to lead community service projects, career-training workshops, and scholarships to pursue higher education. We had the privilege to listen to his exciting work, as well as his personal testimony of how God’s grace led him to his passion for bridging underserved groups to resources and opportunities. Through this talk, we invite you to see how the gospel can advance anywhere: from the government offices of downtown LA to the communities of faith quietly serving those experiencing homelessness to the intimate relationships between mentors and youth in Lincoln Heights and all across LA county.

This week, on our Together LA Listening Tour, we were gifted with a stirring conversation about empowering the youth with Dionte and Meg Grey, a married #powercouple and co-founders of their non-profit enterprise, Urban Promise Los Angeles. Urban Promise Los Angeles's vision?: Reach a child. Raise a leader. Restore community.

Their services include an Afterschool Program led by high school StreetLeaders that provide K-5 students with academic and recreational support, 5-week Summer Camps designed to keep students intellectually stimulated and academically on-track for the upcoming school year, and their StreetLeader Program, which provides year-round employment and holistic support to local teens determined to restore their communities in Canoga Park. Tune in to hear how they individually, and as a team, developed their vision, approach (hint: no "saviorism"!), and leadership styles; their entrepreneurial wisdom and encouragement for people who want to make a difference in their neighborhoods; how to support Urban Promise Los Angeles; and their story behind the scenes: how they met, got married, dreamed and balanced their responsibilities as spouses, co-founders and parents. You can also follow their work on Instagram at @urbanpromiselosangeles.

This week’s special guest was Meredith Barnes, author of All the Time and frecklesandfortitude.com. Interviewed by Tanya Pitre, Meredith talked about how her devotional book explored the concepts of time in the daily routine, in the wider scope of our lives, and in its ultimate design and purpose. One of her conclusions?: God created time for us, not for Himself. Time was made to be a companion and help -not an enemy- for our existence and enjoyment.

If you find yourself astonished by that perspective, tune in to hear more of her insights which you will find equally surprising and uplifting, as well as her personal stories of how the Lord re-shaped her misconceptions of time. To order her book, All the Time is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Walmart. You can also request a copy by emailing [email protected].

We talked to one of our very own team members this week, Michael Mata, to hear his thoughts on why Christians need to learn how to to "exegete" urban communities (much like a text) by listening to locals, making field observations (eg- reading the graffiti, seeing how people interact with one another in buildings, walking not driving etc.), learning about the land's histories, understanding the strengths and assets within the community and taking on a proactive (rather than a reactive) advocacy. Michael also gave a timely reminder that prayers need to be paired with risks and action. Tune in to listen with us how he observed the escalating racial and political tensions in LA, how the gospel champions diversity, what gives him hope, and what has continued to concern him. We know that our listeners will be challenged to re-think what it means -and what it takes- to love Los Angeles and be a servant-leader who lifts others up.

Incarceration. Hollywood. Ministry. These three words somehow came hand in hand as we shared a conversation with Gary Hall, President and Co-founder of Hollywood Impact Studios, formerly a producer for Warner Brothers, and the Sr. Vice President for 20th Century Fox Television. Hollywood Impact Studios' mission is to "help men (women and veterans) coming out of prison, jail and long term drug rehab centers to become substance-free, morally strong, and vocationally trained so that they may return to society as productive citizens with restored family relationships. TO TRULY BREAK THE CYCLE OF INCARCERATION AND ADDICTION...FOREVER." His organization's work is unique and hope-filled in how it connects professionals with incarcerated men (and soon, women) to develop their individual talents to successfully work in the profession of their choosing. Tune in to hear the remarkable story of how Holly Impact Studios initially started as a “film school behind bars", where 25 inmates were annually selected to be mentored and taught to find a career in the television and motion picture industry. He shared with us his hope to bring the program to many more prisons, which was deeply exciting and moving to hear. We also had the chance to ask Gary how he started in the film industry, how he knew working in network television was a right fit for him, how his faith melded into his work through Hollywood, and how he has handled all his responsibilities (which includes being a part-time police officer!). This is a conversation that will challenge and uplift your spirit while leaving your ears at the edge of their seats.

To learn more about and/or support Hollywood Impact Studios, visit their website on hollywoodimpactstudios.com. Monetary donations, professionals of all fields in the LA area who can volunteer in the program, and help with spreading the word about their mission would all make a difference.

You can find their Instagram at @hollywoodimpactstudios, Facebook here, and/or send mail to PO Box 801002 Santa Clarita, CA 91380

This week, we shared an inspiring conversation with the President of Equity Lens Consultants, Myesha Reynolds. We asked her how she forged a relatively unpaved path for herself, from a Wisconsin teacher who was the first to attend college in her family to an equity consultant and business owner based in Los Angeles. Tune in to learn how her steps of faith and entrepreneurial initiative took flight and now allows her (through Equity Lens Consultants) to serve and equip "business owners, school leaders, organizations, churches and community groups with quality, relevant equity resources." Tune in to also hear how she decided to move to California (which used to be the last place she imagined herself to be),  the learning curve she went through to launch Equity Lens Consultant through the pandemic, why this field fuels her with purpose, and passion, how equity is reflected and valued in the gospel, and her favorite coffee spots in Monrovia (a city near Pasadena). To learn more about Equity Lens Consultants, you can find them on their website (https://www.equitylensconsultants.com/), Instagram (@equitylensconsultants), and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/EquityLensConsultants/).

Last but not least, listen to our full interview with Myesha Reynolds here on our website, Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Radio Public, and Anchor under the "Together LA Listening Tour".

What is it like for a young Christian Hip-Hop artist to navigate through Los Angeles and the faithscape of creatives? Tune in to Together LA's Listening Tour podcast to hear our interview with MJ aka "2 the Human" to find out! A Houston native who moved to Los Angeles fresh after graduating high school for his dream, MJ "2 the Human" shared with us the inspiration behind his artist name, life in LA (especially through the pandemic), the theme of his album "The Move", the key events that shaped his faith and outlook, his songwriting and voice-finding process, ambitions for the future, the artists he looks up to for inspiration and about Glendale. We know you will be encouraged to hear how his love for the Lord guides his hopes and how faithful God has been to him through times of joy, uncertainty, transformation, and loss. MJ's music was and is written with the hope that it "will create a safe place to encounter the Lord in an intimate way" and help others move to wherever they need to be and serve as the soundtrack to their journey.

We are elated to have Annette Forster, Partnership Growth Mentor of Kids Hope USA (and a Kids Hope USA Mentor for nearly 11 years!), and Sarah Dornbos, Kids Hope Los Angeles Director, join us on the Together LA Listening Tour this week. Kids Hope is an organization founded upon the vision of building life-changing mentor relationships one child, one hour, one church, and one school at a time. We heard these incredible and inspiring women of God tell us about their roles, how Kids Hope started (twenty-five years later, the organization expanded to 39 states and 1200 church-school partnerships), details about the mentorship program, and vignettes of testimonies. We were encouraged to hear about the impact Kids Hope mentors had on their local youth and communities, as well as how schools saw participating churches as integral partnerships and sources of support. If you are interested to work with at-risk youth or give back to your community, can dedicate one hour a week for one academic school year, and are based in LA County, you can e-mail Annette Forster [email protected] or go to kidshopeusa.org for more information.