A Real-Life Story

When Pastor Dan Davidson re-opened Rose City in 2009, he became concerned about the group of homeless youth who camped out on the church’s grounds. With one of the largest community colleges in Southern California just a block away, he was not surprised to find homeless youth sleeping in the church parking lot.

He began to engage the teens by offering food and clothes, but this increased the number of youth coming—and that upset the neighbors. Realizing he had to help in a better way and that there was a gap in supportive services, Pastor Davidson found an old coffee cart on the church property and began training the youth to get jobs in the area’s growing gourmet coffee industry. They lovingly named this coffee cart Rosebud.”

Investing in a Generation

Rosebud traveled around Los Angeles, empowering homeless and transitional-aged youth as they practiced their newfound craft—serving an amazing cup of coffee. Rosebud’s work has led the church to establish a permanent cafe in Pasadena, which they named after their little cart. Today, the body of believers continues to persist in their mission of crafting coffee, community, and cause.

Homeless youth are taught job skills in a caring, hands-on mentoring environment. Rosebud pairs one barista to volunteer his or her time with youth, anyone from eighteen to twenty-five, who then trains at the brick-and-mortar location for four-to-six months. Through the training, Rosebud works with its partner nonprofits to help find housing units to keep the young employees off the streets and to identify additional vocational training opportunities.

The youth-trainees take special pride in learning the flavor profile of the different coffee beans and crafting a delicious cup of java. It is often something profound that happens when the transitional-aged youth make their first cup of coffee for a client who then pays and thanks them for their services.

Equipping Whole-Life Disciples

It is as though a rebirth of their human dignity ensues. These young people often have been given necessities for living, because they have lacked fundamental resources, but they have never been asked to contribute. The moment they are recognized as bona fide creators and contributors of value in the marketplace, something within them is unleashed.

They can see themselves as givers instead of takers, as producers of goods and services that others appreciate, and that helps them dream of a hopeful future.

Rose City Church in Pasadena, California, has awakened to the fact Christian neighborly love has an economic aspect and has begun to love its neighbors into financial stability. At Rose City, the body of believers is sent out of their church doors with creativity and hospitality.

Reflection

They are committed to building partnerships that spread God’s love in their community throughout the week, but it is not just the “scattered church,” which brings economic shalom to their city.

The body of Christ at Rose City has found that discipleship is a holistic experience that forms their community into a group of people ready to put their spirituality into practice in the marketplace through a common endeavor.

This real-life story of a Church for Monday that bridges the sacred/secular divide in the marketplace offers much by way of inspiration and instruction. Asking the transitional-aged youth to work and create value in the local economy honors both their human dignity and their creative streak, which bears the image of Creator God. There is nothing more empowering to a person than to be given the opportunity to create cultural goods and services, and to shape the economy by doing honest work.

All around us there are chances for us to make a difference. There is always something that we can do when we open our minds to think outside of the box. Creativity isn’t limited to art and music. Creativity is about using our gifts, skills, and talents to partner with God to make a difference in the communities that are around us.

Do not be afraid to think outside of the box. Pray and partner with God for the beautiful future he has not only for you, but the community around you.

An Excerpt from the book, “Church for Monday” by Dr. Svetlana Papazov.

Svetlana Papazov is Lead Pastor and Founder of Real Life Church, President/Founder of Real Life Center for Entrepreneurial and Leadership Excellence, a first of its kind model of church and business incubator that educates in entrepreneurship, leadership and faith praxis.