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Missions Discipleship

Seeing God Work During a Pandemic

June 1, 2021 /

Dale Huntington, lead pastor of City Life Church in San Diego, California, has seen God work in wonderful ways amid the difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic. When schools closed and the church could no longer use the school where they had been meeting, it began to meet in a local park, allowing the church to interact with people it might not have otherwise.

“When the pandemic hit, we could no longer have our small pantry on Sundays,” Dale said. “So we started one on the side of my house. For the last year, other Christians and at least a dozen other churches have provided for our food pantry. We give out diapers, soap, and food. And when someone says they are thankful for me, I get to honestly say, ‘I didn’t buy any of it. God provided it.’”

“In this season, we’ve been able to pray with some to receive Christ,” Dale continued. “We’ve done baptisms at the beach, and we’ve continued to work with local leaders and the police to give a voice to those in the community who feel their voice doesn’t matter. I believe our consistent presence and desire to share the love of Jesus with no ulterior motives has given us an opportunity to speak with credibility in our community.”

Before the pandemic, the church used street evangelism as a tool to reach its neighborhood. And at first, COVID-19 halted its ability to pray with people in the street.

“But then a woman started making us reusable masks to hand out,” Dale said. “Quickly we were back on the street. We’ve handed out almost 4,000 reusable masks.”

Dale shared these prayer requests for City Life Church:

  • “Buildings are expensive in this community. We’ve had chances for other buildings miles away, but we only want to be in Mount Hope. Please pray for us to have the finances to purchase a building.”
  • “We also interact often with people who struggle to find work because of their [criminal] record. Pray we can help them in their job searches.”
  • “Finally, pray we can help the abused women, who are in situations that feel helpless.”

 

Written by Beth Holmes. Beth is amazed at the ingenuity and creativity of so many during the COVID-19 pandemic.