Jeremiah 29:7
But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you…
Loving our city
As a church, we don’t just want to be known for good teaching and good ministry to one another, but also the way that we love our neighbor and ultimately our city. Much like the people of Israel in Babylon, as a Church we are foreigners and exiles in this world. And yet, by seeking the welfare of our cities we are able to demonstrate the goodness and rule and reign of God, embodying the gospel.
Our church, Iglesia Reforma seeks to do this organically as each member lives out God’s mission in their vocations and spheres of influence. However, we do this institutionally through two organizations — SOMOS and El Refugio.
SOMOS
SOMOS is an organization that was founded by members of our church that exists to educate and mobilize the church in caring for the vulnerable. We do this by providing training, coaching, and replicable models for caring for the vulnerable and community development.
Specifically, our church invests deeply in an under-resourced community near us. We have established a community center that provides tutoring and educational services to young children and holistic care for them and their families.
El Refugio
El Refugio is an organization that was founded around 15 years ago by a group of people concerned with providing a safe space for women who are survivors of abuse. As the years have progressed El Refugio has grown and established itself as a place for survivors of abuse to stay and find healing and transformation. El Refugio has a full-time staff of 7 which includes social workers, counselors, and admin staff. It has a capacity for 5 families (women and their children) at a time.
On top of providing a safe space, El Refugio offers job-training, education for the kids, and resources for a transition back into daily living once all of the legal procedures have been completed.