Do Justice
The good news that we’re justified by God’s grace becomes our motivation for seeking justice for the marginalized and oppressed. Justice is God’s agenda, and God usually brings about justice through his justified people. Our call to justice is not simply about championing an issue society deems important, but about embodying a kingdom. God’s reign is good news for the marginalized!
The world suffers from both physical and spiritual hunger, and the holistic mission of God’s people is to satisfy both these hungers through the Bread of Life and through actual loaves of bread. We desire to be more focused as a church in our pursuit of God’s justice for the sake of tangible gospel impact in the lives of real people in our city. We have prayerfully focused on two primary avenues of seeking justice and mercy in our city: 1) to serve and restore the poor and marginalized and 2) to intercede and care for literal or situational orphans.
Dignity-driven Mercy
Dignity is not something to be earned or achieved—it is bestowed by God as fact because every human being bears God’s image. Acknowledging the dignity of all people reshapes the way we think about justice and mercy. We’re no longer driven primarily by people’s needs, but by their innate dignity. This enables us to acknowledge people’s needs without defining them by those needs, and it reminds us that we’re never merely talking about “issues”—we’re talking about people, image-bearers of God who are worthy of respect.
This perspective also rightly evens the playing field, leading us away from the snares of pity, hero complexes, or “woe-are-you” pride to a place of mutual poverty in which we are simply fellow needy humans reflecting a God of radical mercy and justice who has been gracious to us.
Focus Area: Serve and Restore the Poor and Marginalized
God’s heart towards the poor and marginalized is clear in Scripture. The Old Testament consistently refers to God as a defender of the lowly and cast out. In the Gospels Jesus proclaims that He was sent to “proclaim good news to the poor” and to “set at liberty those who are oppressed” (both from Luke 4:18, referring to Isaiah 61). Psalm 146:7 highlights a God “who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry.”
In Matthew 25:35-40, Jesus emphasizes that serving the poor and marginalized is an expression of God’s love and a demonstration of our love for Him: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” As participants in God’s mission and the dwelling places of the mission-carrying Holy Spirit, we are drawn into the work of mercy and justice for the poor and marginalized.
By serving and seeking restoration for the poor and marginalized, we embody God’s love and justice, bearing witness to the transformative power of His Kingdom and participating in His redemptive work.
1. Serve LA
We are the inheritors and stewards of a long-standing ministry that has been entrusted to us—Serve LA is our primary demonstration of God’s justice and mercy in Hollywood. Our goal is to be more than a meal, more than a shower, more than any service—but a ministry where we witness countless examples of how the compassion of Jesus changes everything.
Serve LA is the primary way we seek to serve and restore the poor and marginalized in our city as a church body, inviting people to serve, invest, and include others. Our prayer is that Serve LA not only be a source of renewal, but an equipping environment for others to do the same in their own neighborhoods.
2. Benevolence
As a church, we set aside a portion of our financial resources to help individuals with practical and urgent needs through community generosity.
Our hope is that helping people this way stirs up thanksgiving, encourages greater generosity within our church, and serves as a powerful witness to our city about the good news.
3. Justice-specific Training
Our church trains through a multitude of resources:
- The “Do Justice” dynamic of the discipleship pathway
- Sermons like this one on justice or this one on mercy
- Tangible service through ministries like Serve LA
- Learning to interact with others in godly ways through gospel care
4. Neighborhood and Everyday Discipleship!
All mission is meant to be lived out daily wherever God has called us!
Identifying the idols, needs, and opportunities of our specific regions, neighborhoods, workplaces, apartment complexes, and other life contexts allows us to see ways God desires for us to serve and intercede daily.
And remember: this is not just an individual pursuit…we live this out together, with community in community!
We partner with individuals and organizations across the city, walking hand-in-hand to seek renewal by serving Los Angeles together. Each partnership disciples our church in a distinct aspect of mercy and provides different opportunities to seek the lost in Los Angeles. Click on a partner below to learn more about them and ways you could potentially be involved in the mission of God alongside them in Los Angeles and around the world!
Focus Area: Intercede and Care for the Fatherless
From a place of being adopted into the God’s family, Christ’s church is called to intercede and care for those who have experienced neglect, abuse, or abandonment from the very structure (family) that is designed to reflect and provide safety, security, and love. James 1:27 emphasizes that “pure and faultless” discipleship involves looking after orphans in their distress, urging us to actively participate in God’s mission of caring for the most vulnerable.
Engagement in God’s justice in this way is not an isolated act that only impacts a small part of the population. Foster care is a nexus for brokenness in the lives of individuals and in our city, from human trafficking, homelessness, food insecurity, substance dependence, and more. Engaging in care and intercession for all who are impacted by foster care and adoption makes a significant impact in the full life cycle of the city.
Imagine a world where there will be a waiting list of families, rather than a waiting list of children in need of a home! This is a vision that only seems possible by the power of God, but we believe in that power and are asking God to use us – and the rest of the body of Christ around the city – to do this.
God sees, God cares, God heals, God restores, and God brings hope. As a church, we want to do all we can to go where God leads us in this. This means direct intercession and care for children in the foster care system in our city through mentorship and support. But the vision is so much more than that; true care in this means holistic care for everyone involved at every stage. That means things like:
- Preventative care…this is huge! The church welcoming in, knowing, and meeting needs for individuals and families before the disconnection or removal of children.
- Creating and maintaining support networks for individuals/families who choose to foster, providing them with the support they need through tangible tasks and relational frameworks.
- Individuals in the church understanding and identifying the cast ways to participate in this aspect of the mission of God.…everyone has a place! Learn more about how below.
1. Opportunities to Serve Communally or Individually
Many hear “foster care” and think their options are to either be a foster parent or not be involved at all. This couldn’t be further from the truth! Any person in any circumstance can serve in some way. If every person in our church had some engagement, some interaction, played some role…what an impact that would make! This is where we want to go, and here are some of the many individual ways it can play out:
- Becoming a foster parent family
- Serving as a counselor, mentor, or staff member with Royal Family KIDS Camp (RFKC) or Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)
- Becoming a host family for short-term child placement for families in temporary crisis, acting as a community safety net and interceding before loss of custody
- Serving as a childcare volunteer or as a gospel care provider for a foster parent support group
- Creating wrap-around care for a foster family, like meeting needs by folding laundry, being a school pickup driver, or preparing meals to either support a current foster family or prevent instability in a home
- Volunteering with any of our partners (listed below)
- Using personal gifts or vocational skills, like offering pro bono legal services or being a financial supporter for others
To learn more about any of these opportunities, reach out to us at missions@realityla.com
2. Royal Family KIDS Camp and Mentorship
Alongside supporting foster families in our church, RFKC is is the primary way we seek to directly care for those involved in foster care by holding summer camp and a year-long mentorship program. Applications to be a camp counselor or staff member begin in late February or early March of each year.
3. Community Wrap-around Care
We desire to have communities (and community groups) equipped to actively welcome and love families who are either currently fostering or have adopted children or who need care to ensure their family stays together. Wrap-around care looks like communities trained and resourced to meet spiritual, relational, and tangible needs. More to come!
4. Foster Care Support Group
We work alongside amazing nonprofit groups to facilitate practical and relational support for foster parents, kinship caregivers, and social workers. These groups provide a safe place to share, learn, and connect with others on the same journey.
5. Community Engagement
Through regular opportunities like stocking or delivering supplies for We Foster LA or one-off events like Princess and the Police Officer, we have opportunities to meet, love, and serve the community directly around us.
6. Justice-specific Training
The church is called to live out the teachings of Jesus by actively seeking justice and mercy. We provide training and resources such as:
- The “Do Justice” dynamic of our discipleship pathway
- Sermons like this one on justice or this one on mercy,
- Specific trainings through such partners as RFKC or Olive Crest
- Training how to interact with others in godly ways through gospel care
7. Neighborhood & Everyday Discipleship!
All mission is meant to be lived out daily where God has called us! Identifying the idols, needs, and opportunities of our specific regions, neighborhoods, workplaces, apartment complexes, and other life areas allows us to see how God calls us to serve and intercede for others daily. And remember, this is not just an individual pursuit…we live this out together, with community in community!
We partner with individuals and organizations across the city, walking hand-in-hand to seek renewal by serving Los Angeles together. Each work to disciple our church in a distinct aspect of mercy and also have different outposts of seeking the lost in Los Angeles. Click on a partner to learn more about them and ways you could potentially be involved in the mission of God alongside them in Los Angeles and around the world!
