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San Diego County Edition Vol. 29, No. 11
Christian Higher Education Guide www.christianexaminer.com
Community
Mark Larson
Chuck Colson
11-year-old converts birthday party into church service day
Thanksgiving offers perfect time to reflect on ‘little’ things
Freedom, Schmeedom: Religious liberty on trial
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FREE
November 2011
New ‘180’ video documentary prompts turnabout on abortion Christian Examiner staff report DALLAS, Texas — A dramatic new documentary uses the history of the Jewish holocaust as a backdrop to challenge pro-choice positions over abortion. “180,” produced by evangelist and Christian apologist Ray Comfort, features the filmmaker posing the question, “What would you do if...?” in a series of sidewalk
interviews. Comfort begins by asking morally charged questions to a variety of people, most of them college age. He offered several different scenarios about when it was OK to kill. Eventually he leads the topic to abortion. While several of those filmed got defensive, over the course of the 33-minute video, eight pro-choice advocates apSee ‘180’ VIDEO, page 9
Volunteers from Rock Church and several other community groups spruce up Barrio Logan during a recent beautification project.
Shovel Ready A woman named Alysea was one of several young people interviewed in “180,” a new documentary from Christian apologist Ray Comfort.
Nearly 500 pastors challenge IRS with Pulpit Freedom sermons By Lori Arnold PHOENIX, Ariz. — More than a dozen San Diego County churches participated in the national Pulpit Freedom Sunday campaign challenging IRS restrictions on what pastors can say from the pulpit. In all, more than 475 churches nationwide registered for the event, held Oct. 2. The showing was nearly a five-fold increase from the previous year. The pastors represented 46 states and Puerto Rico.
Jim Garlow, chairman of the national Renewing American Leadership and one of the supporters of the event, said pastors “were really pumped up” on a post-event conference call. “The response of the congregations was really encouraging,” he said. “Pastors reported being interrupted with applause and in some cases they had standing ovations. We just didn’t anticipate that.” See IRS CHALLENGE, page 5
Community service campaign spruces up Barrio Logan By Lori Arnold BARRIO LOGAN — More than 600 volunteers infiltrated the Barrio Logan open space area in late September, donating an estimated $44,000 in free manual labor as part of a community beautification effort. The Do Something World campaign, an ongoing project of Rock Church, was orchestrated after a meeting between Senior Pastor Miles McPherson and District 8 San Diego City Councilman David Alvarez, who represents the neighborhood.
During the project, volunteers gathered five dumpsters full of trash and debris, pulled weeds from more than 72,000 square feet of open space, planted 256 plants and swept, weeded and cleaned about 2.5 miles of city streets. The teams logged more than 3,684 hours during the daylong event. “This community really needs this type of positive activity,” Alvarez said to a group of volunteers. “It beautifies the neighborhood, but it uplifts the neighborhood as well and the spirit of the people.” Other agencies and commu-
nity groups, such as Caltrans, San Diego Parks and Recreation, the Unified Port District of San Diego, Chicano Park Steering Committee, Urban Corps, Bank of America and Barrio Station also partnered to complete the cleanup and other projects throughout the neighborhood. “The ability for the church to provide these kind of numbers is key. With a large infusion of power of people, it just magnifies what you can do,” added Alvarez, saying that the cleanup will also boost the small businesses that make up the local economy.
Lending an ear to the homeless By Lori Arnold
A homeless man who was a benefactor of the Such as I Have ministry offers up a smile for those who served him.
SAN DIEGO — Ron Newkirk still remembers the moment he spotted the downtown homeless man donning atypical attire. “He was in his chef’s uniform, walking the streets,” Newkirk said. “He had the longest face of anyone I’ve ever seen.” Newkirk offered him food, water and a prayer. The man only wanted the water, which the Lakeside resident happily supplied. The man turned and walked away. “He came back and asked for prayer,” Newkirk said. After deploying his first weapon
in homeless ministry—prayer— Newkirk activated his second—his ears. The man was a local cook who had been temporarily laid off while his restaurant underwent a protracted renovation. Unable to keep up on his rent payments, he stayed at a local hotel until he ran out of money. With dwindling funds he was close to losing his personal belongings because of nonpayment to a storage company. Newkirk offered to pay the man’s storage bill and got him set up in a hotel room until the City of Refuge was able to take him in until his job returned, and he could afford to
get back into an apartment. It was during those transitional days that the cook, a believer, turned to his Bible, which fell open to John 14:1-2 where Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?” It was an anointed moment. “If Christians had not have been out there I don’t know what would have happened to him. What a miracle. What a blessing.” See MINISTRY, page 12
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