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theGoodnews
DECEMBER 2021
A DECADE OF DESTINY: Restoration and Transformation in Lake Elsinore By David Baker & Cathy Cook Templeton, DCLE Volunteers & Board Members
Imagine driving down a street near your home and discovering a park that is a homeless encampment. Real people live there because they have nowhere else to go. Upon a closer look, you see dozens of needles strewn across the grassy areas as well as the playground, where children are now eerily absent. What would you do? Would you wonder why someone isn’t doing anything to help? That’s exactly what resident and pastor Brett Masters thought that day, back in 2008. In his prayers, he asked God that question. In that moment, he felt a stirring in his heart to be that “someone”. He knew he didn’t have all the answers, but he also knew that he needed to do something. Having visited the Dream Center in Los Angeles, and catching their vision of working with the homeless-many of whom were drug addicted and had mental health challenges--he had a dream to replicate their successful program in the heart of Lake Elsinore.
You've heard the phrase, “it was an overnight success.” It's rarely the case. It actually took six years to formulate the plan. The tiny army included his wife, Aubrey, their boys and a small handful of volunteers. Their prayers were the seedlings that needed to be planted before the ministry could make a change in the community. They went through the City Park every Saturday, cleaning up the debris from the week before. They spoke with the people and offered resources for recovery. The park began to shine with hope and families began to bring their children back to play again. In 2014, Brett Masters was commissioned to serve as the lead pastor and executive director of the Dream Center of Lake Elsinore. With strong support from the Free Methodist Church, a downtown building was secured as a headquarters. DCLE would depend on volunteers to reach needy residents in the community, walk alongside them in faith, and help them in their transformation into independent, productive citizens. Primary ministries are the DC Pantry (formerly Hope Pantry), a Youth Ministry, Adopt-A-Block and a Prayer Ministry. One building that caught Brett's eye early on sat across from City Park. It is the former Ambassador Hotel. It laid barren--not having been used in decades. It was constructed in 1887 and housed the Exchange Bank of Lake Elsinore, founded by Franklin Heald. It was converted to the Ambassador in 1916. Recalling his visit to the Dream Center of Los Angeles, Brett knew it could be a place of transformation for the people that he was meeting on a regular basis. Prior to acquiring the Dream Center building, it was the place that everyone met to pray. Pastor Chuck Klingman remembers those days well. “There were just a few of us who came every Saturday to pray. When I noticed the rusted chain and
lock on the front doors of the Ambassador, I felt led to lay my hands upon them as I prayed. Everyone joined in and we did this every week. To us it signified the lives of those in the city who were “chained” by addiction and homelessness. We prayed for God to break that very lock and chain and restore the lives of the citizens of this city. Believe it or not, today a plant is growing out of the building on the other side--this abandoned building--which is evidence to us that our prayers are being answered and that life is coming back! The chains and the plant are amazing pictures of the work we believe has already been started by God in answer to our steadfast prayers. This is an exciting time!” After 7 years of praying for this hotel, asking God for wisdom and favor, DCLE recently closed escrow and will renovate the building to current codes. Each floor of the Ambassador will have a distinct purpose; the ground floor will house a 1950's style diner, open to the public. It will be a tribute to the hotel’s former owner who had it in full bloom when it was operational. The remaining three floors will separately house female residents, male residents and entire families. Each of the upper floors will have a live-in program coordinator to mentor their respective groups. The residents will complete various programs including recovery, basic life skills, deep spiritual formation and community service. Each will be kept busy with service projects like removing weeds and trash, planting flowers, and coming alongside volunteers to partake in projects to beautify Lake Elsinore. As residents complete their programs and are revitalized as individuals, they will continue to serve in a way that revitalizes the entire community. Brett continues to fulfill and expand his original dream. He foresees that the former hotel will someday be recognized as "the premier life transformation center in southern California and will become a model for other cities. Truly, God is calling us into a decade of destiny! The outreach efforts we've taken so far are just a beginning - there's so much more that's needed to heal the physical, emotional and spiritual wounds that have afflicted our community. May we never forget those who are most vulnerable and marginalized right here in our own backyard. I don't want to get to the end of this decade and find that our dreams were too small . . . that we shrank back from stepping into the potential of this new decade with the kind of big faith required to shake a city and heal an entire community!" After reading this story you may be asking, “How can I help?” Please attend a monthly Volunteer Orientation to learn the full history of the Dream Center, the programs and people leading the organization. It is held the third Saturday of each month (excluding December) from 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm. To donate online or view more information, visit www.dreamcenterle.org.
