Halley Would Be Proud
Senior Vice President, Ministry Development
When I was a kid I heard all about Halley’s Comet. From first hearing about it I would have to wait over twenty years to see it. What a spectacular sight it would be upon its arrival in 1986! I had visions of this ‘star’ flying across the sky that would catch your eye every evening, blazing from west to east. When it came within sight it was news accounts that told me it was out there, but that was the only way I knew it had arrived. It was no bright shooting star, it just blended into the galaxy as far as I could tell. Sorry kids, if you’re waiting for Halley’s next arrival in 2061 prepare to be disappointed.
I was no longer a kid when 1992 rolled around. That was the last year that the North American Christian Convention came to Anaheim, California. As a native Californian I was excited for the arrival of the convention. And I was not disappointed. Little did I know that I would have a Halley’s Comet like wait to see the convention in SoCal again. OK, so it wasn’t 85 years, but 24 years is still a long time, and the NACC is headed to Anaheim in less than two months, here in 2016.
The convention program is fully loaded with a certain Heisman Trophy winning quarterback (rhymes with Bebow), Kyle Idleman and Dave Stone, Dudley, Jeff and Gene from SoCal and the ever-inspiring Bob Goff and Christine Caine, with workshops up the wazoo for every ministry scenario imaginable. But what I’m waiting for is Wednesday night. Prepare to have your heart strings fully tugged.
Gil Garcia had an undeniable passion for the gospel. He preached the Word in season and out of season, he reproved, rebuked, and exhorted with great patience. Gil and his wife Alex were a dynamic ministry team, reaching out to Spanish speaking people in Missouri and then in their native Southern California, where they served at the church in Los Angeles where Alex had grown up and at other churches which needed a vibrant Spanish-speaking pastor. To make a very long story short, Gil was stricken with cancer and passed away at the young age of 37, leaving behind Alex and their five children.
Alex was shocked when she received a call from the Kairos Benevolence Fund, letting her know that upon Gil’s passing the Fund was going to help with the expenses of raising five children on her own. She was taken by KBF’s slogan, “Honor - Appreciate - Love,” which comes from I Thessalonians 5:12 & 13. She felt honored, appreciated and loved, no doubt. It was from the gifts of people like you that the money was made available to help Alex, a faithful servant of Christ, in her time of deepest need.
So what’s happening on Wednesday night? The NACC will be showing a video of Alex telling her story
which is just catty-corner across the street from the Convention Center. The timing is perfect to buy airplane tickets. Or, make it a cross-country drive with your family and stop to see the Grand Canyon on the way. A trip to Southern California is the trip of a lifetime. As a life-long Southern Californian I can tell you that I haven’t had time to see it all, because there is so much to see.
It’s time to make a decision. Go ahead. Be bold. Join us in Anaheim. Do it! You won’t be disappointed.
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If you would like to make a gift to the Kairos Benevolence Fund to help others like Alex Garcia, ministers and missionaries who have dedicated themselves to the service of Christ, click here.
