Next week marks a new beginning of students serving locally in the city of Azusa and the greater Los Angeles area. MAS student leaders have been preparing since mid-August to get students mobilized toward loving their neighbor right across the street. Next week, 12 student local ministry and service programs will launch for the academic year!
Right across the street in Azusa, several of our tutoring programs will be kicked off including: La C.A.S.A., an academic mentoring program serving middle school and high school students; A-Town and Cerritos Kidz, tutoring programs serving children in local apartment complexes; Homework House, a wholistic ministry serving the academic and spiritual needs of children and families in Azusa; Azusa Food Bank, providing quality food and meals for local families; VIVA Azusa Soccer, a soccer ministry coordinated through Church of the Open Door; S.E.E.D., a educational ministry teaching local elementary children about creation care; and, Habitat for Humanity, a ministry committed to providing affordable housing.
A little further away, several great opportunities to serve include: Central City Community Outreach, a tutoring and mentoring program for kids living in downtown Los Angeles near “skid row”; Door of Hope, a transitional housing program serving families experiencing homeless; San Dimas Retirement Center, a community connecting APU students with the elderly residents;
If you are looking for educational opportunities, take advantage of LA 101 and Azusa 101, two experiential learning weekends focused on gaining a deeper understanding of these unique and diverse cities in new ways. There is still time to get involved! Visit the office today or learn more on our office website: www.apu.edu/mas.
Our theme this year, All Things Created | All Things Reconciled, centers around the reality of God’s already/not yet Kingdom and the university passage(s), John 1 and Colossians 1. As we begin this year, we pray for the new relationships that will be built in the local communities of Azusa and greater Los Angeles centered on the reality that God created all things. Furthermore, we pray that God will continue to reconcile all things back to Himself.
Who is my neighbor? This was the theme and the question asked throughout Justice Week, which took place January 25-31, 2010. Planned programs and sessions challenged students to think about justice and reconciliation in light of Jesus’ response to this question in Luke 10.
Nenji Yilpet, a senior undergraduate student, wrote “For me, Justice Week was an opportunity to be challenged and empowered. Through the various speakers, there was a constant stirring to seek justice holistically—globally and locally, interpersonally and collectively. Performances during skits and the coffeehouse brought a sense of refreshment and unity in the journey toward reconciling the pain in our lives and world.”
