Speaker 1: 0:18

All right, merry Thanksgiving, that's great. Hey, my name is Lawrence. I get to share with you some exciting things that have been happening this last year through this faith community and your support. This is our missions weekend. We get to celebrate all of the things locally and globally that we're connected with and that we get to support because of you.

Speaker 1: 0:40

We see this in scripture all throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament. You see what the scholars call the quartet of the vulnerable. They talk about this on a regular basis as you read the scriptures. Which is the vulnerable is the widows that we're fighting for the scriptures. Which is the vulnerable is the widows that we're fighting for, the orphans, the immigrants or a stranger, and the poor. And I regularly meet Christians who miss one of those major themes the Bible that you find in the Bible scriptures. We've talked about this before together as a family and that if you aren't intensely concerned for the quartet of the vulnerable, it's a sign that your heart might not be right with God, because it's what he cares about. That's the job of someone who actually knows and loves God, that we fight for justice or the word that was used was mishpat in the world, and I don't know if you guys realize this, but if you read just the words of Jesus, he actually talked more about the poor, the widow, the immigrant or stranger and the orphan, more than he talked about like how to pray or being saved. All combined together, the gospel is all about not actually holding on to your life, but giving it away for the sake of someone else. And so we, this weekend, we actually get to focus on what, collectively, over the last 11 months, this people have been doing for the sake of the quartet of the vulnerable, through your investment in the three Ts, through your investment with your time, through your investment with your actual talents and gifts, and through your investment with your treasures, locally and globally, and the huge impact that it has made. Thousands of hours have been given by you, thousands of items have been physically made and then distributed from you, and hundreds of thousands of dollars have been given away to organizations doing justice in just this past 11 months because of you. So I wanted to share just a few of the updates of some of that work.

Speaker 1: 2:50

We have a website and we've got all the information about the organizations that we're regularly, monthly, partnering with and what we're doing, but let me just give you a couple highlights. One of them, locally, is actually over in Vallejo. It's the Sparrow Project. We've done stuff with them for a couple decades now and this year alone we've gotten to help feed over 22,000 meals that have been served and provide laundry. Yeah, during the Christmas season it was back in, I believe, 2013. We raised money together collectively and we were able to install some showers and a laundry space, and so people get to use that on a regular weekly basis.

Speaker 1: 3:29

Then Food is Free. This is an organization that started and that we partnered with right off the bat during COVID. This includes the direct distribution of food, food rescue or these new market markets where fresh food is brought into vulnerable neighborhoods and then food is free neighborhood stands. In fact, we have what we call pantry elves. We have a food pantry here that go and collect the items that you've brought that we have here in our food pantry, and twice a week we fill six different stands. I don't know if you guys even knew that that was happening, that on a regular basis, we're constantly filling stands around the community as well as this food pantry that we have here that you bring items for when someone comes up here on the campus in need and they have a need, and specifically when it comes to hunger, they're not leaving empty-handed. We are partnering with an organization called Ebenezer Prison Ministry. This is where they're doing work behind the walls in the Bay Area prisons on a weekly basis. We're partnering with them to provide Christian-based programs, classes about practical living, and then church services as well, and this is all done in preparation for inmates who, successfully, are able to return then to their communities.

Speaker 1: 4:46

Wycliffe Translators this is an organization that works internationally. They're an interdenominational nonprofit organization. Specifically, their mission is for people from every language to understand the Bible and then be transformed from scriptures, and so we actually are participating with help, facilitating and translating the language all over the world into a Bible that can be read. It's crazy to think about this in our day and age that there are still languages that aren't able to read scripture due to orality issues, and so they're doing that work. So we, specifically here at Northgate, support a family who's working to translate the word of God into languages of remote people's environments that are hostile to Christianity. We have one of our own here. We actually have a spot on the lobby there for the Northgate Stitchers.

Speaker 1: 5:39

Let me rattle off some of the things they do. This is a bunch of people who come here multiple times to do sew days where we're just packed out. They're doing this in their homes. You'll hear in just a moment. Our youth is even involved in it. So for Bay Area Children's Hospitals they have made 369 pillowcases this year. For a global mission outreach they've made 371 medicine pouches, 373 eyeglass cases and local hospital maternity units. They've made 660 NICU hearts and 62 receiving blankets. They've made dresses and 62 receiving blankets. They've made dresses, clothing nationally and globally that have been distributed 218 dresses.

Speaker 1: 6:23

Locally, here in Solano County, there's an organization called Project Linus where they've made 836 fleece blankets and then loomed hats. This is local and national. They've made these hats 679 of them. And then compassion kits. Some of you guys participated in our last First Friday and you brought supplies for that. Well, our youth, in just a couple weeks, is going to make with the stitchers. They're going to make 200 blankets to put in those compassion kits to be distributed out. Yes, our kids can do something, they can make something. It's going to be rad. They're going to make blankets and those are going to be placed in those kits. Those are going to go out, and then we also were able to send out 200 loomed hats to Hurricane Relief to put in some compassion kits that were then sent to North Carolina.

Speaker 1: 7:11

Then we have AIM or Agape International Missions. They're doing whatever it takes to end the evil of sex trafficking. I actually had the opportunity just this last January to go to Cambodia, which is where it started, and see their work in person and what's being done. They believe in freedom at all costs, so that survivors can be free from trafficking, and so for 20 years this organization's been working in Cambodia to rescue, restore victims and persecute perpetrators, and this year Northgate actually got to help them open a rescue home in Belize for the first time. Belize has become the most sex traffic place in the world, believe it or not. So they then, during the restoration process, they actually employ women and then give them skills, and then those women are able to then go start their own businesses or go into a workplace to earn money for themselves.

Speaker 1: 8:07

But in the meantime, as they work for the organization, they get paid a really great wage, which is above average, and they make all kinds of items. So lots of the things that we have here are made from that. We actually have a store out there. Like kind of a fun little highlight is I even got my girls this there's a bracelet out there that says Freedom on it and on that it has the name of the girl who made it and the date she was rescued. So something fun that you can kind of participate with.

Speaker 1: 8:33

And then, finally, for today and there's other organizations that we partner with, but I wanted to highlight Hope for Kids International. This was a monumental year in supporting this organization. We've supported and worked with Hope for Kids International for over 30 years. This last year, on Father's Day, we did a Walk for Water fundraiser and it was the largest in our history, and not only the largest Walk for Water Fundraiser in our history, but in Hope for Kids International's history as well. And to share about all this work yeah, to share about all this work, about what's happening through Hope for Kids that are fighting for widows, orphans, the immigrants and the poor I want to invite a special guest up here today to share a little bit more about that and share a short message with us. This is the founder and president of Hope for Kids International, so would you please welcome Tom Eggum.

Speaker 2: 9:33

Well, good morning. Wow, you guys do a lot. That's amazing. Thank you for caring about your community and your cities and people around the world. And I'm honored to say that I've been partnering, or you've been partnering, with Hope for Kids since 92. Some of you guys weren't born yet, were you? No, not at all, but anyway, it's always a joy to be here. No, not at all, but anyway, it's always a joy to be here. I've been coming most every year since that time and always good to see friends that have traveled with us and partnered with us. And wow, congrats on that last walk for water. That was absolutely amazing. That's $110,000, 11 wells. So, yeah, yeah, that's amazing.

Speaker 2: 10:16

So I know there's people here that are not familiar with. Oh wait, I now have a staff member that's a part of this church. Josh, where are you? Stand up? Stand up If you have any questions, if you have any questions about us. He just joined our staff. He was a neighbor kid of mine. I knew him since he was little. He grew up. I did their wedding. How many years ago? Oh, caitlin was 12, I think. But anyway did their wedding. Both he and Caitlin have traveled to Africa with us a number of times when he was like 14, he went to Romania with me. I mean, it's an amazing story, and now we just hired him to be part-time with us in our medical area. So, josh, welcome aboard, and if you have any questions, you can always talk to him. But what a thrill to have you on board.

Speaker 2: 11:01

I know we've wanted to do it for a long time. Well, I know there's others here that haven't heard of Hope Kids, so what I'm going to do is just quickly go through a PowerPoint here. When I flip like this, that means next slide. If I'm doing this, I'm just excited, but anyway, yeah, yeah. So Hopeful Kids International has earned the highest ranking of four stars from Charity Navigator. So I'd love to start with this and say we're ranked in the top 10% of charities through Charity Navigator, as well as being a preferred partner with Feed my Starving Children. So we're very proud of that.

Speaker 2: 11:33

We're very good stewards of the gifts that we receive and our overhead's around 7%, which is absolutely amazing for an organization our size. We want to make a difference in the world and we do it through four pillars. We call it through dignity, through health, through joy and love Whatever fits that we're doing those kinds of things, and our mission is to restore hope around the world by empowering kids. Now get that. We're empowering kids to break the cycle of extreme poverty through those four principles.

Speaker 2: 12:04

A big thing for us is educating First of all. We believe that education breaks the cycle of poverty. We also are very careful to say we don't give handouts, we're giving a hand up. We believe by providing education, we're giving them the hand up. You know I learned't give handouts. We're giving a hand up. We believe by providing education, we're giving them the hand up. You know, I learned something this past year and it's usually through mistakes that we learn that if you give something to someone, the first time they're grateful, the second time they're expecting it, the third time they're entitled to it and the fourth time they're dependent on it. So we've taken away their independence, we've taken away their drive to get it on their own. So one of the things that I tell the students that I work with and that I've sponsored is I'm going to help give you the hand up all through school. As long as you want to go to school, I'm going to be there for you. But when we're done, I've now given you the tools. You can't come and say I need this, I need that, whatever, I'm not going to give the hand out. I've given you the hand up. And wow, what a change that makes when you realize you can give a hand up.

Speaker 2: 13:11

So when we began working in Uganda, especially 22 years ago, I realized that about 52% of the kids were dying before their fifth birthday, can you imagine? And most of it was waterborne. So our triage is to get them safe water, and that's what you've been a big part of. So we provide clean, safe water. This is a well bringing up fresh, safe water for them. Fresh, safe water for them Immediately. Typhoid, cholera, many of these killing diseases disappear immediately because they're now drinking the clean water. We also bring the vitamin-rich food through Feed my Starving Children.

Speaker 2: 13:50

We build medical clinics in villages, in remote villages where maybe it's 10 miles to the nearest any access to medicine at all. And then on our main campus in Uganda we just opened a beautiful medical clinic just when I was there last week. It's going to serve not just our 2,500 students there, but it's going to serve the community as well. And then we do mission team medical outreaches, and one of the things that I've been passionate about is empowering the people in that nation to lead that ministry In Uganda. You see a group of Ugandans up there in that corner. We have 130, some employees in Uganda, and they're all Ugandans and they know the language, they know the culture, they know the ins and outs of everything and they are on the ground every day. They know better how to serve the community. So wherever we are in the Philippines, in Mexico, in Guatemala, nepal, namibia, romania wherever we are, we empower the local people and they're our leaders in those countries. And that's proved to be just so powerful and so effective.

Speaker 2: 15:00

And we also take international mission trips. This summer, july 1st, a number of Northgate people are going to go. There's still space for others. If you want to go to Uganda with us, we're going to go. You're going to be able to see some of those wells that you sponsored in your walk for water. There's families here that have dedicated a well in memory of someone. They're going to get to go. And if you sponsor a kid, you can go visit that child. So it's a great experience, 14-day experience.

Speaker 2: 15:25

And what our purpose is is that, even though it's a short-term mission trip and you say, well, what can you accomplish in two weeks you can accomplish a lot because you're a part of the long-term goals. So there's things that we're continuing and you get to continue that with us and then it becomes your story. It's not my story, it's your story. Your life has changed. We often say we need Africa more than Africa needs us, and if we go with that attitude, you will be on a learning curve and you will be so blessed and enriched because we're so blessed. So our purpose is to serve as the hands and feet of Jesus.

Speaker 2: 16:01

We deliver essential supplies, we rebuild the communities and we spread the gospel in the hardest to reach places. And many of our outreaches are like, for example, this picture is in the Philippines. Not only do we have a school there and treat our children and our sponsorship program, and all through our medical outreach, but we go into indigenous areas where the Hmong Young tribes live and we go in and do wellness checkups and all of that. And not long ago I think it's about three years ago one of our physicians discovered there was TB in a village. A boy was infected and we took him out and nourished him back to health and he became. You know, he got treatment and they told us that if we wouldn't have found that, the whole village may have been wiped out. So God's using our medical people in such powerful ways and so we go into those remote areas and treat those diseases and it's really there's so many stories of saving lives through that.

Speaker 2: 17:01

And then we ask people, go with us. I mean, get your hands dirty, get dirty for God. I often say, and our biblical principle is dear children, let us not love with words or speech, but with action and truth. We're a little bit different. We don't go do a project like build something on our own, because a lot of times that takes away employment from local people. We work with the local people, we empower the local people. All the buildings that I've got going on wherever are all done by local people and they're so grateful that they have work and they get some payment for that, and so that's really a joy for me at least, working side by side with the locals wherever we are.

Speaker 2: 17:39

These are just some of the things we do. We build chapels, medical clinics, primary schools, vocational schools, secondary schools, that's, high schools with housing, septic systems, we put in solar power, we've developed farmland, playground, sports courts. In fact, javale McGee some of you know that name, an NBA center that played for a number of teams up here. He built an outdoor covered court and is real involved with it. So it's kind of fun. We do sports type things. This is a glimpse of our campus. It's a 26-acre campus in Tororo, uganda, and we now have a Christian school there, a vocational school, in fact. We just dedicated a new medical clinic just a number of days ago and we also, in our Christian school, we dedicated a physics lab, chemistry lab and biology lab, and the teacher said he was at the best university in East Africa and it was nothing like what ours is. So we're not just educating kids, we're giving them the best education we can. So thank you for being a part of that.

Speaker 2: 18:46

Now this picture is to me. I never get used to these kind of pictures because, as I told you, I was just there and I went to. A number of these are the original sources before we built a well. This is what they're drinking out of and that's why so many kids die and for a lot of villagers they think it's witchcraft. They don't understand it's the water poisoning them. So we not only drill and give safe water, but we also have to educate them don't drink that water, don't do that. And all about hygiene and all of that. So here's some of the stats. Over 771 million people around the world still do not have access to safe water. Nearly 1.7 billion people are living without proper access to hygiene and sanitation. Even in Uganda, there's still 11 million people who do not have access to safe, clean water. So that's why we're so passionate about it. This is a figure that just when I saw it this morning, I thought I can't believe that number.

Speaker 2: 19:46

We've drilled 1,172 deep water wells, from 150 to 300 feet deep. Yeah, and Northgate, you've been a big part of this. It cost $10,500 to build and they're all hand-pumped like this, because where we drill them, there's no electricity in those villages, and this is a very solid machine. It has stainless steel pipes. Now It'll be there 30 to 50 years. So imagine 50 years from now, a child being born will still be served by that water that you provided To me. That's one of the best investments you can ever make is to bring water.

Speaker 2: 20:21

As I mentioned, we have over 3,500 kids that are sponsored through us and, again, we believe that sponsorship empowers helpless children to break the cycle of poverty with quality education, health care, nutritious meals and emotional guidance through the love of Jesus, and these are some of the things that sponsorship provides. It's $39 a month. I've got 12 profiles left. I'd love to see 12 of you take those profiles and sponsor a child. It's $39 a month. You can relate to that child, you can write to them, they can write back. You travel with us, you can visit that child. We stay with them as long as they want to be educated. They get that high quality education. They get a uniform, shoes, school supplies, motivation, improved grades, social worker with emotional and academic needs, medical care, knowledge. They're part of the Christ, extended family and hope, despite their trials. It's a life changer and I've been doing it long enough to see the kinds of things.

Speaker 2: 21:17

Do you see that number up on the screen? Northgate has done it Over 500 kids that have changed their lives. Can you guys? This is amazing. I'm out speaking almost every weekend at different churches and I've never seen that number in any church we've partnered with. So you are the champions and thank you for that and staying with us all over these years and changing a life of a child to simply sponsoring them. And here's another number that your Walk for Waters have funded, 86 boreholes have been given through this church, through families and through the Walk for Waters 86. Again, can we just the Walk for Waters? 86. Again, can we just? This is amazing, this is amazing, thank you, thank you. And then this last one like Pastor Larry said, 11 wills. We've never seen that number before, and so thank you so much for your faithfulness in that and doing all that you do with us, and I'm just so, so honored that you're a partner of ours.

Speaker 2: 22:17

Now I've got seven minutes left and I want to share a little bit from God's Word, because, you know, I love to tell about the ministry, but I love to speak God's Word because that's where we are revitalized, that's where we find our strength, that's where we get direction on how to walk through our life. And so I took a scripture this morning that really tells us a little bit about who Jesus is. It's found in Mark 2, 13 through 17. It's a familiar scripture. It says once again, jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him and he began to teach them. As he walked along, he saw Levi's son, elphais, sitting in the tax collector's booth and he said follow me. And Levi got up and followed him While Jesus get this one, while Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house, that's with the IRS guys.

Speaker 2: 23:02

Doesn't that sound fun? Yeah, and they were worse back then, maybe. But anyway, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. When the teachers of the law, who were Pharisees, the religious people, saw Jesus in there having dinner with those people and hanging out with sinners, they asked the disciples why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners? On hearing this, jesus said to them it is not the healthy who come to a doctor, who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners.

Speaker 2: 23:43

To me, this is a very powerful scripture and it's one we have to look at every once in a while. Because I'm telling you, I just turned 73 this year and the older I get, the crabbier I get. Is that true, rico? Does she getting crabby now? Oh, okay, but I find myself, you know, becoming religious, and I don't want to be religious. I want to have a heart that is moved by how God's heart is moved, and I look at people and I find myself being critical or judgmental or labeling them or saying something in a negative way about them, instead of looking at a valued person, like God sees them. And so I see this in here and I go. I need to be reminded of God's grace and his mercy. You know most.

Speaker 2: 24:32

Every day, including this morning, I started my day by praying a prayer and I always say loving God, because I know he is. And then I say thank you for your mercy and your grace and thank you for the cross and resurrection of Jesus. And then I pause and say it's all I have. There's nothing good in me that comes to him. There's no right I have on my own that I can come into his holy presence. And then I look at my phone beside me and I see November 25th Sunday, november 25th 2024. And I'm like wow, thank you for today. And then I go through my prayer list and pray for my family and friends and those in ministry with me and like three sheets full, and I'm reminded that every day has to start that way. God, on my own I cannot.

Speaker 2: 25:26

I remember when I was a new believer, I was in Bible college in Los Angeles and I would try to be good enough. You know I'm deeply flawed, I'm an outside the line kind of person. I knew I wouldn't ever fit into being a pastor in a church, because you have to behave yourself, you know. And I just well, that's how I started smuggling Bibles and taking risk in communist countries, and all that because I felt I could do something illegal for God, you know. So I'm trying to be good enough and I can't. And one weekend I broke almost all the rules and I found out when I came to chapel on Monday morning.

Speaker 2: 26:02

The president of the Bible college wanted to see me and I thought for sure, somebody told on me and I went in with an attitude like I can't make it as a Christian. I've tried and I fail every day, every minute. I can't do it. And he had me sit down and then he began to speak to me and he said you had a difficult weekend, didn't you? And I'm thinking well, yeah, you know, they told you. And he said don't tell me what went on. He said I just want you to know. I've been thinking about you all weekend and I've been praying for you and I want you to know that you're forgiven. But I want you to do something. I want to kneel by your chair there and I want you to put your hands on my head and I want you to pray for me. I'm like what Me pray for you. I'm the guy that can't make it. And he said I want you to learn a lesson.

Speaker 2: 26:53

The ground at the foot of the cross is level. It takes the same mercy and grace to forgive me as it does to forgive you. And I'm telling you, I prayed I don't know what I prayed, it was pretty bad, I'm sure. And then he prayed for me. But I never forgot that. It's not about me. It's not about how good I can be. It's not that I'm earning brownie points because I'm doing good things around the world. That makes no difference. The Bible says our own righteousness is like filthy rags. So we come into his holy presence and he accepts us, he forgives us.

Speaker 2: 27:28

Probably the best example I can tell you about was a few years ago. I was in India and you know, under the Hindu system there's a caste system. There's the upper class, there's, you know, certain levels and then there's the lower class. They're called the untouchables because even if they walk by you and their shadow touches you, you have to go through a cleansing process. We drilled a well for the untouchables. And I approached that well when we were going to dedicate it and I noticed that across the street was another well and I got a little upset, because we have a rule you can't drill another well within about a mile of each other because the need is so desperate. And I said why did we drill one here? There's one right there. And they said that well is for the upper class and even if a lower class untouchable walked by and its shadow touched the well, they'd probably be stoned to death.

Speaker 2: 28:25

When I heard about that deep prejudice and that deep hatred for this class, my heart just opened up to them. I wanted to do more and more with them, knowing how they were treated. And all A few days later they wanted to have a worship service with us, which was illegal and we maybe why I'm banned from going to India for the last nine years. They won't allow me back because of my Christian activity. This might've been it, I'm not real sure. I've never preached openly or anything, but that's their excuse not to let us in.

Speaker 2: 28:57

But we came to this school where a bunch of the untouchables were gathered. We sang songs very quietly so we wouldn't be detected. We read the scripture quietly so they wouldn't be overheard. And then it came time to have communion together, and it was the most humbling experience of my life, I would say. They brought out a coconut and they cut a hole in the bottom of the coconut and poured the juice that was the blood of Christ, the juice that was the blood of Christ. Then they broke that coconut and we each took a piece of that coconut meat and handed it to each other and said this is the body of Christ given for you. I'm telling you we were. There wasn't a dry in that place.

Speaker 2: 29:46

Here's the reason Because I sensed the holy presence of Jesus. I felt his incredible love for all of us and I realized we're all untouchables. When you think about our sin, that separates us from God. None of us are worthy to come into his presence. We're all untouchable and yet through the gospel, through the cross and resurrection of Jesus, he welcomes us in. I'll never forget that and even to this day I understand that all of us are untouchables, but yet the good news is that Christ has loved us through what he did on the cross and his resurrection.

Speaker 2: 30:26

So I want to ask you a question in closing. You know, do you see yourself as a Pharisee? Do you see yourself getting religious? Then let's just say God, I'm sorry, I don't want to be judging people, I don't want to be discarding people, all the vulnerable. I want my heart to be moved by what moves your heart. And then we say none of us are worthy to be welcomed into his presence.

Speaker 2: 30:54

But isn't that the good news? We all are? Does that kind of refire you up this morning? Don't you want to make a difference in this world? Yeah, yeah, let's pray, loving God. Wow, we have sensed your holy presence through our worship today and through your word. Thank you that you welcome us. You know our hearts. You know every struggle we face. You know every problem we have in our life, every hurt, every well. We let you down so often we try and try and then we have to just come to the place of saying we're at the foot of the cross, jesus. So, god, open our hearts to want to serve our communities and those people around the world that are praying for someone to rescue them and help them, and we desire to be your hands and feet. We give you praise in Jesus' name, amen.

Speaker 1: 32:06

Can we give God a hand clap of praise? Can you stand to your feet as we respond to that message in worship God, you're so good.