Continuing from yesterday’s post, here are six more places where my team and I have been meeting people in need of salvation and the joys of a Jesus-centered life.  (Again, spiritual hot spots change as often as people do.)

7.  The front steps of our apartment building - Katie meets people who walk by her as she tends to her garden.

8.  The subway (yes, Los Angeles has a subway!) – Ed is getting to know people who share his commute to work.

9.  Emergencies and crime scenes – I find a great time to meet our neighbors is whenever we hear sirens or see yellow police tape.  The people come out to see what’s happening.  Sometimes this is even a good time to offer ourselves as servants in a time of need.

10.  The park and the LA Zoo – Meri finds these are great places to meet/invite other families and demonstrate that Jesus-followers are fun people to hang out with!

11.  Our own backyard (okay, there’s no yard, but lots of concrete!) – when our kids play baseball and write on the pavement with chalks, other neighborhood kids notice and come over to play, too!  (We’re teaching our kids that they are missionaries, too.)

12.  Night rides through Los Angeles - there are a number of local bicycling groups that organize these rides.  Number of cyclists on a single bike ride range from 5 to 1000 people.  Ed and I like to go on them both for fun and to meet folks.  (Man, does LA look different at night!)  A significant percentage of those who are crazy enough to go on these rides either live in or regularly visit East Hollywood, as our community is home to many cyclists and some of LA’s better known cycling shops. 

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The goal is to be where the people are.  Time of day is key.  Different crowds hang out in the same location at 6am, 2pm, 6pm and 2am.  How effective will a missionary be if he or she works 8am to 5pm, when the people are away at work?  Most churches are started on evenings and weekends.

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