When you drive to your church, what do you notice along the way? What does the neighborhood look like?

In my first call, I saw a need. I was the first pastor to live in the neighborhood of my congregation, and when I moved in, I quickly realized I was living in a food desert. Sure, there was a Costco and Walmart not too far away, and eventually a Vallarta Supermarket opened, but for that first year, the only grocery stores were miles away. You needed a car, or a long bus ride, to buy food.

Yet just steps from my apartment was a strawberry field in the spring, with cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and spinach in the summer and fall. I couldn’t believe that the food being grown right there wasn’t going to local supermarkets. The Salinas Valley is known as the “Salad Bowl of the World,” yet so many of our neighbors faced food insecurity.

Months later, I was touring the Monterey County Food Bank when the Director half-jokingly asked if my congregation might want to be a distribution site. I didn’t hesitate—I said, “We’re in.” Weeks later, food distribution began in our parking lot. Week after week, the line was long, and people from the congregation and community stood side by side ensuring families received the fresh fruits and vegetables grown right down the street.

That experience taught me something important: our churches should be more than a steeple in the neighborhood. They can be centers of community, compassion, and advocacy.

Now, in my current call, our congregation has started to dream again. We’ve already had conversations with the city planning department and discovered that our zoning allows us to use our two and a half acres of land for something transformative. What will it be? A park? Affordable housing? Senior housing? We’ve even had an initial conversation with Silver Manor Apartments about the possibility of 80–100 affordable units. Nothing is set yet, but we trust God is stirring something. Keep us in your prayers as we discern together.

And maybe you’re wondering what could happen in your congregation. Here’s an invitation: take a walk around your neighborhood. Sit in a local park. Don’t go with a plan or agenda—just be curious. What do you see? What’s missing? What do your neighbors long for? If you feel comfortable, ask what do you love about living here?

If advocacy feels too big right now, that’s okay. Maybe your church could start with something small but powerful, like becoming a food distribution site, or something entirely different that meets a real need in your community.

We’d love to hear your stories. Share them with us, and we’ll feature your congregation. You can reach me at paullarson@leanforjustice.org.

With you on the Journey,

Pastor Paul