Hi friends, Brooke Andrews here. I want to take you back to 2008 to give you a glimpse into the heart and vision of our guest speaker, a friend of mine.
In 2008, Kevin Palau, the president of the Luis Palau Association (LPA), reached out to Sam Adams, one of the first openly gay mayors in the United States. Kevin showed up to ask how LPA might come alongside Sam to address critical needs in the community. Although Sam and his administration were skeptical and couldn't quite figure out why "a group of Christians would want to associate themselves with someone with whom they disagreed so vigorously on issues like same-sex marriage and abortion," they agreed to work together because they were both desperate. Kevin describes that, on behalf of the evangelical community in Portland, he was desperate to change the perception of the church in one of the most politically progressive and unchurched cities in the country in order to make progress for the gospel, and he knew he needed to start with relationships. As Kevin and Sam's relationship grew and trust was established, Palau mobilized thousands of churches to get involved with hunger, homelessness, healthcare, the environment, the public school system, foster care, and trafficking in Portland.
For Palau, spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ was always the ultimate goal. They wanted to bring the Gospel to life in a tangible way.
Kevin said, "What we want is for people who are far from Christ, or who maybe had a bad experience growing up as a kid, wherever they are to say, 'I'm surprised. I didn't realize that these Christians who I viewed a certain way, were the most loving, kind, caring people. They have their convictions. They love to talk about Jesus Christ. Maybe I'm ready for that, or not ready for that, but I can't argue with the fact that they're showing up in the deepest, darkest places of pain and hurt in our city, and they want to make a difference."
Under Kevin's leadership, the Luis Palau Association has partnered with tens of thousands of local churches to produce large Christian gatherings in cities around the globe, pioneered a festival model that includes a citywide service initiative preceding the festival event and was designed for long-term sustainability well after the festival, and developed Palau's Next Generation Alliance, which exists to serve up-and-coming evangelists through mentoring and equipping.
Brooke
