SUMMER AT FAMILY CHURCH Part 2: Reaching Our City - Jeremy Porras

·27 min·2 clips

Amanda, an alcoholic and domestic violence survivor, reveals how she rededicated her life to Christ in recovery.

Jeremy Porras opens by thanking Living Word Family Church for their partnership with the Dream Center, mentioning their volunteer support and provision of warehouse space. He shares statistics about their food distribution: over 100,000 pounds monthly reaching 60,000 people. He discusses their recovery ministry started in 2021 and Project Light, an anti-trafficking initiative preparing to open a safe house. Jeremy introduces the Dream Center Discipleship (DCD) program, a free residential recovery program with houses for men and a women's house opened in January 2024. Amanda Visvery shares her testimony, identifying as an alcoholic, addict, survivor of domestic violence, and child of God with a sobriety date of January 12, 2024. She describes losing her faith after abuse and finding restoration through the DCD program. Jeremy reveals Amanda's husband Stephen joined the men's program 18 months earlier, graduated in November, and their family of five children has been reunited with four children baptized. Jeremy transitions to teaching from John chapter 4, titled "Reaching a City." He explains his background as a worship pastor for 20 years and how this passage now speaks to him about outreach. He outlines four points: loving the marginalized, giving a clear message, calling to repentance, and reaching a city. Jeremy analyzes Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well, noting cultural tensions between Jews and Samaritans. He observes Jesus goes at noon when outcasts would draw water to avoid others. Jeremy shares his own evangelism journey, admitting he was once shy and thought saying "God bless you" counted as sharing the gospel. He emphasizes the importance of clear gospel conversations using specific scriptures rather than personal opinions. Jeremy recounts an experience with a Muslim resident where a volunteer prayed assuming shared faith, highlighting the need for clarity about Christ. He discusses Jesus' bold confrontation of the woman's sin regarding her five husbands, noting how Jesus built relational equity through dignity. Jeremy concludes that the woman's testimony led many Samaritans to believe, showing how reaching one marginalized person can impact a city. He offers an invitation for anyone needing to place faith in Christ and prays for the congregation to have eyes of compassion.

As heard by us

A church food ministry and Jesus' encounter at a well become a call to see and serve people with compassion.

The episode presents Living Word's partnership as service shaped by spiritual attentiveness. It connects the church's food and clothing warehouse, with its monthly support of more than 100,000 pounds of food and contact with about 60,000 people, to Jesus meeting an isolated…

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Why you'd press play

You will hear a food warehouse, a woman at a well, and a clear call to let compassion move toward people.

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