One of the most rewarding aspects of working on the With Love project has been the chance to partner with people. When we started this project, our core team numbered at two (and eventually three) committed members. Each of us had valuable skills to bring to the table, including the willingness to learn. However, we soon realized that for this project to succeed, we would have to partner with people who had skills that complemented our own. Moreover, if we wanted this to be a Community Market and Cafe, then partnership was not just a helpful resource; it was a necessity.

We were already intentionally sharing about With Love everywhere we went, and were encouraged to see people genuinely excited and encouraged by the project. God had placed in their hearts a conviction that the community really needed this. Many came forward of their own volition to offer up their talents. Gradually our team learned to identify more tasks that we could hand off to various partners.

As great as it is, partnership brings with it a certain set of challenges. Sometimes, it is difficult to visualize an individual partner’s role within the larger vision of the project. With some partners such as suppliers, help has a financial or material cost, so we need to work out mutually beneficial agreements. Finally, with a few partners, we have to turn down help because they had a different vision for With Love than the one we feel God leading us towards.

But the joys of partnership easily justify the challenges. Many partners are experts in their fields, with skills ranging from filming to graphic design to accounting to more that complement the skills of our core team. Handing over our vision to these partners often takes the project to amazing places that we could not have conceived of at the outset. The talents of the people of God in action are truly a beautiful sight to behold!

With Love’s vision of partnership is inspired by Church of the Redeemer, a multi-ethnic body of faith also located in Southwest LA. Like other socially-conscious churches, Redeemer tries hard to bless its neighborhood. The With Love project intends to involve the neighborhood along the way, training and equipping residents. Partnership across socioeconomic and cultural divides is the most crucial frontier; a picture of the Kingdom of God come on earth.

We are so thankful to God for this experience!