Matt Monzon Volunteer of the Month It is a simple fact that OC United would not be who we are without our volunteers. Very few, if any, are more critical to our ongoing work than Matt Monzon. One of our first volunteers when OC United launched four and a half years ago, he has since […]
Real-World Disciple Making by Mike Carman During my college/young adult years (a long time ago!), the concept of making disciples (today usually called mentoring) was popular in our Christian circles. Numerous books were written and multiple programs were designed to help Christians fulfill what we understood as Jesus’s great command to His followers, to “go […]
The Healing Power of Relationship Blog by Chris Baeza “We are better together in healthy relationships,” said Renae Dupuis, our Trauma Specialist and RESPITE Program Director. Our 2nd Annual RESPITE Conference concluded last Saturday and our attendees spent a whole day at Granada Heights Friends Church in La Mirada. Conference attendees listened to speakers and […]
Cecilia “Sally” Johnson Volunteer of the Month Sally is one of our most kind, patient, and dedicated volunteers. She started volunteering last school year for the United Kids After-School Program at Valencia Park Elementary. Her commitment to the program and to the children is an absolute blessing. For example, she is quick to learn the […]
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT Granada Heights Friends Church When I stepped into Starbucks earlier in the year to meet with a friend and a pastor from her church, I had no idea of the opportunity that was going to unfold. We were meeting to discuss how to help equip Granada Heights Friends Church to become Trauma-Informed so […]
WHO is your community? by Chris Baeza For me, the community has been the students at Biola University for the last four years. Interestingly enough, I got off-campus very little in order to participate in initiatives that help out my community. The word “community” means “a group of people living in the same place or […]
Kathleen Dische Volunteer of the Month Kathleen Dische is the perfect example of servant leadership. Since 2016, she has volunteered at OC United, especially within our young adults THRIVE program. She is dedicated, selfless and extremely humble. Over the past three years, she has faithfully attended THRIVE nights, giving rides to young adults who wouldn’t […]
On Sunday, Aug 17th we partnered with Hope International to challenge their new incoming students to do a serve day together. The new students were all put into groups of 20 and were introduced to dorm life, the cafeteria, the campus and church on Sunday. After lunch, we had the joy of leading them into […]
“Never Giving Up” [ Millie’s Story ] Jobs for Life just graduated a set of new students a little over two weeks ago and we are so excited to see where our graduates end up. It has been exciting to walk through the program with these wonderful students and see them grow. A standout student […]
HOME(less) ALONE Blog by Mike Carman Finding a problem is usually pretty easy to do. Finding a solution can be more difficult. And carrying out that solution more difficult still. Recognizing homelessness as a problem in our communities is pretty simple these days. However, effective answers that benefit all parties are tougher to articulate, and […]