This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

Southwest Church!  That’s what.

This is the church my wife and I attend when we live in La Quinta, California for the winter.

It is a privilege to do so – both live and attend church there.

The senior pastor at Southwest is Rickey Jenkins.

But, that’s not much of a description.

He wouldn’t mind if I wrote that he is a Black man who came with his family from Mississippi to the Coachella Valley in 2018.  He leads a church that, under his leadership, has become a regional institution.

Not an institution in the sense of a place or set of buildings.  But an institution, to use a Jenkins’ phrase, “to make Jesus famous.”

Here is what an on-line bio says about Jenkins:

“Ricky Jenkins is the senior pastor of Southwest Church in Indian Wells, California.  From his beginnings in Pearl, Mississippi, all the way to Oakland, California, to Memphis, Tennessee, and Chicago, Illinois, Ricky has been preaching the gospel for more than 20 years.

“Fueled by Acts 20:28, Ricky is called to pursue God passionately and pursue God’s people compassionately for the glory and honor of Jesus Christ.

“With a shepherd’s heart, Ricky’s preaching weaves together biblical exposition, vivid illustration, heartfelt application, and an extra helping of humor with which to convey the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.

“Ricky is married to the light of his heart, April Jenkins.  Together they have three beautiful children — Camden, Grand, and Andi.

“Ricky is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Historical Theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Chicago, Illinois.  His research interests revolve around pastoral leadership, racial reconciliation, and issues of justice during the Civil Rights movement.”

Back to his “fuel” verse, Acts 20:28.  Here is what it says:

^“Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.  Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.”

The headline in this blog repeats a phrase that Southwest uses to illustrate its mission.  Here it is again:

A gospel-centered,
multi-ethnic,
inter-generational
church…

And, we love discipleship!

Also, every Sunday when he preaches, Ricky uses this phrase when he reads from the Bible:

“I have just read from the greatest book ever written – and I stand before you today to verify that every word of it is true.”

Here are a couple other emphases that Southwest uses to illustrate that it is more than just a building – it is church with an appeal to the community.

1. SUPPORTING COMMUNITY CHARITIES:  Southwest leaders find ways for members and adherents of the church to get out in the Palm Springs community to work for a day here or there in charitable organizations that serve low-income and destitute citizens in the area, including the disaffected and the homeless. 

Ricky calls this “putting feet to the Gospel.”

• INVITING ORGANIZATIONS ON THE CHURCH CAMPUS:  Southwest allows its property to house what happens many times in the desert – encampments of food trucks, clothing tents, and other community organizations interested in selling their wares.  They park on the church grounds on various weekends, so they are there “for church” on a Sunday when they hear the services on loudspeakers set up on the grounds. 

Then, those who attend the church are encouraged to walk around the property to buy food and sample other wares.

Both times we have seen this, antique car owners also have been invited to be there to show their vehicles.

So, you see that church at Southwest is more than Sunday services.  It is a set of relationships “to make Jesus famous.”  And, Ricky Jenkins, though he would not want personal credit, deserves much of it, though, if he saw this post, he would direct the credit to God.

Further, after the Sunday service, our overwhelming emotion upon leaving is joy.  We were glad we were there and want to go again.