Solidarity Newsletter- April 2010

The Perfect OrganizationBy Tommy Nixon, Executive Director  

This week I will be having a meeting with five lead pastors from some of our church partners.  We will sit down and discuss an amazing opportunity that God has presented to us.  If you have followed California news recently, you know that the education system took a large budget cut, forcing many school districts (including Fullerton) to cut their summer school programs.  In the neighborhoods that we work and reside in, what happens to students when they do not have anything positive to do?  What happens when the economy crashes and people cannot work?  Most likely, crime goes up, kids join gangs and decisions are made that affect the rest of a person’s life. Many times as the Executive Director, I sit down and try to come up with solutions to complex social issues that we face with our friends and neighbors.  Recently I began making a list of the “perfect organization” as a way of improving Solidarity.  With no boundaries, I started writing questions.  What if there was an organization that had enough money and volunteers to mentor all the at-risk youth of Fullerton?  What if there was an organization that had volunteers who would give their lives to the cause of that organization, work harder, work longer and for free?  What if there was an organization that had the volunteers and resources to end homelessness?  To adopt every orphan?  Or to replace entire welfare systems?  As I continued with this line of questioning it hit me- there is an organization that could do all that.  It just doesn’t fully do what it says it believes.  That organization is the Church. Solidarity empowers believers to be dynamic followers of Christ whose lifestyles marked by love will impact communities towards holistic transformation.  If you haven’t picked up on it yet, we are all about the Church and helping it do what it says it believes.  We do that first and foremost by trying to live out Christ’s teachings ourselves and then helping others with the process we ourselves have gone through.  We believe you can’t go deep with Jesus unless you participate in His Kingdom.  We give believers a context to join in the Kingdom and help them articulate what God is doing in and through them. The reason I am so excited for this meeting is because God has provided five additional bodies of believers that understand this concept well.  So when I am sitting in a meeting with city officials present and I hear that there will be thousands of students in need of something to replace summer school, it hits me that it is the perfect opportunity for the Church to rise up and live out its beliefs that will in turn benefit the city of Fullerton.  God is birthing this idea of the Church of the City, where the unique members of the body of Christ can come together surrounding the same mission.  We will be in three distinct neighborhoods this summer for seven weeks, creating contexts for relationships so that the Church may learn what it means to love your neighbor as yourself.  Join with us this summer as we fill the gap for the students of Fullerton, pray that the Church will answer the call in force and support the work God is doing through Solidarity by sending us the resources God has blessed you with. This is just the beginning. I can’t wait to see what God will do next. If you are interested in being a part of what God will do this summer, please contact Tommy Nixon at: our This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Our Children ProjectBy Bethany Anderson, Garnet Initiative Co-Director  

When I think about where my life is, what I have experienced through my time at Solidarity and how blessed I am to be a part of this community, I am overwhelmed.  It is not every day that you get to be a member of a staff team that allows the individual to grow, develop and even change their role as the Spirit leads.  In January, my husband Matt and I stepped into the roles of Garnet Initiative Directors which allowed us to focus on the neighborhood we have both called home for close to five years.  Now, I am blessed to have been lead to a new opportunity for me to live out my passion of loving abandoned and oppressed youth.  For the last year, CLUE Orange County (www.clueca.org) and Solidarity have been working to launch the Our Children Project that will allow the Church in Orange County to engage in relationship with youth from an Immigration Detention Center right here in Fullerton.  This shelter is home to 60 youth, ages 5-18, who were caught attempting to flee their home countries and find a better life here in the United States.  These are children who were abandoned, abused, or forced to leave their home to provide for their families and were apprehended at some point as they entered our country.  They are placed in these detention centers as their futures are decided by the Immigration court system.  Although the issue of immigration is a controversial one, the fact is these youth are here, in our backyard, and they are in need of the love of Jesus Christ.  I am excited to come on board with the Our Children Project as the Program Coordinator and begin to foster relationships with these children while helping other Christians do the same.  Solidarity will receive funding for me to have this position on a part-time basis and I will continue to serve alongside Matt as the Garnet Initiative Co-Director part-time as well.  I am truly thankful to continue my participation with Solidarity through this unique opportunity and am excited to share what God does through the Our Children Project with all of you.  If you are interested in being a part of the Our Children Project, please contact our Bethany Anderson at: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  

Supporting SolidarityThere are many different ways people can be a part of the transformation that God is doing in our neighborhoods, including monetary giving.  Your tax-deductible gift will provide alternatives to gangs for our elementary-aged kids this school year, will help further the chance to take our pregnant teens to local parenting classes, will continue helping neighbors dream big for their neighborhoods, and will further God's work in our communities in many other ways.  We welcome one-time gifts and monthly commitments- should you choose to give monthly, contact our offices and we’ll send you a packet with all you need for your monthly support.  We have three easy ways for you to give:

Electronically:Give directly from our website using Google Checkout, a quick and safe way to give a one-time gift using your credit card.

Monthly Credit Card:Solidarity now has an easy and convenient way to give monthly- set up your donation using your credit card, and we’ll do the rest.  No more envelopes and remembering each month.  On the specific date you choose and with your permission, Solidarity will securely charge your card for your specified monthly donation.  We’ll send you a receipt for the charge and that’s it!  If you’re interested, contact Bethany Anderson at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 714) 924-4186 and she’ll get you set up.

Mail: 
Solidarity
PO Box 220
Placentia, CA  92871