JAMES AND LIZ DELARATO / JUNE 24TH, 2013
WE MOVED…
We moved to San Francisco six months ago for three main reasons. First, after living in Arizona for most of our lives, we consistently felt a burden to relocate to a major North American city and San Francisco was on a short list for us. There were multiple factors that went into our choice of SF, with the near-perfect weather definitely holding sway. Continuing the pursuit of a master’s degree at Golden Gate Seminary was the second reason for our relocation to SF. Lastly, we moved here in order to help plant Redemption in any way we could and to learn about church planting in the process. As we seek out the Lord’s will for us in his Kingdom work, we are continually reminded of how important this move has been toward that goal.
WHAT WE LOVE ABOUT THE SUNSET…
What we love about the Sunset is the constant challenge it is for us to live in a culturally unfamiliar environment. Living in the Sunset epitomizes the reason why we wanted to live in an urban center; our diverse yet predominantly Chinese neighborhood serves to transform our perception of how to apply the gospel message cross-culturally. We are also ecstatic about the beach being a few blocks away, Golden Gate Park being even closer, and the ridiculous amount of coffee shops and restaurants in walking distance!
SOMETHING WE’VE LEARNED…
Something we’ve learned about living here, besides the fact that one is constantly at war with the City regarding parking tickets, is that San Franciscans are quite open and receptive to meeting new people. The communal nature of a city with nearly 900,000 people living within 47 square-miles contrives an almost small-town feel. This is even more evident when you get down to the neighborhoods and districts that comprise every inch of the geography; subcultures are well-defined in the City by the Bay. This allows the community of the church to fit right in as another subculture, yet comparatively different regarding values and mission.
OUR VISION AND PRAYER…
Our vision and prayer is to see relationships grow, truth to be wrestled with, and grace to be applied to as many as possible in this neighborhood. We pray that as we connect and unite with other Christians in our community we would exude love, for as Jesus commands, “just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
