NavVida Leadership Summit in Los Angeles
Praise God for a product time in our leadership meetings. The Lord met us and gave clear Vision to the future of the work. The Harvest is truly plentiful but the Laborers are few. During this time we ask God for laborers to be sent out to the harvest field. Thanks for your prayers for us during this time.

Alex

(Left to right in picture) Cesar Vega Miami, FL. Paul Reynoso San Antonio, Tx. Kathy Barta Los Angeles, CA. Alex Mata Los Angeles, CA. Jose Lamberty San Antonio, Tx.

DOWNLOAD THE APRIL 2008 NEWSLETTER HERE

These are teens who are serving Thanksgiving
dinners at a local restaurant named “Mario Tacos”
I am very encouraged 3 of these teens are coming to church
 with me as a result of the PRIDE program. Please continue to
pray for us in ministry. Thanks Alex Mata

PRIDE mentors are people from the local churches in the area
 who want to serve families and teens who are need of support.
This is our first Christmas banquet for PRIDE mentors. This is a result
 of your prayers for this ministry. Thanks for all your support.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
In Christ, Alex Mata

Watcha Gonna Do on Halloween?
by Whodatman Barbanegra
There’s always plenty of neo-evangelical advice when it comes topics like Halloween. Some are convinced if everyone just ignored the holiday, it would eventually disappear. But to our dismay and surprise, Halloween is here to stay and burying our heads in the sand won’t make it go away. What can we then  do?

The first choice is too obvious. Yeah, yeah, don’t participate in anything associated with Halloween. Lock your front door, turn out the light and act as if no one is home when trick-or-treaters come through your neighborhood... puts  sign on her front door that reads: “Our family does not participate in Halloween. Have a safe return home. God bless you and Goodbye.” Say What? READ MORE

October 2007 Newsletter
Dear Ministry Partners...
This coming January 1st 2008 will be my five year anniversary of ministry with the Navigators. As they say, “time flies by when you’re having fun” Praise God!

Faithfulness
I would like to share with you how your faithfulness to the Lord in this ministry through your prayers and financial support have allowed us to be able to make advancements in the East Los Angeles region. I have enclosed a couple of articles that show how our involvement in the PRIDE program is allowing us to meet with people at the grass roots of ministry. READ MORE

PRIDE Teens and Families

A Better Prayer Life
"And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer,
believing, ye shall receive." Matthew 21:22

Despite... how much effort you put into praying, God may not answer your prayers at all if you approach Him in the wrong way. But if you come to God in the right way, your prayers will be heard in heaven.

Become the kind of person to whom God listens.
Realize that God doesn’t answer prayers; He answers people who pray. Understand the three types of people mentioned in the Bible to whom God refuses to listen: those who refuse to repent of their sin, those who try to manipulate Him in prayer, and those who are double-minded. Make sure you’ve confessed and repented of the sins of which you’re aware, that your motives for praying are pure, and that you’re living with integrity and passion for God as your top priority... READ MORE

Letters from our people...
May 23, 2007
Dear Sheriff Baca and Captain Rothans,
I am an eight grade RSP teacher at Rivera Middle School. Gabriel Palafox, one of my students, is participating in the Pride Program. Gabriel asked me to write this letter to you to let you know what an impact the program has had on him. As the teacher who spends the most time with Gabriel, I am able to testify first hand to what degree his behavior, motivation and self image has changed since... READ MORE

Launching a New Ministry
Dear Ministry Partners...
Have you ever experienced a launch date of a project in the work place? The anticipation is exhilarating; you can’t wait to see what is going to happen.

When I worked at Boeing building planes, I saw thousands of aircraft start at nothing and later saw them arrive at their launch dates. I also had the privilege of seeing them fly for the very first time.

This has been my experience in ministry this year as I have seen the launch of new ministries. I was thrilled and blessed to see the PRIDE program with the Los Angeles Sheriff Department take off. It is a new ministry that was launched this past spring. It has received much attention from with the City of Pico Rivera. I have enclosed a letter from a participant’s teacher testifying to the impact this new ministry is having in the lives of these young people. The next session will be in the fall as we continue to work with these teens and families through out the summer. READ MORE

Pico Rivera Individual Development in Ethics Program for youth at risk.
(Sponsored by the Los Angeles Sheriff Department Clergy Council of Pico Rivera Station)
A community approach to a serious problem
Pico Rivera Individual Development in Ethics Program (PRIDE) already has parents clamoring to enroll their children. The Rotary Club of Pico Rivera fully funded the first 9-week session. The program targets teens between the ages of 12 and 15 who have "dabbled in drugs and graffiti" but are not actual gang members yet. This program started with no funds. As a clergy council with the Los Angeles Sheriff Department in Pico Rivera under the leadership of Capt. Mike Rothans, Sgt. Steve Sanchez and Clergy Team Leader Alex Mata. The Clergy Council has identified a real need in our community by actively engaging with our Sheriff station through ride alongs and community events in the city of Pico Rivera. READ MORE

Can You Get Peace in Times of Distress?
by Whodatman
When the hour is dark, when the situation is desperate, when we are humbled and brought very low, we finally begin looking and longing for God’s peace. Trembling, we grope through the darkness, longing to know that all will be well. When the angel of Jehovah appeared to Gideon (Judges 6), he was crouching in the dark confines of a winepress, threshing wheat in secret to protect it — and himself — from the Midianite invaders. This was not a new way to thresh grain, it was cowardice. Listen to how the angel of the Lord addresses... READ MORE

At-risk youths find inner PRIDE
By Pam Wight
PICO RIVERA - Towering over the 22 middle school children clamoring around him, two-time Super Bowl winning team member James Washington patiently signed each football eagerly shoved his way.

The former Dallas Cowboys defensive back was at the sheriff's Pico Rivera Station this weeknight to volunteer in the new gang prevention program nicknamed PRIDE - a "scared straight"-style approach that also focuses on presenting positive alternatives to kids. READ MORE

Advisory

Pew Hispanic Center and Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life Release “Changing Faiths: Latinos and the Transformation of American Religion”
Landmark survey documents distinctive religious practices among fast-growing population and explores how the religious beliefs of Latinos affect their political thinking

WASHINGTON – April 25, 2007 – Hispanics are transforming the nation's religious landscape, especially the Roman Catholic Church, not only because of their growing numbers but also because they are practicing a distinctive form of Christianity. A study released today by the Pew Hispanic Center and the Forum on Religion & Public Life explores the distinctive characteristics of Hispanics' religious beliefs and practices, and examines how these are related to the political views of Latinos of all faiths. READ MORE

Article from Local Newspaper “Whittier Daily News”
Sheriff's program targets youths
By Araceli Esparza Staff Writer
PICO RIVERA - Sheriff's officials in Pico Rivera are counting on a pilot program that debuted Tuesday to rescue youngsters teetering on the edge of falling in with gangs and drug users. Pico Rivera Individual Development in Ethics - PRIDE - targets middle school students who are not in gangs and not yet heavily involved in crime but may have had some run-ins with the law, such as being arrested for graffiti or drug use, organizers said. READ MORE

Our P.R.I.D.E. Team
You ask what is P.R.I.D.E.mean? It means Pico Rivera Individual Development in Ethics.

This a Youth at Risk Program for troubled youth:
Our team will provide a 9 week program for families in need of intervention for their teens, the program focus will be with youth 12-14 years of age. This program will be designed to help families steer their son or daughter into understanding that the choices they are making now in life, will lead them down a path to success or our failure.

Our Goal:
To assist families in crisis with their adolescents before they lose control of their child and to help change a negative direction in the youth’s life for one that gives them hope for the future. Through a combine series of outings and sessions we will work with the teens and families starting April the 3rd at 4pm at the Pico Rivera Sheriff Station this will be our first of 9 sessions that will go until the end of May. Please pray that God would be glorified in this effort to serve our community in this outreach program. My prayer is that Christ would shine through my life and draw others to himself.

Thank you for your prayers and support.
In Christ, Alex Mata

God answers your prayers!

You are looking at the Rio Hondo Collegiate team that has answered the call to reach young Hispanics. After much prayer and conversations, God has confirmed in the hearts of Ismael Aguirre and Carlos Ortiz to launch and establish this campus ministry in August of 2007. (photo from left to right Joe Maschhoff, Carlos Ortiz, Alex Mata, and Ismael Aguirre.)

In a true partnership with the Collegiate Mission and the Spectrum Mission of the Navigators, together Joe and I will resource and support this work as Regional Leaders. Please for the pray that God would continue to hold these doors open for this team. You ask why this campus? We need to impact young people with the call of Jesus and see the next generation reached for Christ. I am thrilled to have a team that will truly minister in an area of great need in our Community. Praise God!
In Christ, Alex Mata

Life or Death
As I arrived on the scene of this tragic accident, I could not help but say a quick prayer as I saw one teen laying on the pavement bleeding from head trauma and two other teens trapped in the front seat of the upside down car. READ MORE

SPECTRUM
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We in SPECTRUM (formerly called the United Ethnic Mission) are in an exciting state of change. Times like these can be a little unsettling, but I wanted to reassure you that God is at work in our midst, and He hasn’t forgotten to show us the way.

The SPECTRUM Leadership Team of Alex Mata, Debbie Schwartz (Asian American Ministries), Eva Johnson (Finances), Nate Atkins (Admin & HR) and myself are working hard to make these days of transition as smooth as possible. In order to do that, I wanted to outline some of the changes that have been going on ... READ MORE

INSPIRATIONAL
Get Anger under Control
by Nancy McGill
"James 1:19-20 Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires."

Learning to control anger is a crucial life lesson – one that we need to master and pass on to our children. Up until my young adult years, I had a huge temper. It took very little to make me furious. In moments of anger, I would slam doors, hurl various objects across the room and yell a lot! I don’t remember anyone telling me what to do with my anger – until I surrendered my heart to God. And believe me, He had plenty to say about it in His Word... READ MORE

Praise God for His faithfulness!
After two and half years of continue study I have graduated from CHET with a “Certificate as a Family Counselor”. This is a Bible institute that is affiliated with North Park University & Theological Seminary, Chicago, IL. This achievement is from the Lord.

It has been a wonderful journey to experience how God has brought me through this path of learning. I am very grateful to my family and ministry partners who have been a key to my success in completed this Family Counseling Certificate Program. Please pray that I would bring glory to our Lord as I will be able to use this skill to help families to come to know Christ and make Him know for generations to come.
In Christ, Alex Mata
Certificated Family Counselor, CHET

Read our archives 2006

Planting the Gospel seed in the Community

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PRAY for me:
That God would keep the doors open for us as we minister with the Sheriff department in serving our community.
Wisdom and insight as we begin to develop and launch this program into the community.
Proctection as we the clergy begin our ride alongs with the deputies. As we sow the seeds of the Gospel into the community I realize you are very much a part of this effort. Thank you, for walking with us in prayer and financial support.

We can not do this ministry alone.
In Christ, Alex Mata
 email: losmata@verizon.net