JOE: Well, it's another exciting day here in downtown Los
Angeles. Fred Jordan Mission's the corner of 5th Street and
Towne. The Mission's right behind me, families, kids
coming through. Hey kids, what's happening? Good to see you. Did
you get some nice stuff? Alright, you got some
shoes, you got some cool haircuts, all kinds
of things. Well, thanks for coming. God bless you.
BOY: We're going in the movie theater now?
JOE: Oh yeah. Alright, well you guys have a blessed day. God
bless you parents. See you later. Thanks for coming.
Alright, see you. Man, what a day. Just kids and families, God
bless you guys. Coming through the Fred Jordan Mission. You
know I wanted to talk to you today about something really
near and dear to my heart. It's what we're doing today. We're
reaching out and I wanted to share with you how we reach out
to those in need, whether they're poor or needy, whether
they're hungry or homeless, whether they're helpless or
hurting or just hopeless. We serve the hope of Jesus every
day declaring and demonstrating the love of Jesus here on Skid
Row, block by block, tent by tent, child by child, family by
family, and city to city, wherever God calls us because we
are called to reach out in His name and that's what we've been
doing since 1944. Precious little children are coming
through and they've all been blessed. Shoes, socks, clothes.
God bless you guys, and it's all made possible because of friends
like you because you help us to reach out. And that's what we've
been doing since 1944. We couldn't do it without you, but
I want to talk to you today and encourage you to say you don't
have to just only watch what we do, but you can actually come
and be a part of what we do. If you look behind me, all those in
green and blue, and then you see Foot Lockers stripers here. We
have so many volunteers, I think around 300 today who are here
working with us, declaring and demonstrating God's love, being
in the hands and feet of Jesus and we're excited about that.
We're excited because the same vision that started in 1944 is
clear today that we will continue to show and demonstrate
God's love, that we'll continue to share the gospel message that
Jesus saves, that Jesus delivers, that Jesus forgives if
you would place your faith and trust in Him. We've seen over
here where kids and families, moms and dads, by the dozens and
dozens and dozens have raised their hand to say yes to Jesus
and that free gift, there's nothing better than to see
someone who was lost and hopeless, that had no hope of a
future find Jesus as their Lord and Savior and it's because we
reach out. Too many times and I can tell you for myself
throughout my teens and when I played football in college, it
was very self-centered. It was all about me. I've said it
before, and you know what? That's just how we're born in
the flesh. We think about us, we think about what do I want? What
do I want to do? How do I want to handle things? What do I want
out of life? But growing up with Fred and Willie Jordan and
coming here to Skid Row, since really I was a couple of weeks
old, I learned how to give. I learned how to reach out instead
of just reaching in and dealing with what I wanted, looking at
the needs, having compassion and having a heart for the poor and
those less fortunate. And that's what we continue to do at Fred
Jordan Mission to share hope. Jesus, the hope of the world.
And as we see these kids and families come to know Jesus, it
really touches my heart because I know that the Bible says that
we were once lost, but now we can be found in Jesus. We were
once blind, but now we can see if we receive Jesus and we know
from God's Word that he came to seek and to save that which was
lost. That history, that calling of Fred Jordan Missions is
something that came from the scripture. It came from the
Bible. It came from watching Jesus' life. You know Jesus went
out and not only did He die on the cross, but prior to dying on
the cross for our sins, He went out and reached the poor. He fed
the needy, the hungry. He cleansed the leper. He healed
the blind, gave sight to the blind. He healed the sick. He
even raised the dead. Jesus can do anything because He is God,
and we're so grateful because He created us and made a way for us
to have a right relationship with Him because of what he did
on the cross when He died and shed His blood and sharing that
as we reach out to so many kids and families, thousands and
thousands of them and all of our homeless and unhoused guests
that live on these streets every single day, they have no place
really to lay their head. They have no place. Hey kids, come on
through. Come on through. Everything's good. God bless
you. God bless you. Good to see you guys. God bless you. So many
kids and families just coming through by the hundreds and
hundreds and hundreds because you partner with us. God bless
you. You're welcome. But you know what? Jesus provided a way
for eternal life through His blood, but He also took care of
the physical needs of those in need in His day. So we want to
feed and clothe. We want to wrap a blanket around those who are
cold. We put clothes on the naked every day here at Fred
Jordan Missions. They're all our guests and you help make it
possible. The vision is clear, it continues. It came with my
father in 44 when my father heard from God to come here. It
was transferred and blessed over to my mom when God called her to
pick up the baton and the reigns when my dad passed away and then
it was passed on to me. God called me specifically to come
back to Fred Jordan Missions and lead this ministry. And it's the
greatest joy of my life knowing that all of these families, all
of these kids come on through everybody, they're all blessed
and they all get so much. God bless you. You're welcome. God
bless you. All these thanks. All these families, these moms and
dads, they don't take it for granted. They're grateful. They
keep saying thank you, thank you, thank you. But I want you
to know that without you, our partners, without you, our
viewers, we couldn't reach out on our own. So today I want to
encourage you to bless the little children, to bless the
families. And every time someone says thank you, I want you to
know it's for you too. You who give sacrificially you, who
provide hope through your giving, through your prayers,
continue to stand with us. And in just a second, I'm going to
share with about 300 volunteers who are going to help today to
make this all possible. I'm going to share with them how
they can make a difference. And I want to encourage you too with
this short message of how you can continue or you can
start making a difference in a life and a soul. If
we'll just follow God's calling, stay tuned.
ANNOUNCER: It's that time of year as school bells ring across
the nation with kids of all ages, ready to go back to
school, wearing brand new clothes, tennis shoes,
backpacks, a fresh haircut and smiles from ear to ear. However,
consider the contrast with the kids in those communities
affected by poverty that have no other options, no choices, but
to wear the hand-me-downs, the torn clothes, the shoes that are
too small or too big and dirty. Or cradling, a paper bag used to
carry their school supplies. Fred Jordan Missions looks to
change that for kids. Headed back to school once again this
year at the annual Back to School Extravaganza. It's truly
a party on Skid Row and we need your help to throw it. As FJM
gives hundreds of brand new shoes from the Foot Locker,
fresh, clean, new clothes, new backpacks, and new school
supplies, and yes, even haircuts to the kids of Skid Row and the
surrounding areas. \We love the huge smiles and big hugs and
even the tears of joy as precious kids pick out new shiny
shoes, stock up on needed school supplies and even a brand new
backpack. We invite you to be a part of this party and support
this event with the financial gift. Great or small, your best
gift will make a difference in the life of a child heading back
to school. To give safe and secure online, go to fjm.org or
send a check to FJM Box 12345, Covina, California 91722. Do it
now while it's on your heart. All gifts, no matter what the
size are so needed and greatly appreciated.
JOE: Fred Jordan Missions this building, this corner, these two
streets have been here and my family's been leading this
ministry since 1944 and it's just such a blessing. 80 years
of serving Skid Row, 80 years of serving Los Angeles, our
community, our city, the city of angels. And it was for one
reason, my father was called in 1944 by God to come here to
serve the least of these, to serve those that were outcast by
their families or society. Those who had lost their way, whether
it was drugs or alcohol or just some mishap in their life. A bad
decision. You guys, you all know it doesn't take much to hit rock
bottom. And my father had a passion, a calling and a burden
in his heart and life to spend his life caring for those who no
one else seemed to want to care for. And that's God's heart for
all of us. The Bible says we're all lost, but it also says that
we can all be found and who do we want to be found by? Our
creator God. And he made a way for us all. And that's what we
share with every man, woman, and child that come today. Those who
live on the streets, our guests that come through our doors and
we feed every day. We let them know there's a God in heaven
that loves you. And how do we know that? Because the Bible
says God is love. And also when you hear God is love, you see it
demonstrated with God out of His love, sent Jesus to die for all
of our sins and all we have to do is believe and receive and we
can be forgiven of our sins and have eternal life and not have
to worry about all the chaos in this world. But you know what?
Today we have an opportunity. We have an opportunity today as
volunteers, as those who have come together in this great
city, this great day to bless those little children that are
in need. The Bible says in Matthew that if you do it unto
the least of these my brothers, you've done it for me. Well
today we get to do it to the least of these. We get to bless
the little children. So many times in the Bible, and again I
won't preach, but in the Bible it talks about Jesus wanting to
bless the little children and the disciples and Peter and Paul
and all the rest are like, Hey Jesus, you don't have time for
those kids. Let's deal with the adults and the people in power.
And Jesus said, bring the little children to me. That's what
we're doing today. We're going to bring the little children to
Fred Jordan Mission. And because of our partnership and so
grateful to Footlocker, you guys are awesome. I don't know how
many years, I don't know exact count, but I know that I've been
at this street and event 35 years personally and Foot
Locker's been a part of it. I think we're getting closer to
40, but whatever it is, I just know this, the partnership with
you of putting shoes on children's feet, socks on
children's feet have made a world of difference. There's one
family now that lives in Miami and New York and they got on
social media lately and texted me and dmd me and they said,
Joe, you will never know how my life, my children's life have
been changed because I came to Fred Jordan Mission in the 80's
and 90's and I got those shoes, those Jordans and you know what
we call 'em in our family, the Jesus Jordans that changed our
life because of Fred Jordan Mission and Foot Locker. Our
lives are different. The Jesus Jordans. Today in Jesus' name,
we're going to give out everything, Jordans, Nikes,
whatever's there. And these kids are going to be blessed. I hope
one thing before you leave here today, I hope that each and
every one of you leave here with a little more compassion in your
heart, a little more empathy in your life when you drive by and
you see those who are hurting. Yes, there are people on drugs,
there are people that are just wasted. There are people who
have illnesses and they're just lost on these streets. We drive
by it no matter where we go. You go to Santa Monica, you can go
to Venice, you go to Newport Beach, you can go to Covina
where I grew up. You can go to Riverside. There's people all
over our city and all over our state that are just lost and
hurting. My prayer for you is that you leave, with just a
little bit more inside of you that says, wow, together we can
make a difference in people's lives. Because I promise you
this, whether we feed a meal to a homeless person later today or
on Monday or Tuesday, someone comes for a pair of shoes or an
adult that's just lost, comes for a blanket because they're
cold. It makes a difference, and I know this with all my heart, I
can do a good thing. You can do a good thing, you can do a good
thing. All of you can do a good thing. But I promise you this
together, if we unite, we can do extraordinary things to change
our community and the lives of those who are hurting in our
city. So today, my prayer for you is that you would just know
that we are being the hands and feet of Jesus, that you would
know that God's love is here, His protection is here, and He
is going to touch boys and girls, moms and dads. And most
of all, I believe He's going to touch all of you and all of us
because after almost 60 years now of life, for me, I've
learned this. It is so much better to give than to receive
and don't get me wrong, I love a good gift, but I love giving
gifts. And today with Footlocker, Paul Mitchell, all
of our great churches, all of you volunteers, we are going to
give love, God's love on these streets. And they're not going
to be so mean. They're not going to be so hard. Today is going to
be a day that God's going to bring peace to these streets and
bless the little children. Let's pray. Our Heavenly Father, we
thank you for this opportunity to be your hands and feet. We
thank you for the opportunity to partner again with Footlocker,
our great partners. We thank you for them. We thank you for
everybody from corporate and the highest levels all the way down
to those who distribute the shoes to the stores, to the dms,
to the store managers, to those first time stripers that are
here. God, we love the stripers and we thank you that the
stripers are here on the streets of Skid Row with us. And God, I
just know if you are walking the earth, not just in us, but if
you were walking the earth today, this is where you would
be blessing the little children. So thank you for that, for all
the haircuts and Paul Mitchell and just that great relationship
that we have with them, their willingness to come and just
serve and just brighten up children's lives by all that
they do. Or coming to our other events and cutting men's hair
and women's hair. And some people haven't had their hair
cut in years, and yet they have a professional stylist that come
here. Thank you for their heart and the leadership that backs
this. And for every church and every ministry and every
volunteer that's here, bless them abundantly. And again, we
just thank you because this is the day that the Lord has made
and we will rejoice and be glad in it. Thank you for the
beautiful weather. Thank you for the protection. And again,
I thank you for every single person who has come
together to make this happen. Lord, pour out your
Spirit and bless the little children today. Amen.
ANNOUNCER: It's that time of year as school bells ring across
the nation with kids of all ages, ready to go back to
school, wearing brand new clothes, tennis shoes,
backpacks, a fresh haircut and smiles from ear to ear. However,
consider the contrast with the kids in those communities
affected by poverty that have no other options, no choices, but
to wear the hand-me-downs, the torn clothes, the shoes that are
too small or too big and dirty. Or cradling, a paper bag used to
carry their school supplies. Fred Jordan Missions looks to
change that for kids. Headed back to school once again this
year at the annual Back to School Extravaganza. It's truly
a party on Skid Row and we need your help to throw it. As FJM
gives hundreds of brand new shoes from the Foot Locker,
fresh, clean, new clothes, new backpacks, and new school
supplies, and yes, even haircuts to the kids of Skid Row and the
surrounding areas. \We love the huge smiles and big hugs and
even the tears of joy as precious kids pick out new shiny
shoes, stock up on needed school supplies and even a brand new
backpack. We invite you to be a part of this party and support
this event with the financial gift. Great or small, your best
gift will make a difference in the life of a child heading back
to school. To give safe and secure online, go to fjm.org or
send a check to FJM Box 12345, Covina, California 91722. Do it
now while it's on your heart. All gifts, no matter what the
size are so needed and greatly appreciated.
JOE: Remember, the Bible says, greater is he who is in me than
he that is in the world. We already know Jesus wins the war,
so let's keep preaching Jesus and let's keep fighting against
the enemy that is here to seek and kill and destroy people's
lives. Our prayer for you is that you grow deeper in your
faith of Jesus, in your walk with Jesus as you continue to
walk through this life, that your compassion in your heart
and not only your compassion, but just your desire to reach
out to those less fortunate will grow. Jesus met the needs of the
poor. It's not for a guilt trip. I'm not here to give you a guilt
trip, but think about how blessed and fortunate most of us
are, and I encourage you to do whatever you can to be a part,
even through Fred Jordan Mission of being the hands and feet of
Jesus by supporting this ministry. We pray that your
hearts will be filled today as we share and demonstrate God's
love. And with your partnership, with your continued partnership
or your new partnership, we will reach out to meet the growing
needs of those who are poor and needy in our community because
your support helps make it happen. See all these kids
coming through, all these families coming through, they're
so grateful. So again, from Fred Jordan Mission, from the Jordan
family, thank you for all you do to help us to reach out
to the hurting, the hopeless, the helpless,
with the name of Jesus. God bless you.
ANNOUNCER: FJM Mission has been giving hope to those on Skid Row
for over 80 years. And we need your help to continue declaring
and demonstrating the love of God. Donate right now online
at fjm.org or if a stamp and snail mail is more
your style, then please send your check to FJM
12345 Covina, California 91722. Thank you.
FEMALE: (Singing) We will overcome this sorrow. We
will see the dawn tomorrow. We will soldier on down this
road, as we reach for hope, reach for hope.
ANNOUNCER: Please will you join us in feeding hungry children
and their families by phoning today, 844-FJM-Food or
donating online fjm.org. That's fjm.org or mail your
check to Fred Jordan Mission, PO Box 12345,
Covina, California 91722. Please will you help?
FEMALE: (Singing) Reach for hope.
ANNOUNCER: The preceding program was sponsored by generous
friends and partners of Fred Jordan Missions.