“We aren’t meant to live for ourselves. Every one of us has something to offer to someone in need, whether it’s a relationship, a skill, a smile. God blesses us so we can bless other people,” explained Laurie Beshore, a Newport Beach resident and author of “Love Without Walls,” which will be released next Tuesday, June 5.
“I think the biggest need for anyone is to know how much God loves them; to know that He sees them and cares for them beyond what they can understand. As followers of Jesus, we demonstrate that love by helping those who need it. We can meet practical needs – provide food or clothing or job training – but I think more importantly, we can walk beside people in their pain or loss, maybe they’ll get a little glimpse of God’s love for them.”
Laurie is the pastor of outreach at Mariners Church, where her husband, Kenton, has been the senior pastor for 28 years. Twenty-five years ago, Laurie and a handful of passionate volunteers started a small ministry to serve those in need in Orange County and beyond. Mariners Church grew over the years, and today is one of the largest churches in Southern California, attracting upwards of 10,000 people weekly on three separate campuses.
As Mariners expanded, so did its many ministries, and today Mariners operates several local outreach programs, involving thousands of volunteers and leaders. In addition, Mariners works with churches in Mexico, Haiti, Uganda, Kenya, China, and Egypt that share a common vision for reaching their respective communities.
Laurie seems to have been born with a heart that beats to help others.
“My heart has always been drawn to the poor, because I realized how truly impoverished I am without God’s gift of grace through Jesus,” Laurie said. “Jesus sought out opportunities to serve those in need. Considering where we live and how busy we are, I think it’s easy to forget about the marginalized and the poor. But when we do, we suffer a greater poverty of spirit.”
Laurie wrote “Love Without Walls” to help faith-based as well as secular organizations become a helpful resource for their communities. It is filled with practical teachings and transferable principles for churches and ministries of all sizes and styles.
“’Love Without Walls’ certainly isn’t my story – it’s God’s story of using all of us to do something far greater than we could ever do ourselves,” Laurie explained. “It’s also a story that has taken 25 years to tell. One of my goals in writing the book was to include many of the mistakes we made along the way to help a new generation of church leaders trying to serve communities that are skeptical, if not outright suspicious, of the intentions of the 21st century church.”
Laurie thinks people may be suspicious because they don’t want to simply accept a system of beliefs without action.
“That’s why serving is such a great opportunity to engage the next generation; it’s all about experiencing God and His love for people,” Laurie said. “I think the church will only be relevant to the degree that it knows its people, and the only way to truly know people is to listen to them, reach out to them, be part of their lives, and help them know the love of God. Programs and productions are only effective when real relationships are in the mix.”
“It’s important to understand that anyone can help someone in need at any time,” Laurie continued. “You don’t have to have a committee and lots of meetings and a big plan. Just go out and do it! If you see a need, that’s God whispering in your ear. He has equipped us all to help people around us, even in little ways.
“And I’ve learned it’s mostly through relationships that we can meet needs. Take time to understand someone in need. Really listen to what they say and be open to how God can use you to meet their practical and relational needs. I know the needs of this world are overwhelming. We sometimes don’t know where to start. Just do for one person what you want to do for many people. I can’t change the whole world, but I can change one world.”
Laurie and Kenton love spending time with their four children, daughter-in-law and three grandchildren. “Love Without Walls” will be released June 5 at Christian and major bookstores, and on Amazon, ebook and Kindle. The book is also available at Mariners Church Global Bookstore, where all proceeds go toward the church’s outreach programs.
For further information, go to www.marinerschurch.org. Cindy can be reached at cindy@newportbeachindy.com.
