"Our goal is to bring our neighborhood together as we share the love of Christ," says Pastor Nick Wirtz of Highland Park Lutheran Church in Los Angeles, California. This year was their fourth annual Street Fair. There was music, free food, a moonwalk, and local vendors. The city of Los Angeles provided all the tables, chairs, tents, moonwalk and the permits to close the street for the day, all for free. The neighbors, local businesses and church provided the food.

Pastor Wirtz has developed wonderful relationships throughout the neighborhood and the congregation is serving in their community. The vision of the English District is for congregations to be Serving in their community - Connecting with the unchurched and dechurched - Growing in faith and numbers - Reproducing by planting new congregations.

Three women at Highland Park Lutheran Church, with the support of Pastor Wirtz, started a summer program for children on Monday through Thursday from 12 noon until 4 p.m. Maggie Godoy, Aida Sunsin and Gabrielle Solis are leading the children in crafts and games, providing guitar and dance lessons and most importantly sharing the good news of Jesus. The congregation and the parents of the children hope that the program, which targets kids at risk for gang recruitment, can continue as a year-round resource and outreach to neighborhood families.

The street fair was an amazing day filled with a variety of music which included Pastor Wirtz jamming on the guitar and the praise band from Sherman Oaks Lutheran Church sharing the message of Jesus.

The best part was later in the afternoon when a woman from the neighborhood addressed the crowd, "Look at what this church is doing! They care about all of us here. All of you with your life on the streets and your gang banging, we have a church that wants to help us with our lives. Let's make the church the center of our neighborhood!"