A least three times a year the Lakewood Church Network meets for a lunch meeting. The lunch is designed to provide food, fellowship and focus on information pertinent to leveraging our churches to improve the community in some way. February 22 the Lakewood Church Network lunch was hosted by the Wednesday class at Lakewood Church of Christ. The meal was incredible, the fellowship energized and the presentation powerful!

Presenting to the faith leaders, nonprofit directors and citizens assembled that day was new Lakewood Police Chief, Dan McCasky. Dan introduced himself to the audience then spent 30 minutes offering connection and partnership plans so the faith community can better serve the city in partnership with law enforcement. Police ride-alongs, participation in safety summits, partnership serving the homeless, keeping dialogue open with neighbors to improve the connectivity of our neighborhoods…safety and peace is born in partnership and it’s everyone’s responsibility. It was great to feel connected to law enforcement and be invited into making our city safer.

After the lunch meeting several Christian therapists met with a group of Lakewood Church Network pastors to discuss the formation of the “Trusted Health Network” (THN). The network will be formed by and for therapists in Lakewood who will then prepare a directory of services, a list of therapists, classes, conferences and other support tools churches can use to connect strategically to therapeutic help for members or the people they serve in the community.

The directory was especially interesting for the pastors because it can be a tool for linking specific member counseling needs to the best therapist. The directory will include information on location, billing and areas of counseling expertise. All therapists listed will be referred and accepted professionally by the THN and will have reference information from churches and anonymous individuals who have enjoyed that therapists services.

The Lakewood Church Network is building networks upon networks in all areas of our world. The partnership forged in the connections between churches, public servants and therapists represents an example of how unity in one area breeds connection, partnership and unity across an entire city.