In 2021, Carlos and Amanda Campa followed their calling and launched Almacen in the South San Diego community of Barrio Logan. As ARC church plant #966, Almacen had a mission of becoming a “storehouse” for all humanity, as the Campas explained.

Their goal in planting their church with the help of ARC (Association of Related Churches) was to provide a place where God gives people what they need for their souls to be equipped, connected, whole, and empowered to make a true difference in the community.

The Campas have sought to do this by filling a significant need in their community for an ARC church that is multi-cultural — with services available in both Spanish and English — and multi-generational at the same time.

Filling a Major Void

In their South San Diego community, there was a major need for more churches before Almacen was planted in the fall of 2021. At the time, there was only one church for every 2,700 people in the city.

Since the city is half Hispanic by demographics, the Campas knew that if they wanted to reach the maximum number of people, they needed to offer services in both English and Spanish. It’s one way in which the couple worked to create unity in a place that they say often lacks it.

“Even though we’re a very diverse region, something that’s a little unique about San Diego is that it is also very fragmented. There’s not a lot of unity amongst churches,” Carlos said. “So, we see some of those needs and some of the things that break God’s heart. We don’t necessarily think that we have all the solutions, but we’re here to do our part.”

Bringing the Community Together

One thing that Amanda said has been heartwarming about their ARC church is the benefit of dual language services for families. Elderly Hispanic people in the region often speak Spanish as their primary language, yet the children in their families attend schools that speak English primarily.

“We’ve been able to see the kids come to English service, where their great grandparents get to come to Spanish service and experience the same culture, the same identity, the same mission from our church,” Amanda said.

It’s that unifying theme that has resonated among members of this congregation, which is a member of ARC (Association of Related Churches). With support from ARC, churches such as Almacen are able to unite the community in their mission.

Called to Ministry Early On

Carlos and Amanda Campa both attended Portland Bible College together. Carlos says that they both felt called into ministry during their time there.

Sometime during 2020, he explained that the couple felt it was time to take that next step and start a community congregation of their own. So, through the support of ARC (Association of Related Churches), the Campas took the chance to, as Carlos put it, “see what green lights we were getting from the Holy Spirit.”

Thanks to the support this ARC church received from the organization as a whole, it’s been able to show love to many people in the South San Diego region while pointing them toward Jesus.

About ARC (Association of Related Churches)

ARC (Association of Related Churches) is a cooperative of independent churches from different denominations, networks, and backgrounds who strategically resource church planters and pastors to help them reach people with the message of Jesus. ARC exists to see a thriving church in every community, reaching people with the message of Jesus. Since its beginning in 2000, ARC has grown into a global organization and has helped plant more than 1,000 churches.

Almost all companies today have at least dabbled into digital marketing at some point. Yet, according to marketing guru Robert Arloro, not all of them are taking full advantage of the benefits that digital marketing offers.

There are vast benefits that digital marketing can provide companies, but you have to understand how to fully harness the power of it if you want to get the most out of it.

Below are some of the key benefits of digital marketing today, and how you can use them to your advantage.

Cost Effective

Traditional marketing channels are very expensive, even today when they are used on a much less frequent basis than digital marketing. What digital marketing does is provide a chance for businesses to reach a wide audience at a much less expensive rate than traditional marketing, making it extremely cost effective.

With digital marketing, you aren’t limited to who you will reach and where you will reach them. With billboards, for example, you’re limited to a specific area — and have to hope that people see your ad when they drive by. With newspaper advertisements, you are again limited in regional scope, and have to hope someone actually picks up the paper and turns to the page where your ad is located.

Digital marketing allows you to reach customers while they’re using their mobile devices at any time of day, and wherever they are, for a fraction of the cost of traditional marketing.

Measurable

Digital activities generate a ton of data, and all that data can be fed into a platform to clearly tell you how your marketing campaign is performing. Unlike traditional marketing, you don’t have to guess whether people saw or heard about your company through an ad you ran.

You’ll be able to see in plain view how many people saw your message, when and where they saw it, if they engaged with it, and so on and so on. Not only does this allow you to see how your marketing messages are performing, it allows you to adjust on the fly if something’s not working or resonating with customers.

Legitimate

Nowadays, consumers trust companies that build up their online presence. Robert Arloro says this adds legitimacy to the company, which ultimately leads to customers feeling more comfortable purchasing from you — even if they’ve never heard of you before.

Your online presence should, at the very least, include a well-designed website and accounts on social media platforms. You can expand that to include other digital sources such as a YouTube channel or testimonials on third-party review sites.

The important thing to do is to figure out where your customers are and what they do online, and then make sure that you’re also on those places and active. It’s not enough to simply have an Instagram account if your prospective customers spend a lot of time there. You need to ensure that you are active on Instagram so that people can trust you.

About Robert Arloro

Robert Arloro is a digital marketer and marketing consultant with years of experience in the field. He currently works with businesses of all sizes to help them reach their digital marketing goals. Robert’s expertise includes SEO, social media marketing, content marketing, email marketing, and website optimization. When he’s not working, Mr. Arloro enjoys spending time with his family, playing soccer, and traveling.

Giving money as a gift may sound like a simple exercise, but it can be interpreted in different ways and maybe more or less appropriate in certain contexts. For example, you wouldn’t give your romantic partner money as a gift if you know they were expecting something personal picked out by you.

There is a certain etiquette to giving and receiving money as a gift. Let’s look at some of it now.

Don’t ask for money as a gift

If someone is asking you what you want as a gift, don’t ask for money. It should be up to them if they want to give you money, as asking for it yourself will make you seem kind of greedy. A gift is as much about gratifying the person giving it as it is for you.

Don’t discuss the amount with others

It’s impolite to discuss the amount of money given to you as a gift, as it can make others feel worse when they get a gift that is not worth as much. You don’t want people to be in an unspoken contest with one another to spend the most money.

Only protest once

If someone wants to give you money as a gift to be spontaneous or pay for dinner, then you should only try to refuse them once. If they really insist on you taking it than accept it and be gracious about it.

Don’t go broke giving money as a gift

If you are giving money as a gift, don’t give more than is appropriate. You need to be able to part with the money, so don’t sacrifice a significant amount just because you think you need to.

Don’t give money in place of a meaningful gift

A romantic partner or a family member is not the best recipient for a cash gift.

Police officers interact with the community on a daily basis. It’s part of their job, after all, to protect and to serve, according to Jennifer Knight, Deputy Police Chief in Columbus, Ohio.

Policing is a very challenging job. It requires officers to constantly interact with members of the community in what can be highly-charged instances.

At times, citizens may not be happy with how law enforcement officers treat them and file official complaints with departments as a result. It’s somewhat inevitable that this will happen, but that doesn’t mean police departments shouldn’t take complaints seriously.

One of the most effective tools to deal with civilian complaints is mediation. Below are some strategies for using mediation between law enforcement and civilians.

Let Them Be Heard

Often, civilians who file complaints want someone to simply listen to them. They may have a specific concern about how an officer treated them or a more general concern about overall policing in the community.

Law enforcement departments should approach mediation with an open mind, allowing the citizens to talk without prejudging the situation.

“I think that mediation is not a new idea in how we deal with citizens and citizen complaints,” said Jennifer Knight, deputy police chief in Columbus, Ohio. “But, it is absolutely an underutilized opportunity to ensure that the citizens who are coming to the division or any agency with concerns about how they’re run or their call for service was handled.

“What they want to know is how police services work a lot of times, and they want to be heard.”

Use It as an Opportunity

Law enforcement officers may view mediation negatively, but they should instead flip the script and view it as an opportunity to build strong community relations. This is a vital part of a law enforcement leader’s job — ensuring that the department serves the community to the best of its ability.

Law enforcement agencies should approach mediation as an opportunity to engage with the community and gather valuable feedback. While the initial interaction with a police officer may not have been positive, a lot of good can come from a successful mediation.

“If the citizens are not satisfied, the very best thing that we can do is sit down and talk to the citizens or give those citizens an opportunity to talk to the officer who responded and learn,” according to Knight. “Police actually have to respond and listen to those citizens. It creates a connection that, in many cases, builds the foundation for a much greater relationship.”

Carve a Path Forward

While the impetus of mediation is an event from the past, the outcome of mediation should be focused on the future. In other words, mediation between law enforcement and civilians should conclude with a discussion about what’s next.

Maybe it’s an understanding between the two sides about how a situation should be handled in the future. Perhaps a follow-up meeting will be held with more community members to discuss new initiatives.

While a large part of mediation is obviously conflict resolution, it also provides a great chance to carve out other positive tactics for the future.

About Jennifer Knight

Jennifer Knight, Deputy Police Chief in Columbus, Ohio, is known for dynamic leadership, innovative community engagement, and excellence in the field of law enforcement. After earning her Juris Doctor, she received the National Women’s Law Association Award of Excellence. Ms. Knight is a strong advocate for women in law enforcement and is a passionate community volunteer.

On September 18th, thousands of pastors from North, Central, and South America will come together virtually for a Word Seminar hosted by One Logos Theological Seminary. 

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, churches around the world have struggled with consistent attendance with their congregation. Many churches have moved their services and activities online, but the sense of community has diminished greatly. Pastors are looking for answers as they have experienced a 30-70% drop in attendance. Such decline has continued even as churches and ministries try online events, visits, and as many have opened their church doors again for in-person services and gatherings. 

One Logos Theological Seminary approaches this problem in a different way. Through free-of-cost word seminars, seminary programs, and other resources, the pastors and churches have seen a renewed interest in theological studies. 

The Word Seminar will feature One Logos Chancellor Lee, a world-renowned speaker on the prophecies and fulfillment of the Book of Revelation. His previous seminars have reached over 30,000 attendees, and feedback has been largely positive in spreading the gospel and important Biblical knowledge in these unprecedented times.

In this time when the religious world struggles to stay afloat and remain relevant, One Logos Chancellor Lee has come with a true message of hope and revival. The attendees of the September seminar will walk away with greater Biblical understanding and great wisdom on how to shepherd their congregation during the COVID-era and under any distress. As previous seminar attendees repeatedly expressed how remarkable and unprecedented Chancellor Lee’s seminars are, those who are waiting for September 18th will be joining a seminar that has received worldwide acclaim.