Ministry
offering true love in Hillcrest
As a child, Jodie Feldman dreamt
of being an astronaut. The thoughts of exploring unknown spaces thrilled her.
She could see unlimited possibilities and believed they could be grasped.
Today, she has fulfilled her dream in a more rewarding way which she had never
imagined.
For the past 20 years, she
has been around America and in many countries around the world ministering
with undaunted faith and enthusiasm to the poor and the neglected.
“I think the Lord gave
me that dream of exploring outer space to prepare me for this,” she
explained. “I have a pioneering spirit.”
She does and she proves it.
After finding the Lord in a Presbyterian church over 20 years ago, Jodie felt
the call to evangelism while attending a conference. Later, she received many
confirmations by other Christians, who told her she had a gift for evangelism.
She wasted no time. She went right into the inner city streets, ministering
to the prostitutes, the homeless, and the homosexuals.
“I felt God’s presence
so real,” she said.
She continued to work on that
mission field with her church until she felt led to start her own ministry.
In 1994, Inner City Light (ICL), a “ministry of compassion to the poor”,
was born.
“With ICL, I was able
to go deeper into the inner city,” she said.
In Hillcrest, ICL focuses mainly
on ministering to the homosexuals, offering them understanding and compassion,
and trying to heal the wounds inflicted by less sensitive Christians. “Some
Christians’ message to the homosexuals can be summed up as ‘Turn
or Burn.’ We all need to repent, not just the homosexuals. ICL wants
to bring the homosexuals out of their lifestyle and set them free, but we
can do it only through kindness. We need to let the Holy Spirit work in their
lives,” Jodie explained.
ICL meets the homosexuals in their favorite coffeeshops. In one of them, it will soon hold a regular Bible study. “Our approach is mostly a one-on-one evangelism,” Jodie continued. “We meet them in the coffee shops to talk, and then invite them to Rainbow Room, our non-denominational church in Hillcrest.”
The congregation at Rainbow
Room is small. So is ICL’s membership. “We have under 50 people,”
Jodie said. “It could be because the task is not easy. We pray that
the Lord will prepare the people before we talk to them. He has encouraged
us greatly and confirmed His call by healing a person who was HIV positive.”
ICL obviously encourages others
to join them. To anyone interested, it provides training and guidance. “We
ask them to attend our church for a while to get to know us and our style,”
Jodie said.
When homosexuals decide to
give their life to the Lord and change their lifestyles, ICL usually refers
them to other groups or recovery homes, such as Exodus or Living Waters. “We
mostly evangelize, and leave the work of recovery to others,” Jodie
explained.
“We don’t really
care about numbers, and are glad if our converts attend any church,”
she continued. She spoke excitedly of quarterly meetings among several churches
in Hillcrest, to share ideas, testimonies, and encouragement.
In San Diego, ICL is also
involved in a ministry to the sick and the dying at UCSD hospital. In other
areas, it conducts crusades.
Besides her evangelistic work
here in the States, Jodie has worked as a missionary in many countries, including
India, China, Korea, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Ghana, Uganda, and Mozambique.
She became enthusiastic as she talked about her experiences in slums, leper
colonies, and prostitute churches.
Most missionary trips lasted
about two months. In November, however, she will move to India for six months.
“I feel that the work at ICL here is established,” she explained.
In India, she will work with
Merina Netto, the National President of Aglow/India. For some time now, ICL
has ministered under Aglow’s umbrella mostly to groups of women, leper
colonies, and slum churches in Bombay, Hyderabad, Calcutta, and Darjeeling.
Jodie, who greatly believes
in the unity of the church, explained that she will work with different groups
during her time there. For example, she will work with Teen Challenge to preach
to the prostitutes. “The women from Aglow also work in the Brothers
of Charity’s leper colony,” she said with excitement.
“Faith, love, and trust
in Jesus enable me to go anywhere,” she said. I worked in dumps and
in slums. Everywhere, God has proved His love and His protection. He is our
shepherd and His word is true.”
Until she leaves, Jodie continues
her busy life here. She rarely has a moment of rest, but she seems too excited
about her call to pay much attention to it. Her enthusiasm is contagious.
She speaks rapidly, punctuating each sentence with expressions of praise to
God. “Praise the Lord, I have no dull moments,” she said.
Besides her evangelistic work
and her organizational responsibilities as director of ICL, Jodie gives frequent
seminars all over the country. She is soon scheduled to travel to Washington
for a seminar called “Beauty for Ashes,” focusing on God’s
overcoming power. She will speak particularly on God’s ability to raise
up women to reach the fullest of their call.
Jodie, who does not restrict
her seminars to women, strongly believes that each individual, male or female,
should reach the fullest of his or her potential for the Lord.
Once again, the sky is the
limit. And her life proves it.
Jodie Feldman requested
we not use her photo. She can be contacted at (619) 265-0080 or by e-mail
at Icl4jc@aol.com