40 Days in Tracy

Tracy, California sits in the Central Valley just east of San Francisco Bay. It’s about 60 miles and 200 years away from the Googleplex, Apple Computer, and Hewlett and Packard’s garage in Silicon Valley. Predominantly agricultural, Tracy has just two seasons, green and brown. We visited during the brown one, and missed the Dry Bean Festival. Tracy may have more cattle than people, but the people are wonderful.

The pace of life in Tracy is relaxed. It’s fast becoming a haven for the stressed-out knowledge workers to the west, and it’s growing like crazy. But, tragedy struck this peaceful community more than once in recent months. A missing 8-year-old girl’s body was found in a suitcase in a drainage ditch. A 16-year-old boy ran “half-naked, bloodied, bruised, and shackled” into a fitness center after being held captive and tortured. This unspeakable violence was a trigger. Anger, fear, and hatred flared. It was time to do something, and the churches of Tracy responded.

17 churches pulled together to launch a citywide “40 Days of Love” campaign with small group curriculum written by Saddleback’s Rick Warren. Organized by pastor Tim Weems from South Winds Church (and a team of others), the campaign kicked off very publicly just a couple of weeks ago in the gymnasium of West high school. Alan Danielson, former small groups pastor for LifeChurchTV, brought an evangelistic message on the Power of Love to a Friday night crowd of nearly 500. A worship band was there. The Mayor of Tracy was there. God was there.

At one point, Chris Tomlin’s lyrics filled the place:

You’re the God of this City
You’re the King of these people
You’re the Lord of this nation

You’re the Light in this darkness
You’re the Hope to the hopeless
You’re the Peace to the restless
There is no one like our God

Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this city

People cheered as slides of their churches came up on the screen, interspersed with shots of life around Tracy. There were tears in the bleachers, too; sadness over what had been, and longing for what was to come. These people wanted God to impact their city, and relationships in community would be one of the ingredients.

A couple hundred pastors, small group hosts and leaders gathered again on Saturday morning for three hours of practical training. We talked about the importance of “thinking small” in relational ministry. We taught some practical aspects of leading groups to minister to one another, and we reviewed what to expect with the 40 Days of Love curriculum. We ended by showing how to leverage low-key beginnings into long-term relationships. Having a plan for day 41 is critical to long-term impact.

Pray for Tracy. Consider following their lead. Tracy’s groups launched this past week, and I can’t wait to hear what happens. One thing is certain: greater things are still to be done in this city.

Learn more by visiting http://tracy40days.org/ or Tracy’s 40 Days Facebook page.