Caitlin Crosby is the founder of The Giving Keys, a ministry that uses keys with inscriptions of inspirational words to give hope to people and allow them to pass along the keys to others who may need encouragement. Crosby shared about the ministry at TogetherLA.
Of the various aspects that characterize Los Angeles, the ones that tug at the heart of many are the social issues"”homelessness, gang violence, sex trafficking, at-risk youth, poverty, and many more. These are the very issues that were discussed during portions of the TogetherLA Conference, a conference at which students, ministry leaders, pastors, workers, laypeople, businessmen, and all types of people from diverse backgrounds gathered to understand how better they can go about loving the city of Los Angeles.
One of the most practical ways to love the city of Los Angeles is by tackling these social issues head-on. As such, numerous people and organizations who are at the frontlines of addressing these social issues were highlighted at the conference, allowing attendees to see the many people who are working in various areas to reach out to the broken, the poor, and the oppressed in Los Angeles.
Caitlin Crosby, who spoke during a session on Friday (Feb. 27) morning, was one of those individuals. Crosby founded the ministry, The Giving Keys, through which individuals are able to buy necklaces with keys that are inscribed with inspirational words"”such as courage, hope, faith, dream, and strength"”and pass it along to someone who they feel would need the message. The Giving Keys also employs those who are transitioning out from homelessness, and partners with other ministries that reach out to the homeless, including PATH, United Way, and Chrysalis, among others.
Fr. Gregory Boyle, the founder of Homeboy Industries, shared stories of the men and women--many of whom were previously involved in gangs--who have come and gone through the ministry.
Father Gregory Boyle, the founder and executive director of Homeboy Industries shared the experiences he has had while leading this ministry. Homeboy Industries serves "high-risk, formerly gang-involved men and women with a continuum of free services and programs" including free tattoo removals, educational services such as GED test prep, legal services, and counseling on issues such as mental health, parenting, and substance abuse.
Breakout sessions on Friday also featured speakers who are involved with ministries that directly confront the social challenges in Los Angeles. Marzette McGary and Nicole Rivas from Inner-City Women of Faith (ICWF) led a breakout session introducing their ministry with young girls and women from the inner-city. Craig Gross shared about confronting addiction to pornography; La Verne Tolbert and Hank Fortener spoke about the difficulties of foster care and the Los Angeles school systems; and Larry Acosta and Efrem Smith discussed fatherlessness in the city and shared stories of how it affects individuals, to name a few.
Organizers expressed that one of the purposes of having the conference was to show the attendees that they are not alone in the pursuit of loving the city, and featuring these various workers in various fields seems to have been working towards showing opportunities of partnerships, and to encourage attendees that they are not alone.
"This city is served by so many, for so many different needs," said Brannin Pitre, the lead pastor of Grace Pasadena Church, and the lead organizer for TogetherLA. "We can't address all of these needs by ourselves. But together we can."
TogetherLA took place from February 26 to 28 at the West Angeles Church of God in Christ.
