When I was 22 years old, I packed up my possessions into a moving truck and drove across the United States from Ohio (where I had gone to college and met my wife, Julie) to the state of California. It was one of the first grand adventures in my life. It felt risky moving to a place where I did not know anybody. My heart raced with excitement and anticipation as I unloaded our belongings into our new place. The first thing I did was drive to the beach as the sun was setting. I parked my car and ran across the beach to dive headfirst into the Pacific Ocean. I distinctly remember… it was cold! But it felt so good to smell the sea air and taste the salty ocean. I soaked in the sun, rested under the palm trees, and I came to greatly admire the towns and communities that I visited throughout California during the six years that I lived there.

While California is known for glitz and glamour, I came to learn that there were shadow sides to the things that I was drawn to within the culture. I experienced the challenges of a high cost of living, and I felt compassion for the population that I interacted with who struggled with poverty and living a life on the margins of society. I appreciated the go-getter mentality of many people who had moved to California to make a name for themselves or find a better life by climbing the ladder to prosperity. I enjoyed meeting people from different cultures, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds. The whole experience there was a contrast for me.

I was teaching and coaching at a public school that had served many families who were migrant farm workers, and the town also had many families who had moved there to be closer to loved ones who were incarcerated in a state prison. As educators, we could not just teach our students. We often served as counselors, mentors, and advocates. We were overwhelmed, but we did not know where to turn for help. I joined a local church, and I became involved in leadership there. Our church would often express an interest in wanting to engage our community with the hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ. But we were unsure where to start or how we could possibly be effective with so many different big challenges around us.

I wish I had known back then what I know now. I just did not have eyes to see then what I learned during the courses that I took at Bakke Graduate University as a student. That is, that God is always on the move and already at work in cities. In Los Angeles, a city where I spent a great deal of time while I was in California, there are many individual people, businesses, churches, civic leaders, universities, and nonprofit organizations working together towards the common good of the city. I have spent a great deal of time in the Los Angeles area over the years, and I have come to appreciate the amazing movement of God that is happening there to galvanize people and organizations together to seek the welfare of the city.

At the upcoming Los Angeles City Immersion from October 23 to November 1, 2026, we will get a first-hand look at the creativity and innovation that transformational leaders are implementing across one of the megacities of the world. We will visit with nonprofit and church leaders who are living out their Christian faith in meaningful ways as they reach the powerful and powerless with equal integrity. We will meet with business leaders who are utilizing business as mission as an extension of their faith in Jesus in the workplace. We will meet with political leaders and individuals who are involved in leadership in the arts who are shaping culture. We will learn about sophisticated models that are being implemented to impact people who are unhoused, individuals experiencing incarceration, families on the move, and young people who might be prone to gang involvement.

There is a great deal that we can learn from the businesses, ministry models, and leaders that we will study in Los Angeles. And I am excited to return to my old stomping grounds in Los Angeles to serve as the Professor of Record for this course. Will you join me for this learning journey in sunny California? Maybe we can run across the beach, jump into the ocean, and relax under palm trees together! Please reach out to me at bryan.mccabe@bgu.edu if you are interested in learning more.

Dr. Bryan McCabe

President