Beyond Lights: How a pastor is reaching his Las Vegas community

Imagine Las Vegas: bright lights, busy streets and bustling nightlife.

But beyond the glitz, Rev. Brad Beckman sees a city filled with people loved by God—people who need to hear the Gospel.  A pastor at First Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Las Vegas, he is on a mission to make Christ’s love visible in the heart of the city, to make disciples of all nations.

To make that mission crystal clear to the surrounding community, Beckman even had a mural painted on the side of the church depicting Jesus reaching out to children of all ethnicities.

“It’s the power of public art,” said Beckman. “It lets our community and members know that we are a church and school for all nations.”

Living in the midst of the people, said Beckman, is another critical piece of an inner-city mission.

“I think it’s great if you can have an incarnational ministry like Jesus,” he explained, “where you not only work in the city, but live in the city around the people you serve.”

Beckman found the perfect condo, right downtown. The trouble was, there were certain restrictions that prevented Beckman from getting a fixed-rate loan at a decent interest rate with other lenders, so he was stuck with an unimpressive adjustable-rate mortgage. That is, until he heard about the Rostered Church Worker (RCW) mortgage loan option from Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF).

While working with First Good Shepherd on a fundraiser for the school located on their campus, an LCEF representative “mentioned that LCEF does loans for church workers,” Beckman said.

“I reached out to LCEF, and they said we’d love to help you out,” he added. “And I want my dollars going to LCEF because they invest in churches and in schools and in other ministries that proclaim Christ crucified.”

Now living and working among the people that he serves, Beckman is thrilled to have a front-row seat to the bright lights, busy streets and bustling nightlife. Best of all, he gets to share Christ with his neighbors like never before. 

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