In July 2020, Barnabas Partner, Dean White, met the management of The Hyatt Regency, Mr. Wasim Kazi, and Ms. Jan Hollis who oversee The Hyatt Regency Newport Beach, to discuss an upcoming Barnabas event — Ignite 2021. Dean is helping with many of the logistics for this event which will be held Monday evening, October 11, 2021.
Mr. Kazi shared how the hotel industry is one of the most overlooked industries in this Covid-19 pandemic. He shared that most of the workers have served the hotel industry for 20+ years but they do not receive unemployment or stimulus checks as other industries. Since Dean is connected with Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, he mentioned that he would like to organize a food distribution for the Hyatt employees on furlough with the help of Saddleback.
On August 1, 2020, Saddleback Church combined forces with The Hyatt Regency Newport Beach and served over 120 families. In addition to over 550 meals given, everyone received prayer and 18 people accepted Christ for the first time! The Hyatt Regency management served alongside volunteers from Saddleback Church’s campuses in Rancho Capistrano and Irvine South and served staple goods, milk, breads, sweets, meat and produce.
This was a great example of The Barnabas Group seeking ways to serve the community at large. And don’t forget to thank Dean for all his efforts at Ignite 2021 on October 11, 2021!
