Food on Foot

On Christmas Sunday, Kathy and I went to volunteer at a homeless ministry in Los Angeles (FOOD ON FOOT). We didn't know what to expect, but we came away with a reminder that "consistency breeds confidence".

This group has been feeding homeless people in LA for 10 years - EVERY SUNDAY! And, this Sunday was a special Sunday, where the group was not only feeding the homeless but also giving them free bus tokens and a warm sleeping bag for everyone.

However, the key to this organization was not just to feed the homeless every Sunday but to also find them jobs. As they meet these homeless people week after week they would give them daily jobs first such as collecting garbage (for $10 worth of food coupons), and eventually they would find them part time and even full time jobs – in partnership with some of the nearby businesses.

Kathy and I didn't do much, but we felt grateful to be part of this special ministry. They do it every Sunday, so we can possibly come as a church again, or even regularly. I also thought about some things we possibly could do in the areas where we live. Perhaps for some of the recent immigrants who are having financial hardships??? Lord, open our eyes to see what is needed in our areas. Bring us to where you want us to be. And help us bring Jesus into those areas!

p.s. In these pictures, you see a long line of homeless people who had collected garbage to receive bus tokens and food coupons, a homeless gentleman who is 107 years old (receving a special gift from the organiation - free rent for the rest of life), and my brother and sister's family who came out to join us.

Christams Party (12.18)

Not everyone could make it, but it was a great time together! Merry Christmas everyone!

A wonderful evening!

It was a wonderful evening yesterday. A time of worship, sharing, and prayer. Being with people who are beginning to care for one another. Beginning to build a community of God... And, of course, the food was great! (I wish I had my camera with me...)

I feel like we are finally coming together as a community. The number doesn't seem to really matter. In fact the smaller the group, more likely that real relationships happen.

I know that God wants this church to grow, and in order to keep up with God's pace of growth we would need to make some changes along the way. But, for now, is God interested in sheer number of the group, or is He saying that we need to work on how we can serve one another better? Being blessed so we can be a blessing!

May the Lord keep us strong!

Now What?

So, now what's next???

This is what we know for now.

We are no longer following the vision we had in the beginning - becoming a church that meets in a shopping mall - in our case, the Block at Orange. In the beginning it was a vision that I was introduced to by the outside organization that was willing to support us, and even though I once thought it was a right match with me and the core group of people who have been gathering around me, now it is apparent now that it was simply a mismatch. To give an example, out of the 20-30 people who have gathered to be part of the church, no one really lived close by the Block at Orange or considered it as their own community. Just looking at the people we now have, it's clear God has brought us for something other than ministering to the community at and around the Block at Orange.

Now the question is, if not for a vision to start a church at the Block, then for what is God bringing us together? Upon much prayer and reflection, the obvious reason seems to be something about our multicultural makeup. You see, we really had 2 major visions for our church. One was to become a "Mall church" and the other was to become a "Multicultural church". In the beginning we thought we could pursue these two visions concurrently, but now it seems clear that God wants us to focus on one over the other. And, the main one for us is to build a multicultural community of God, and if it doesn't happen to be at a mall.

So, we are no longer meeting at the Doubletree Hotel right next to the Block. There really is no reason for that anymore. For the month of December we are meeting at people's home - for more intimate fellowship and prayer. And, we will start meeting at an office space in Santa Fe Spring in January - while continuously looking for a more permanent place. As of now, we aren't completely sure of exactly which city, but it seems like God is moving away from central Orange County to somewhere in South LA county.

And, our overall vision? Becoming a church for many ethnic groups in LA that need churches. The Korean community, which I'm personally part of, has a lot of large and growing churches. But, some other ethnic groups, such as Indonesian, Malaysian, Vietnamese, and many Middle Easterners, do not have healthy growing churches to go to. Whether they are the first generation immigrants from these countries or their second generation children, they are in need of a lot of outreach and ministry. And, our church seeks to minister to them as best as we can. And, I believe the people God has already brought amongst us - from those countries mentioned above - are for this very reason. How wonderful it would be to redeem, equip, and send new followers of Christ from these largely unreached ethnic groups into the ends of the earth!

With this new vision, the numerical growth of our church might be slow. But, now that we are completely on our own - apart from any expectation and goals from outside, we believe all we need to do is simply be faithful to what God has called us to do. As I'm writing this, I'm being blessed by God in my spirit with a new ounce of joy and faith! May the Lord nurture and multiply this mustard-seed faith in us!

Lord, you are my Lord, and the Lord of our church! Be glorified!

A Re-start?

It's been aaaaaaaa while since I last wrote here. Waiting for the right time to summarize, update, and give future plans on what's been happening at the church... But, that perfect time, as often is the case, never came. And, today is as good of day to write as any other previous days.

For the past month, it is true that I have felt a little knocked down. About a month ago from today, the outside organization that has promised to be our financial supporter has decided to back out. And, since this organization was the only major supporter we have had (comprising about 75% of total budget), it was big enough news to reexamine everything we have been pursuing - at least the way we've been doing things.

In the beginning, I only treated it as a "financial" issue. I said to myself... "Alright. We lost our biggest donor. Tough! But, so what? just go out and get some other donors. And, we will be on track again!" However, as the month has passed by, I began to realize that this was more than just a financial matter. God has revealed to us that it was almost a restart for our church. You see, what happened to us financially really gave us an opportunity to look at ourselves in terms of everything from our identity, our mission and vision, and our goals and strategies.

I tell myself and others that the past 6 months was like a paid-internship. We were financially supported to do something we didn't have any previous experience of. And since it was paid by someone else, we were doing things largely based on what we were being told by the one who has hired us as an "intern". I, among others, learned a lot - all good lessons. But, the time finally came upon finishing that paid-internship whether we would continue on the path we were brought into or go out and do something on our own. Both voluntarily and involuntarily, we are now following the latter route. The only upsetting part is that I wish we would have been prepared better for this turn of event. I wish we would have known this to be a temporary paid internship, not as a permanent support system which we had thought...
Oh well, life goes on.

The bottom line: We are no longer dependent on anyone for our finance. Also, we are not following anyone else's suggestion as to what kind of church we should build. Of course, it's God's church and his vision for us. We now simply don't have to hear God via others. For this, we are more scared than ever, yet more freed and motivated than ever also. It is said that whenever there is a crisis there is an opportunity. It is a financial crisis for us, but I believe it also is a new opportunity to build our church on the right foundation - one that is more solid than anything else we have had until now.

Where to go from here? We are currently reassessing everything. We are no longer meeting where we used to meet. We are looking for a new home, even new vision and people. Financially, all of the 3 staff members will go unpaid (we lost one staff member but gained a new one). Perhaps we will all live together and share things together - yea, the way how the original church was in Acts!

May God protect us! May God show us the way. Yes, we already know the true way in Jesus Christ. May we be faithful to the calling God has given to us...