UPDATED URC Weekly 11/7/10: Cannoli and V-Ball @ UMEC! (ADDED Lausanne Testimony and Job Postings)
Hi Family,
Every single time we’ve done something with UMEC, it’s been really fun: 2007 Winter Retreat, bowling x 2, V-Ball, B-Ball, MORe Retreats, you name it (Why do we look so gross, compared to them in the picture? Hahahahaa). We have a lot of commonalities: Same denomination, love for food and sports, both start with a “U” (stretching it as far as possible now), but I think, most of all, we share a common heart that’s (going into my third list in the opening paragaph…) simple, honest, and seeking the Lord amidst our struggles. This time, they’re having us over @ their place, and it’s guaranteed good stuff:
1) FELLOWSHIP @ UMEC: THIS SUNDAY @ 3 PM @ UMEC (11145 Morrison Street, CA 91601). The universal recipe for happiness is V-Ball, followed by cannoli. Sheepgate will also be joining us, so ladies and gentlemen, bring your sports gear. ALSO, PLEASE TEXT/EMAIL ME RIGHT NOW IF YOU CAN MAKE IT, so I can give Pastor Stan a head count (as they prep food).
2) PRAYER MEETING: THIS THURSDAY @ 7:30 PM. For the last couple of months especially, I’ve been feeling a lack of prayer in our church, and, as always, it shows in mediocre, non-victorious living. In recounting the history of our church, I remember how we committed to pray two summers ago after MORe X, and the Lord rained down His blessings. Let’s re-commit ourselves to meet Jesus in prayer, and there’s no better time than now.
3) CHURCH CLEANING: THIS SATURDAY FROM 8 AM-11 AM. Like I said, every year when we have this church-wide cleaning, I see our 50- and 60-year-old church members lifting heavy furniture, scrubbing on the floor, and sweating away, while most of us in our 20′s and 30′s are sleeping or eating breakfast. It’s a microcosm of what happens at home, when we lay around, while our parents would do housework, and I hope we can turn that around this Saturday. We don’t give much to our mother church, so let’s serve when we can.
4) SAM PREACHING: THIS SUNDAY @ WORSHIP SERVICE. Please lift up our brother throughout this week, as he prepares, and then delivers, the Holy Word. May the Holy Spirit empower him and speak to us!
5) PRAISE BIBLE STUDY: THIS SUNDAY @ 1 PM. I want to emphasize prayer in our praise, so please prepare your hearts.
6) THANKSGIVING WITH THE KM: A WEEK FROM SATURDAY (11/20). Like the very first Thanksgiving, two cultures will come together and share the Lord’s table. We’ll cook and serve our brothers and sisters in the KM Young Adult Ministry. Rev. Ahn will be leaving at the end of the year, and they’re in need of encouragement, so please save the day and be ready to fill the needs Sam and Hyonroh lay out for us.
7) JOINT THANKSGIVING WORSHIP: A WEEK FROM SUNDAY (11/21) @ 10:50 AM @ KM SANCTUARY. Looking at two consecutive days with the KM over Thanksgiving weekend, maybe the Lord is telling us to appreciate the larger family we have at church. Like our last Easter worship, they’ve adjusted worship to fit our style more (less hymns, less formal, etc.), so let’s also adjust and give ourselves fully to worship our common God. I’ll be preaching the English sermon, so please pray for me.
8 ) READ AT BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE: TESTIMONY FROM DAVE CHOI (our upcoming retreat speaker) ON 2010 LAUSANNE CONGRESS (world missions gathering we were praying for)
ALSO, JOB POSTINGS FROM GARNET (THANK YOU!!!)
9) SCRIPTURE READING/OFFERING: Michelle Jung
10) DEVOTIONS: Daniel 7-12. This finishes the book of Daniel, with much prophecy and visions, ultimately ending in glory for God’s faithful. From chapter 12:
2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who are wise[a] will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.
13 “As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.”
May we be His righteous to the very end, when we enter His rest on that glorious day.
LAUSANNE TESTIMONY BY DAVE CHOI
Greetings from Chicago,
As many of you know, I had the privilege of being one of about 4500
delegates from about 200 countries, that Christianity Today called
perhaps the most diverse gathering ever. There is SO much to share,
but I know how people feel getting long updates, so I will keep it
relatively brief:), and include a story at the end about a girl from
NK. (I also will be going through my list to shrink it in size, so if
I have not heard from you in a long while, and you want to stay on it,
please email me a short email. Otherwise, I will probably take a good
amount of people off the list, so as not to bother you:)
The short version is that I loved being able to meet spiritual
leaders from regions of the world I would not have access to normally.
And I was challenged by their faith in the midst of persecution.
Christians in the Muslim world, where following Jesus costs them
dearly, and a few Chinese delegates who were able to attend, even
though most of their countrymen were under house arrest, unable to
attend, even though they had purchased visas, tickets, and hotels
already, inspired me to prioritize the Gospel as they have to every
day. If anyone wants to hear a more detailed version, please email
me.
The most impactful moments for me were when two women shared about
persecution. The first, was an 18 year old girl from NK, where famine
and oppression are extreme. Her father, who was a high level
assistant to Kim Jong Il, escaped two times, was imprisoned for four
years, and eventually died for sharing the Gospel in NK. I will
include her full story at the end, if you want to read about it, but I
highly recommend it:). The second was during a morning session where
John Piper had just exposited Ephesians 3, and part of his message
dealt with verse 13, ” I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged
because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory. ” He spoke
about how the gospel will only penetrate the unreached places through
suffering, because most of those places do not welcome Christians. He
shared how Paul suffered for the sake of others. After he was done
preaching, Libby Little, an American shared about her husband. On
August 5, 2010, 10 people were pulled from their truck on their trek
from a remote village in Afghanistan back to Kabul, and were killed.
They were returning from a 3 week medical trip, and her husband was
leading his fifth trip, which he shared would possibly be his last.
On his body, they found a blood stained paper with sermon notes on it.
He quoted Ephesians 2:8-10, Ephesians 5:1-2, and 2 Corinthians,
writing that we are to God the aroma of Christ. Although he never got
to preach that sermon himself, through many of us, his sermon will
live on. She finished her talk exhorting us that God’s grace is not
something to simply be discussed or debated, but it has to be seen and
experienced. Grace has to penetrate all of our lives, and that takes
time.
Afterwards, we had a time of prayer. Along with many others, the
Spirit brought a deep conviction to me, causing me to weep and repent
of my own hardened heart. Of how I seek my own joy and comfort at the
expense of others’ suffering and glory, when God calls us, like Tom
Little and the NK girl’s father, to suffer for the glory and joy of
others. I wept because their lives put a light on my selfish and
worldly heart, and reminded me that the Gospel is without question,
the most valuable and life giving reality. The NK girls father and
Tom Little died, but as Piper says elsewhere, their deaths were not
tragedies, because they died for the Gospel. I was able to talk with
Piper during the conference, and he shared with me, that one of the
ten who died, was reading his book, “Don’t Waste Your Life,” around
the time he was killed. It’s a stark reminder to many of us in the
comfortable west, to live for the Gospel in a way that will not be
tragic or a waste. I humbly exhort you to take some time to consider
how your lives reflect the primacy of the Gospel.
So much more to share, but I will close with this thought. The city
of Cape Town is without question one of the most beautiful cities in
the world. Stunning. But as I reflect on its beauty, I realize this
too will pass, and a new city will come, the heavenly city. May our
lives be used to bring many to Himself, and to see His kingdom
established through humility, grace, prayer, truth, and love. Please
pray for my heart, that God would soften a very hard and selfish
heart. I spent the morning reflecting and repenting of a heart that
LONGS to stray from Him. I covet your prayers for God’s grace to
“bind my wandering heart to Thee.” Thank you for all who supported me
to go to Africa. If you want to continue to support me, and forgot my
info, feel free to email me, and I will send you the info. Much
grace, Dave
Story of the NK Girl
I was sitting during the session, not particularly engaged, when a
little girl from NK came up and began to read her story in English.
Her dad was a top assistant to Kim Jong Il, the “great leader” of NK.
When he began to be persecuted politically, his family escaped to
China. Through a church, her parents became believers. And the dad
was discipled. Soon after, the Chinese government discovered his
faith, and sent him back to North Korea where he was imprisoned for
four years. (I recently read an account of an NK defector, and
prisons in NK are much like the concentration camps of Nazi Germany in
terms of its living conditions.) What was amazing about this man, was
that while living in these horrible conditions, his faith grew
stronger than ever. He returned to China ( I dont recall how he got
out again.) and felt the strong call to go back to NK to share the
gospel with his own people! He could have gone to South Korea and
been free, but he voluntarily chose to go back into the country,
probably knowing that death would be imminent if and when he was
caught. (I thought to myself, surely he knew he would get caught
since he was such a high profile defector.) In 2006, he was arrested
by the NK government, and according to his daughter, had heard no word
from him, which most probably means he was shot to death publicly as
an example to others.
Up until this time, she still had not become a believer. But God came
to her soon after in a dream. Jesus was crying, and asked her how
much longer would she keep him waiting? He asked her to walk with
him, and that He would be her Heavenly father, as she had lost her
earthly father. She received Christ then and there. Soon after she
was able to go to South Korea, where she attends high school, and
wants to work for the government, so she can go back to NK and share
the gospel with her own people. With tears, she pleaded with us at
the end, of her desire to go back to her own people. She testified to
the sovereignty of God over her life, and how she wants to respond to
His grace, by living for Him. She pleaded with us to love the people
of NK because she knows God’s heart cries for the people of NK.
It was an absolutely moving and compelling testimony. I had the
privilege to meet her and encourage her briefly. So young, so small,
but her life impacted the most influential leaders of the church in
the world. Almost everyone I talked to said that her testimony along
with Libby Little’s were the most impactful of the speakers. Neither
of them had big names. Both were obscure. Both shared about a family
member giving up their lives for the Gospel. And both filled the room
with hearts that were convicted and broken with tears. These men’s
lives made the Gospel look so precious and beautiful and valuable.
May you be encouraged and challenged as well. Please also pray for
them, for Libby and the NK girl.
JOB POSTINGS FROM GARNET
Here are some job opps I received from Olive Crest (through AmeriCorps connections). They have several locations and a couple of these are for Orange County, but just in case someone was interested..
BE THE MIRACLE ASSISTANT Temp/40 hrs. Responsible for providing administrative support and organization of the warehouse. Assist with receiving and distribution of gifts for children. Must have strong computer and phone skills. Must be able to perform physical aspects of the job including lifting and carrying.
YOUTH PARTNER FT/Various Hours. Responsible to supervise youth in a residential group home. This includes mentoring and being a good role model, teaching independent living skills, behavior modifications and crisis management. BA/BS and/or 1 year of full time residential experience preferred.
OVERNIGHT FAMILY SUPPORT STAFF (Tustin) FT/32-40 hrs. Supervise residential clients during sleeping hours, provide a safe environment, assist the clients with morning routine and transportation to school. Related residential experience and Bachelor’s degree preferred.
NIGHT MONITOR FT/40 hrs. Monitor night staff and assist in training to ensure maximum efficiency and job performance. Report findings to Division Director. Related experience preferred.
IN HOME SAFETY AID On-Call. Responsible for working directly with families referred by the Provider Network, in providing in-home behavioral-based services. Coaching services to parents or caregivers to increase their ability to provide positive consistency in their behavior towards child(ren). Must have a Bachelor’s degree in human services or two years of relevant experience. Bilingual in English and Spanish is preferred.
HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL FT/40 hrs. Responsible for administrating all facets of the running of the school. Must have administrative services credential and experience as a high school administrator. Charter school experience and bilingual skills preferred.
MORNING DRIVER PT/8 hrs. Responsible to transport students to school in the morning.
BILINGUAL ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT FT/40 hrs. Responsible to provide administrative support, greet visitors, direct incoming phone calls, assist with projects as needed. Must have relevant administrative experience, strong computer skills and be fluent in Spanish.
ASSISTANT TEACHER (Canal Elementary School) FT/40 hrs. Responsible to assist teachers in the education and supervision of students in the classroom; responsible for the transportation of clients to and from school. Assist in record keeping, photocopying, tutoring and behavior modification at educational site as needed. Bachelor’s degree in education, psychology or related field and experience with SED population preferred.
To learn more about Olive Crest, view a complete list of employment opportunities or to complete an on-line application, please visit our web site at www.olivecrest.org. To submit a resume for consideration, please email one to hr@olivecrest.org Compensation: Salary will be based on education and experience. Benefits are available after the first 90 days of full time employment.
