HOPE FAMILY NEWS

VISITING THE ASSEMBLY OF GOD, US HQ

Back in 2006 the HGI eldership proposed for Pastor Simon Eng and I to go on a study visit of the Assembly of God USA (www.ag.org) Headquarters in Springfield, Missouri. So we made appointments with the AG executives since September 2006.

On August 13th 2007, we arrive in the small town of Springfield. It’s a Monday evening. It is both our first time here. The temperature is 37 degrees. It is hot in the mid-west during summer.

Pastor Simon and I grab dinner at the only restaurant in the airport. This is our only meal option because our motel has no restaurant. After dinner we call the motel for the airport transfer to our hotel. The driver arrives in 15 minutes and tells us this town has 153,000 people. We arrive and check in. Robert at the front office says he remembers Limei (my assistant in Hope Singapore) calling him to confirm the reservation.

The TV forecast for tomorrow is 38 C with a "Heat Warning". We plan for tomorrow. Then Pastor Simon reply e-mails as I skype with my wife in Portland who has just come back from the Hope Portland care group.

On Tuesday morning, Pastor Simon and I get breakfast at the motel and then we call a taxi to the Headquarters downtown. We spend time with Rev. Cary Tidwell (Administrator for World Missions) and Rev. Russ Turney (Asia Pac Missions Director).



We learn that the AG owns 15 buildings inclusive of two large complexes. AG US has 2000 full-time overseas missionaries over 12,000 churches in the US with over 1M members and 2.7 attenders. There are 900 staff members in HQ and 130 staff in Missions Dept. The discussion ends with Rev Cary taking us for a personal tour of the missions division.

We thank him and get a late lunch at their cafeteria. We check out their Gospel Publishing House bookstore and visited their heritage centre. Later we join the official AG HQ tour with three other persons. Two are AG pastors from Chesapeake, Virginia. One was an AG HQ staff on her day off.

During the tour we learned that the Gospel Publishing House has 400 projects at any one time and 12 tonnes of products daily.

In this trip we get to see how a large denomination is run. We are able to have 2 executives spend half-day with us. Later that night we evaluate and write a report to present to the Regional Missions Coordinators and Group Leaders at the August ‘07 Leaders Conference to be held in Seattle. It’s a short trip but quite an eye opener for both of us. Pastor Simon and I discuss what we can learn from the AG on the flight to Seattle.

Pastor Ben KC Lee
www.hopesingapore.org.sg

HOPE LOS ANGELES: CHICAGO MISSION TRIP

Hope Los Angeles church sent five church members (Jason Betts, Jarred Taing, Emmy Betts, Chris Kuch and Cynthia Kwok) to visit Chicago. The team went to do evangelism with Hope Chicago at De Paul University, Lake Michigan and Millennium Park. In addition, the team had great time of sharing and fellowship with at Hope Chicago’s care group and church service. Here are the testimonies:

Testimony by Chris Kuch

As many people know, Chicago is known as the "Windy City". So my prayer before the mission trip was that it would be the wind of Holy Spirit that would blow across Chicago. And indeed, I believe it did....

I thank God for the opportunity to reach out to Chicago community and see how He is moving. The trip allowed me to really get outside of my comfort zone and depend more on God to share the Gospel. As I began to exercise my evangelism I began to develop more and more boldness and compassion for the people; something Jesus must have felt. I hope to bring this back to LA.

Not only was I strengthen on the streets evangelizing, but also during the times spent with Hope Chicago. Though small in number currently, they are no way small in their love for God and people. I was encouraged by the testimonies of answered prayers and prayers of faith yet to be answered. But God is faithful.

I praise God for the seeds of the Gospel that were planted and the friendships that were formed. To God be the glory.

Testimony by Jarred Tiang

The short-term mission trip was definitely a blessing to me on many levels. For the evangelism, we broke off into groups of two's, and I was paired up with Malay. We first evangelized at De Paul University....

The campus has a Roman Catholic background and it seemed many of the students there have at least a basic understanding of the Gospel. I felt that the students were very open to talk to us even those that had considered themselves Atheist or Agnostic. Malay and I were able to approach about over 10 students and were able to talk to about 7 of them. It was very encouraging to be able to evangelize with Malay since she was very enthusiastic and bold about it. She was able to have a good conversation with just about everyone that was willing to talk to us.

One of the students we talked grew up in a Jehovah's Witness background, and that her parents did not allow her to practice anything else. Upon entering college, she started exploring her spirituality and now she believes in many different beliefs. After speaking to her, she was very excited about our group and gave us her contact information. This was one very encouraging experience, since I rarely find people who shared an interest in what we believe in or our group. Even the rest of the people that we spoke to were very encouraging, even though they did not show signs of interest to join our group, because I could tell they appreciated us sharing with them.

HOPE LONDON: 9TH CHURCH ANNIVERSARY


It is amazing that we have been building the church in London for nine years. It seems like a long time ago, yet I can remember the very first meeting in our small flat in North London, on the very first Sunday upon our arrival in London. There were 4 of us - Vincent, Richard (a brother from Australia), Kim and myself. We had a full service and I preached on "Fulfilling God's Given Vision". I preached to 3 people with a passion of preaching to 3000 :o). I guess I was young (relatively speaking) and innocent back then!

Hope London Anniversary Video



I have since found out that building God's church in a different culture from mine is hugely difficult. Yet it has also been a very rewarding experience. The joy of seeing people coming to the Lord and being transformed by Him far outweigh the challenges!

London, being a very popular destination for travel, work and study, meant the church saw many people passing through over the years. They have since been returned to their home countries - Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Africa, Canada, USA, Australia - and many are serving God in their home church. They all have left their mark in the history of Hope London and in my heart!

Over the past nine years, we have experimented with many ideas to grow the church. Some were successful and not so in others. We learned to trust and depend on God more and more as we mature. The most valuable lesson I have learned is "NEVER GIVE UP". And believe me; at times the idea of giving up can be really tempting!



I truly believe that God is building the church in partnership with us. Its success will depend on our level of cooperation and obedience to God. Discerning God's guidance is crucial to our success.

Europe is becoming increasingly secular and more resistant to the Gospel. I sense in my spirit that God will bring revival through the younger generation - unlike the Israelites in the wilderness. Please pray with us to believe God to help us to establish a youth ministry in Hope London.



I am excited in my spirit to believe that the Lord will move in a big way in Europe in the not too distant future. We will use the next year to prepare the church for harvest. The theme of our 9th Anniversary was "Go for Gold". I shared with my leaders that the key factors are: personal holiness, discipleship and ownership (of ministry). I have already chosen the theme for our 10th Anniversary as "Enter the Land".

I believe in a time of fighting and victories in the years to come for God's people. God's Kingdom will advance forcefully in the UK and Europe when His people are ready. Amen!

Your bond brother,

Pastor PK Hope London
www.hopelondon.org

HOPE PHUKET: PASTOR SIMON ENG & LAI ENG VISITATION

Pastor Matthew and Pastor Sandra from Hope Phuket church invited Pastor Simon Eng and Lai Eng to minister to the church on Sunday after the Leaders Conference.
(Watch Video)



Pastor Simon Eng encouraged members of the church with a message entitled “Keys to Victory” from 2 Chronicles, Chapter 20. It is a story of how God gave King Jehoshaphat victory over the Moabite, Ammonite and Meunite armies.

The fives Key to Victory:

• Identify your enemy (e.g. fear)
• Admit we are inadequate to solve the problem
• Seek God for the solution
• Learn to rest in God
• Thank God in Advance

At the end of the message, Pastor Simon Eng asked people to respond to the Word of God. Many people came forward to the altar for prayers and blessings from God. It was timely message for the Hope Phuket church and everyone was strengthened in faith. The meeting ended with great time of lunch fellowship and photos being taken.

HOPE BANGKOK: AFRICA MISSIONS TRIP

In October, Pastor Vorapong (Hope Bangkok World Mission Dept) and Brother Joseph went to visit Hope churches in Africa, namely Hope Togo, Hope Ethiopia, Hope Ghana and Hope Benin. Pastor Vorapong spent most of his time in Africa to disciple leaders and to impart the Hope vision.

Togo, Africa

Hope Togo Church started around Feb. 2006 by Pastor Gauze. Before joining Hope, he was with another church in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

Then Pastor David and Pastor Joshua went to Togo, and imparted the vision of Great Commission to Pastor Gauze, who received the calling from God to join Hope. The Lord has used Pastor Gauze over the years to grow Hope Togo church.

The church is serving God faithfully and even has Sunday service under a mango tree. God blessed the church with 5- 6 people in the beginning and now the church has grown to 70 people. The church is looking for a new worship venue for 300 people. Togo Hope Church is currently doing fundraising activities to raise money for the church building. Pastor Gauze is planning to pioneer new churches in Gabon, Ivory Coast and Nigeria in the future. Pray for God to open the doors for church planting in these countries.

Ethiopia, Africa

Hope Addis Ababa, Ethiopia was started by Sister Tira from Hope Bangkok and the local people 2 years ago. The church has grown to 35 adults and 15 children.

The Lord added more Thai members from Hope Bangkok to join the pioneering team. To support the mission work in Addis Ababa, the team has started two tent making projects such as Thai Massage, a Thai restaurant and Hospital businesses.

God has blessed the Thai restaurant business in Addis Ababa. It is the first Thai restaurant in the city. The restaurant opens from Monday to Saturday and on Sunday; it is converted into church service. Costumers dining at the restaurant are invited by the staff to visit church on Sunday.

Tira started the hospital business to support the church. Last month, there was one International Marketing Manager from Bumrungrad Hospital in Thailand who went to Ethiopia and contacted Tira. The hospital asked Tira to work as an agent to bring a patient from Ethiopia to be treated in Thailand.

Thank God, the Thai church planting team were able to be granted working visas through their work in this business. All the profits from the businesses contribute towards World Mission in Hope Bangkok.

Hope Addis Ababa will be the centre for missions in Africa and helps pioneer new churches in other regions of Africa.

Ghana, Africa

Pastor Paul is leading the Hope Kumasi church in Ghana. The church conducted a bible conference with Pastor Vorapong. Members learned about how to apply the word of God to daily life and reveal the glory of Christ to others. There were 50 participants at the Bible Conference.

Benin, Africa

Pastor Pierre is leading Hope Cotonou and there are 60 people in the church. Hope Contonou is about 2 km from the capital city, Porto Novo. Pastor Pierre has a strong desire to see a strong leadership team to rise up within the church.

If you would like to know more about church planting in Africa, please contact:

Pastor Vorapong
Hope Bangkok World Mission Dept
vp2015@yahoo.com

HOPE MANILA: SEASON EVENTS IN 2007

Over the past few months, Hope Manila has held a number of exciting activities and events. Many activities involved people from all walks of life -from grandparents to kids, from heroes to people of great faith. It has been a fun-filled and joyful season, testing the talents and abilities of each and every member of the church. In unity we share the love of God to the people, as well as building one another up through these events.

Faith Seminar “Live By Faith And Not By Sight”

With the news of the coming seminar, there was a great sense of anticipation, as we all wanted to grow in faith in the Lord. They were all excited and expecting many miracles and wonders from God throughout the seminar. Indeed God remained faithful and confirmed to the church that He is a God of wonders and miracles. The Spirit of the Lord moved through the hearts of the believers as many responded to the calling of God to be renewed in mind, heart and spirit. Many people came to the altar, responding to the call to be transformed by the touch of God. There were tears, joy and love in the atmosphere and acceptance of the Spirit. Their cry was “God deal with my heart and let me grow in faith with you.” God’s presence was strong. The believers danced with joy and opened their hearts to the Lord. Praise God that we were able to bring more of our friends than expected to the seminar and we hit our goal of 200!

Faith Seminar was a momentous day for the university group as they were able to bring many people. God blessed us that day using His servant Pastor Christie Ong from Hope Singapore (Filipino Group), a woman of faith to share the word of God to us.

Grandparents Day “There Is Glory In The Grey!”

This day gave us an opportunity to bring our loved Lolas and Lolos to the church so that they too may come to know God deeply. It was also a good opportunity to welcome them to our church and show our respect. We learned that the gospel is not limited to the young but for all ages. God is concerned about all people and does not leave anyone behind. Praise God for His holistic love for His creations.

Sister Pacita Hong was able to share with us that our perspective regarding aging should change as there is indeed glory in the GREY!

Grandparents Day saw had 134 people in attendance. After the teaching, we had a bread making activity and many care groups displayed their artistic, as well as their culinary, abilities. Everyone was amazed at the talent that was on display in that activity. The winners were Hope Kids who once again showed that they are the team to beat, as they won their second consecutive competition!

Kids' Day "Complete In Growth"

Kids’ Day brought wonder in Hope Manila. For the first time in our history, the kids led the service through chairing and leading praise and worship. They did not stop there though, but also gave a presentation to everyone.

We were all delighted with what they were able to do and this challenged us to have the same kind of faith to serve the Lord faithfully. We learned from our very own Pastor Soradej that we should not be content in what we are today, but aspire to grow in completeness in Christ Jesus. We should always be growing and never be stagnant. We were challenged to grow in holistic ways through our stature, attitude, and wisdom so that we may receive favour with both God and men. Praise God for the things he taught us today!

Pastor’s Day @ Max’s Restaurant

It was not just Kids’ Day, but it was an additional special day for Hope Manila because we celebrated Pastor’s Day with our very own beloved Pastor Soradej.

We had dinner at Max’s Restaurant, a Filipino restaurant, to celebrate how God has blessed us with our leader who leads us accordingly to the Word of God. It was also a time of building one another up and fellowship. There was encouragement, tears and singing of a new song to show our heartfelt gratitude towards our Pastor.

Pastor Soradej & Eunice
Hope Manila,Philippines (Website)