SPECIAL FOCUS: NORTH AMERICA CHURCHES

HOPE VANCOUVER CHRISTMAS SERVICE

Our Christmas service was held on December the 23rd at Hope Vancouver. On Friday, two days before the Christmas service, while I felt overwhelmed with the busyness with all the customers at the hair salon and the preparation for the Christmas service, I picked up my guitar in the salon and started singing a praise song to the Lord. God gave me the peace in my heart and the words to preach for the service.

On Saturday night, five sisters and three brothers in the church went to the service venue to set up decorations for the Christmas service. They stayed there until 1:30 in the morning. They were all excited for the service and enjoyed doing all the decorations for the service venue even though they finished quite late and everyone was tired.

On Sunday morning, we did something a little bit different to start our Sunday service. Instead of having the prayer meeting and then the service, we incorporated the prayer meeting into the service so that there was more time for the leaders to greet as many visitors as possible before the service started.

During the service, my wife Lan, started proceedings with a prayer for people with sickness to receive healing, confession of our sins and for the anointing and the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

Then Marilyn came in to lead praise and worship. It was awesome the way she led incorporating Christmas carols with worship songs. It brought in the atmosphere of Christmas and the presence of God. Everyone was touched with presence of God.

When the time came for the sermon, I was prompted to share "The Goodness of God to All" from John 3:16. Many visitors responded well to the sermon and lifted their hands responding to the word of God.

I then prayed for those who responded to the Word. The plan after that was to continue our service with the fun programs. However when Lan took over the microphone, instead of following the program, she did something unexpected.

She shared her personal testimony to complement my sermon and spoke for half an hour. It really put many people who wanted to move on with the programs on edge. Yet, after her personal testimony, she challenged those who made the decision to accept the Lord to step forward to be prayed for. Everyone felt the move of God and three responded to accept Christ.

Lan then asked the congregation if she should obey man or God because she heard God told her to do something else before she continued with the program. Everyone responded with a shout that she should obey God. Lan asked all who wanted to mend their relationship with God to came out to be prayed for. To my surprise, more than half of the people responded and again everyone felt the move of God.

The fun programs finally got under way, even through many people still wanted God to keep continuing touching their hearts. We all enjoyed the dance performance put on by the little children, the youths' singing with their band, and the adults' choir. All 91 of us were blessed.

Finally, the turkey lunch was served and everyone have a wonderful time of fellowshipping, especially Johnnie, who enjoyed serving the 16 homeless people who joined us especially for lunch. The feedback was positive especially from the visitors who now called Hope their church now. Amen.

Pastor William Ao (Hope Vancouver Website)

HOPE SEATTLE CHRISTMAS OUTREACH

The spirit of Christmas is truly amazing. 37 people joined our Christmas Sunday service on Dec 23rd. God encouraged our hearts with 2 new converts on the day. We also had the very first performance from our Children’s church plus the very first choir led by Pas. JR.

[Christmas photos website]

We remembered trying to set up the choir in our early years but we didn’t have enough people. So, we praise God for the increasing of committed people whom God has brought them in. The service went well and we also had Christmas turkey lunch together.

On Dec 24th we had our Christmas Eve Party with close to 40 people. There were 6 pre-believers who came to celebrate Christmas with us.

The party was definitely starting with great food that was brought in by most of the people. Next we sang Christmas carol together with one song of worship. We also read part of the Bible together which is related to the birth of Jesus Christ and then we prayed.

The games were really fun which helps to break the ice. The highlight of the night might be the time of exchanging presents. We had such a great time, full of joy and fun. The party has to come to an end because we have to get ready for caroling.

There were 30 people joining the caroling this year, even though the weather was very cold but we sang our hearts out in front of 3 houses. This is the largest caroling group we have ever had.

We really thank God for His grace upon our church, last year there were only a handful of people went caroling with us, but this year we had to take 6 cars to get everyone together. God also blessed us with a White Christmas this year.

Pastor JR & Warinda Pan (Hope Seattle Website)

HOPE LOS ANGELES CHRISTMAS

The theme for Hope LA's Christmas was "The Brightest Light of Christmas". Pas. Ben KC Lee preached at our Pre-Christmas Service. One person made a decision to accept Christ. The following week on Dec 23^rd Hope LA celebrated Christmas Service with 120 people.

The program included the children performing "Light of the World" through sign language, an interpretive drama presentation and the choir singing "Christmas Shines".

Pas. Chai preached on who and why Jesus was born on the earth. After the sermon, three people stood up to invite Jesus into their life. It was a great celebration for our Hope LA church family.

On Christmas Eve, we had the highest turn out ever for Christmas caroling! Over thirty people joined the caroling team this year. From 6pm until midnight, the carolers visited member's houses and their relatives! The carolers sang Christmas songs, spent time fellowshiping and the carolers ended with a prayer for the owners of the home.

We also had Christmas outreach in small groups. Our care groups and units had a range of parties over 9 days from Dec 21^st right up to Dec 29^th. They included charity events, movie events, watching Christmas lights, and lunch and dinner events. We had 1 new convert. All thanks to God!

Testimony written by Lee Wong (Hope LA Church Website)

HOPE LOS ANGELES: CARE LEADERS RETREAT

I thank God for the opportunity to put together the Care Leaders Retreat for the church this year, which was held on the 7th-8th of December.On the first night, Pastor Ben, Pastor Dinah, Pastor Chai, Crystal, all the care leaders, unit leaders and ministry leaders gathered together at the Spice Thai Basil Restaurant in Alhambra to share our Thanksgiving to God for the whole year of 2007.

The sharing from each care leader, and unit leader showed God's faithfulness in our lives and the lives of our members. We could see the fruitfulness in each care group of how God demonstrated his blessings and love toward us.

Pastor Chai also shared with us the milestones our church has achieved over the past 16 years. It made all of us realise how privileged we are to be a part of this church, and to see how our church continues to grow in the hands of our mighty God.

Each care leader, and unit leader also got a chance to evaluate their respective care groups. It was an opportunity for me to see the hearts of each leader; who have poured out to God's people in our care groups.

The night ended with Pastor Ben's encouragement and his vision for the leaders. We are always thankful for the time that Pastor Ben and Pastor Dinah spend with us. The night went well as we all shared a fun and blessed meal together. We went home with hearts full of thanks and awaited a great meeting for the next day to prepare for next year.

On Saturday December the 8th, all of us came to the church for a meeting and the ministering of the Holy Spirit. The day started by exercising to help us get ready for the day. Then we all got to do what we love to do the most: worshipping God. After praise & worship, Pastor Chai led us in prayer. Pastor Dinah shared with us Psalms 69:9 and Pastor Ben also confirmed what Pastor Dinah shared with us.

Pastor Dinah also prophesied over several leaders and I saw tears flowing down some of their faces. I thank God for His word that not only encouraged us, but also helped us realised how he loves and cares for all of us.

Pastor Ben taught the leaders a great lesson on pioneer ministry. I got really excited and was very encouraged by his lesson; I wished he could have taught us some more.

Next, Pastor Chai shared with us the church goals for the next 5 years, which I am certain that God will help us achieve. We also discussed 2008 ministry and what we will be focusing next year. Each unit leader also spent time discussing and planning for their units with each care group leader. The retreat ended with the Congregational Vision that Pastor Chai shared. This stirred our hearts to put the vision into our souls and pray together that God's hands will continue to be upon us and guide us in His way. Thank God for this retreat.

Testimony written by Emmy Betts, Hope LA Church (Website)


FEATURE ON HOPE IRVINE MEMBERS

Pastor Albert, his wife Doreen and four kids (Sarah, Rachel, Paul, Rebecca) from Hope Kota Kinabalu in Sabah went to Irvine, Southern California in Orange County for church planting in 2002. Before that they pioneered churches in Hope Kota Kinabalu & Hope Kuching (BM) in Malaysia.

(Hope Irvine Website)

[Family photo: Ps Albert Ngu & wife Doreen & children: Sarah, Rachel, Paul, Rebecca]

[Below: Celebrating Christmas]

Below is a special interview on 2 members from Hope Irvine, South California

Angela Stewart

Graduated from University of California-Irvine with a major in Drama Studies. She is currently working part-time while seeking a career in the field of Theatre.

How long have you been with Hope Irvine?
Angela: About 4 years.

How did you find out about the church?
A flyer passed out advertising Sunday service.

What do you enjoy most about Hope Irvine?
The close community and accountability within our care group.

What keeps you in a small church?
The sincerity and zealous spirit of all the members. Everyone is growing to become leaders; no one falls through the cracks in this church. We are all passionate because our leadership is passionate. The opportunity to serve and be involved in all areas of the church. With that privilege come responsibilities. In a small church, every member counts. One has to be committed and willing to make some personal sacrifices because your every action or inaction has a huge impact.

Please convey a message for those who might be thinking of coming to North America.
Be open to change and to be apart of our culture, not to judge it as an outsider, but to come to empathise and understand the issues and sensitivities of our lives. Americans have a growing distrust of organised religion and for good reason. So be patient in building up our trust before bringing the Gospel message. We all "know" who Jesus is but we don't all understand how he is relevant for us anymore or if we can trust him with our whole life.

Wendy Chin

A Singaporean, has resided in the US for 6 years. She is working in Hospitality Design industry.

How long have you been with Hope Irvine?
About 4 months. Yeah, still an infant.

How did you find out about the church?
After 3 months of attending different churches in Irvine and LA, I goggled once more for churches within 5 miles proximity of my apartment, and Hope Church came 2nd in line! I liked their simple and fresh looking website and visited the church. Since then, I am hooked!

What do you enjoy most about Hope Irvine?
Because it is a small church, it has a more intimate atmosphere with members knowing and caring for one another like being in a family. I definitely enjoy the family fuss being alone here in the USA.

What keeps you in a small church?
The opportunity to serve and be involved in all areas of the church. With that privilege come responsibilities. In a small church, every member counts. One has to be committed and willing to make some personal sacrifices because your every action or inaction has a huge impact.

Please convey a message for those who might be thinking of coming to North America.
If you are financially able and have the desire to live life outside your home ground, come! I can guarantee you that it will be well worth your time and a 'mind-opening' experience. I would not have traded anything (umm. almost) for my time in America.