SPECIAL FOCUS: NORTH AMERICA CHURCHES

HOPE TORONTO: EASTER WEEKEND 2008

March 20-24 marked Pastor Ben’s first ever visit to Toronto and with Hope Toronto.

“The first sight of Hope Toronto at work started on March 22nd, when we started a rewarding day with our traditional welcome, a Pot Luck lunch. With members from all over the world, we were treated to a wide variety of food ranging from sushi to curry. After a warm lunch on a cold day, we settled down to our first teaching.

Pastor Ben started the teaching session with the lesson on how to have a spiritually rewarding year in 2008. The lesson refreshed our minds and allowed us to get back on track on the goals and resolutions we set for ourselves at the start of the year.

After a short but yet much needed refreshment break, we started our second lesson on strategic planning that can help Hope Toronto grow. During the session, we were rewarded with many fresh and innovative plans on how to help Hope Toronto grow. This particular lesson really ignited the fire that has been extinguished in many of the members’ hearts. Driven by passion and will, the members of Hope Toronto pledge on their commitment to help Hope Toronto grow. We ended the day with a sumptuous dinner and warm fellowship while enjoying the food.

Easter service was rather special as we had 3 first-time visitors and 2 returning visitors joining our service. We started Sunday service with our usual praise and worship before settling down to attend the preaching by Pastor Ben. He preached on the essence of church and the critical components that make a church. We had an afternoon session of question and answer with him. Sunday ended with a warm fellowship at a nearby restaurant where we enjoyed dinner before bidding farewell to Pastor Ben. The members took time to thank Pastor Ben for forking out time to visit Hope Toronto.”

Reno Chow, Hope Toronto Coordinator.

“It’s been six months since I joined Hope Toronto. It is really a tough months for me but I didn’t look at it as a discouragement because I know God has a great plan for me when I decided to stay.

I always remember Loretta and Paul telling me not to b discouraged for all the things that I observed in the church and I indeed follow their advice. I always tell myself that the race is not yet done so I need to focus and do what God has told me to do. Loretta and I hold a care group every Saturday, we always take time to pray for all the concerns of the church and we just cling on God’s promises and that makes us stronger.

We really thank God for all the things He has done for us especially when He send Pastor Ben here in Canada this Easter to encourage each one of us here in Hope Toronto.

He taught us on strategy how to evangelise and on how to grow spiritually not only as an individual but also as a church. He also challenged us that everyone needs to rise up. Indeed it is really time to rise up and it is also time to go out from our comfort zone. We are really blessed from all the teachings that he shared. It was indeed a wonderful Easter weekend. We are glad and appreciate all the efforts of Pastor Ben.”

Jocelyn Navarro

HOPE VANCOUVER: MINISTRY WITH PASTOR DINAH

I want to thank God for Pastor Dinah who, out of her busy schedule and on very short notice, came on March 17, 2008 to minister to our leadership team in Hope Vancouver.

Pastor Dinah taught our leadership team to prepare themselves for the ‘Best Year Ever’ in our life of service to the Lord and the importance of being a person of God and not just doing for God. One of our leaders, Johnnie, mentioned afterwards that “as spiritual leaders, we have to energise ourselves first before we can energise others. Watch out for self doubt and fear. Let’s not be deceived by our feelings, but seek God's truth." Marilyn, our worship leader, mentioned that she felt refreshed because she came expecting to hear from God.

Four leaders took annual leave to join this leadership session. One took time off his business while another closed her restaurant.

After the teaching session in the morning, we continued with a time of worship and prophetic word of God in the afternoon. I was asked by Pastor Dinah to lead the worship and to minister prophetic words to our leaders. I started with the song "I Worship You oh Mighty God". During the time of our praising the Lord, many felt the presence of God and were overwhelmed. Tears started to flow and our leaders expressed their heart to God with spiritual songs and hands lifted.

It was in that heartfelt moment for God that Pastor Dinah asked everyone to kneel before the Lord. She then gave her prophetic word to the group. She told Johnnie that she sees "a rose is blossoming and that only if Johnnie would cut away the thorns that are among it."

To Jeng, Pastor Dinah saw a "fist that is loosely closed and a face that is shut”, and at the same time, "a face that is partially open and a fist is open."

To others, like Christine Lai, Pastor Dinah told her "that her age should not be an issue when serving the Lord despite the fact that she is much older than the others”. Pastor Dinah was able to prophesy over every one of us.

In the end, we all received the word of God with gladness in our hearts and that we want to thank God for such a wonderful time being in the Lord and with Pastor Dinah.

Pastor William & Lan Ao, Hope Vancouver

MERGER OF HOPE PORTLAND & HOPE SEATTLE


Sunday, 2^nd March 2008 marked a new beginning. This was the first combined service for Hope Portland and Hope Seattle. The last service for Hope Portland was 17^th Feb.

Virtually all the Hope Portland members moved to Seattle. The best way to tell this story is to have the two Portland leaders tell their story of this move to Seattle. Here is David and Ann Lee’s stories plus photos of the the merged church.

"This year’s first pastors’ retreat has been particularly beneficial with a new direction on merging of Hope Portland and Hope Seattle. We really believe that God will spread seeds of planting all across America.....

This moving was particularly tough because everything in Portland was in place for us, job, family, and friends but we want to be true to the calling of God, but to be honest leaving our home and comfortable environment to a brand new place really required God’s favor.

I really didn’t want to move originally but since my husband has been entrusted with God’s vision of unity I really had to submit myself and support the move and vision.

But the decision making process was played with conflicts and turmoil. Part of me didn’t want to give up the lifestyle accustomed in Portland and the other part really treasured the family and friends I’ve had over the years. Since Portland has been my home since I was thirteen years old it was very difficult to leave such a place filled with wonderful memories."

By Ann Lee

“It happened during the 2007 Hope NA Camp in the middle of a pastors’ meeting. For the last ten years, my walk with the Lord has been mostly a silent journey...

Of course God answers my prayers and comforts me in time of need, but I have never had the opportunity to encounter God’s actual audible voice, until it happened to me during the 07 NA Camp. After being appointed by Pastor Ben to lead the Hope of Portland, I was praying and relying on God to give a new direction for me to better lead the church. It was during the meeting when I heard the words “Time to unite, stronger together.”

I did not understand the meaning at first. As the pastors’ meeting went on, the topic was about church planning, I felt a particular strong burden rising within me to do “whatever it takes” for the kingdom.

I really felt by consolidating our forces with Hope of Seattle, together, we would be able to do much more for the kingdom of God. Once we’ve built the Seattle church, we can go back and replant Portland again.

But even though Seattle is only a three hours drive away from Portland, this move was a total foreign transformation for my family as well as for the rest of the Hope Portland team. The more I thought about the move, the more I didn’t believe it could and would happen. We were already established in Portland, both my wife and I were blessed with real good jobs. We just bought a house in a nice area last year, and my family was helping us taking care of our new born baby, Faith.

I didn’t think too much about the move for a few months; it was around December, 2007, when God spoke to me again and again about the move. I wanted to make sure it was really from God, so I listed out five conditions in my prayer daily and asked if is truly God’s will, He will answer all my conditions.

The conditions were;

• One, the entire core team from Hope Portland will be able to come;
  
• Two, I’ll be able to find a good replacement to lead our university care group;
  
• Three, my wife and I will both get a job in Seattle prior to the move;
  
• Four, our house can be rented out quickly; and
  
• Five, that we’ll be able to find help in Seattle to help take care of our baby.

The response was the most astonishing testament to the phrase “when God’s with you, nothing can come against you.” Every single one of the conditions was met within a one month period.

Even during a housing slump, I was able find a tenant to sign a lease for two years for my house within a day of my ad posting. My wife’s job was able to be transferred to their Seattle. A good friend of mine from InterVarsity agreed to continue our group on the university campus, which currently is still growing. Since there was no branch office for my work, I had to quit my job and start looking anew in Seattle. But when God closes a window, He always opens a wider door. He lead me to my dream job in Seattle, on April 14^th, I will be working for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which is an exact match with my current graduate study of Government Management. I have been looking for a job like this in Portland, but was never able to find one.

My aunts and uncles, who are non-believers, started to wonder in amazement with the smoothness of my move, and I just kept telling them, “It’s not me, it’s God.”

What was more unbelievable was the fact that I instructed all the core team in Hope Portland to pray for conditions like myself to assure ourselves that the move is God’s will. So overall, God didn’t only answer ALL my conditions, He also answered ALL OF THE conditions bought to Him by the other five people as well.

As I’m writing this testimony in Seattle, I am constantly reminded of Proverbs 29:18 “Who ever obey in the Lord’s divine guidance will have joy.”

For me, I’m still in a state of amazement myself till today. I truly regret I didn’t take this leap of faith earlier so I can experience God’s power sooner. But I’m glad I did it.”

By David Lee

PRAYER FOR NORTH AMERICA CHURCHES

• We need a breakthrough on the visa application process for Team Montreal

• We need additional leaders and musicians in Hope Toronto, Chicago and Orange County

• We are believing God for a record participation in Hope NA Camp from 25-28 Jul in Malibu

For more information on Hope North America churches, do go to www.hopenamerica.org

Or write to Pastor Dinah at dinahhgphua@hopesingapore.org.sg