In 1954, Carl Fosmark began a Sunday School ministry in south Burnaby BC. It was a growing area in the post-war years, as families migrated from Vancouver towards the suburbs. The Sunday school grew, becoming Burnaby Evangelical Free Church, and the church impacted the community for Christ.
Over time, the population began to change. As families were raised, people moved, and the church declined in attendance. New people came to the area, many of them immigrants from Hong Kong. In 1991, Burnaby Evangelical Free Church ceased, in order to make way for the birth of Burnaby Chinese Evangelical Free Church.
Over these 29 years, the first generation of immigrants have raised their families, and now the church is reaching to three generations of people, having ministries in Cantonese, Mandarin and English.
Please pray for this church family, our Church of the Week, as they seek to reach out, and like, all of us, face the challenges of ministering online to a congregation that is so diverse.
We are thankful for Pastor Sam (Amelia) Lam, Pastor Grace Chang and Pastor Danny (Erico) Wu, as they faithfully serve and minister to three generations and in three languages.
Leadership and Lament Today
One of the challenges of leadership can be the pressure to feel that we need to have the answer to every challenge and concern that comes our way. People look to us for direction – for hope – for a sense of security.
One day, a large family joined me for a family outing on our sailboat. None of them had boating knowledge, and as they boarded, they spread themselves around the deck, propped against the rail.
As we headed out, I raised the sails, and with the strong winds, the sails were soon full, and we were moving along at a good speed. The boat was also heeling over significantly, as we pounded through the waves.
Though all aboard were wearing Personal Floatation Devices, my concern grew as we headed into the Salish Sea. “What if someone fell overboard?” I asked myself. How could I do a “man overboard” rescue when I was the only one capable of handling the boat, and directing a rescue? We proceeded with caution, and I soon headed into more sheltered waters.
When we brought our boat back to the dock, one of the passengers spoke to me as he disembarked. He said, “I was feeling really rather scared when we were out in the wind and the waves, but when I looked back and saw that you, the captain looked calm, I felt assured that we would all be okay!” As he spoke, I thought, “If only he knew.”
As leaders, people look to us for direction – for hope – for a sense of security.
To be honest, we have all had moments as leaders when we have not known what to do or what to say – to the family facing the terminal illness of their son or daughter. To the person who has just lost their job. To the person who has suffered a life-altering injury. Perhaps we have recently felt this way, in the midst of COVID-19 and now racial tension and conflict.
Sometimes – it is okay to not have the answers. Is not our role to point people to the One who can address their needs – Jesus Christ? If we are insecure, we will feel the need to offer “something,” if for no other reason than to feel we have, “justified our existence” as a vocational leader.
King Jehoshaphat faced a crisis. He was facing military invasion from three nations, all at once. Overwhelmed, he didn’t know what to do, and directed people to call upon the Lord. Louie Giglio speaks of this, in his article, “We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on you.“
we-dont-know-what-to-do-but-our-eyes-are-on-you.html
He suggests that we, as leaders take a posture of humility, and pray in a manner like this,
Dear God, I lift my eyes to You. Please disrupt my false sense of control and my overblown confidence in my own abilities. I humbly bow and ask for your supernatural strength, wisdom and courage so I can endure these days and lead myself and others with faith for the future. My daily prayer will be: I don’t know what to do, but my eyes are on you. Lead me and use me as an agent for your glory. In Jesus name, Amen.
As we face this season of pandemic and racial conflict, we do not need to be pressured into “quick fixes,” or words of wisdom. Perhaps our best leadership is to listen, to grieve with people and then to simply point people to Jesus.
One of the ways in which we can lead in times of grief and hardship, is to lead people in a season of lament. To lament is to express deep regret, grief, or sorrow, and while we do not speak of this much today, there is a whole book of the Bible dedicated to this – “Lamentations.” Ed Stetzer writes, “Perhaps the church needs to allow space for people to lament—to wonder why, to ask questions, and to work through grief. Maybe we needn’t be a people of quick answers but instead of soft hearts and listening ears.”
Friends who serve with Power to Change Ministries forwarded to me a prayer of lament, written by a co-worker, Corey Porter, who works with Student Ministry.
I resonate with his prayer – perhaps you will as well.
God of justice and love, we struggle to see where you are in this moment. Don’t you see all the evil, confusion, and tension that we humans are experiencing? Why don’t we see you intervening? What are you calling us to do? Even if we knew what that was, what hope do we have that we can possibly prevent this dark evil from happening again?
We are overcome with grief over the death of George Floyd and the entrenched racism that this act represents. We are saddened by the violent response of so many who express their pain in rioting and destructive ways.
In our pandemic isolation, we feel alone and overwhelmed by all the social commentary and opinions online: disagreements over what the problem is, who is responsible, how to act, and what the solutions should be.
We confess our ignorance and our neglect of the voices of those who have long suffered the trauma of systemic, generational injustices.
Help us learn to truly listen. To the pain. To the anger. To the despair of those who are suffering, and believe that it will never change. To the hope of those who are suffering, and yet are looking to you, forgiving and collaborating with those of other races to heal together. Help us to keep leaning into listening.
We confess our part in racism. We have stereotyped certain characteristics of races not our own. We have developed narratives, beliefs, and systems of prejudice towards races not our own. We have acted in discrimination towards races not our own.
Lord, grant us grace and forgiveness, and the ability to quickly recognize, acknowledge, and confess the stigma and racism that has taken hold in us.
As we wrestle with how and how much to speak up, we confess that we fear getting it wrong, saying it wrong. Part of us just wants to be silent. To avoid the conversation altogether and “stay safe.” To be complacent. Grant us humility to engage in conversations where there is disagreement, to accept constructive criticism with curiosity and intention to clarify and understand, always thinking the best of and loving unconditionally those who disagree with us.
Jesus, we long for you to come and make all things new, from interpersonal relationships to governance structures. We trust that what you have in store for all people, especially for your children who have faith in you, is all good and only good.
Grant us faith and hope in your infinite goodness, power, and justice, through which you will work all things together for the good for us who lament and yet love and trust you. We long for the day when you will wipe away all of our tears and relieve all of our grief.
Lord, may you breathe new life and energy into our desire for human equality and justice for all. Give us trust that the Holy Spirit can bring shalom out of chaos, confusion, and loss, and bring flourishing life.
Amen.
As we journey together through this season of both pandemic and strife, may I encourage you, as fellow servant-leaders to know what it is to lead with both humility and lament. To point people to Jesus is not because I have failed as a leader, but rather is that I have fulfilled my role as a leader, as John the Baptist modeled for us so many years ago, “He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:30).
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Related to the above theme, here is an article that may be an encouragement to pastors and leaders today. It is by Joe Rainey, and is titled, “4 TRAITS PEOPLE SHOULD SEE IN THEIR PASTOR DURING A PANDEMIC.”
4-traits-people-should-see-in-their-pastor-during-a-pandemic
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June 27, 2020, 10AM
EFCC National Conference – Virtual
Business_Meeting_Agenda_1_.pdf
Church_Delegate_Information_AGM_2020.pdf
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Coach’s Corner – with Steve Sharpe, LPD Missionary of Church Planting and Development (srsharpe@shaw.ca). Steve shares coaching insights for pastors, church leaders and church planters. This week, he writes on, “DISCIPLE MAKING: CREATING PRODIGAL MOMENTS.” Here is the link: PRODIGAL_MOMENTS_19Jun2020.pdf
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Please remember all of our LPD Missionaries (and all missionaries) at this time.
Here is the link to their information and how to support them:
https://www.lpd-efcc.ca/donations/
LPD Missionaries
Dan and Sharon Williams (Osoyoos Project)
Steve and Gillian Sharpe (Missionary of Church Planting Development)
Jonathan and Harmony Ng (Inner City Ministry)
Noel and Lynda Macasaet (New Living Assembly)
Jorge and Emily Lin (Church of All Nations/”new”New West EFC)
Joshua and Nicole Fast (Priceless Youth Ministry)
Allen and Hannah Chang (Steveston Project)
Daniel and Joyce Wong (Steveston Project)children-and-youth-ministry-at-steveston-project
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HELPFUL INFORMATION FOR CHURCHES REGARDING COVID-19
We in the LPD are here to serve you and your church through this time. Josephine has been continually updating our information, so has the most current information available on resources available to you and your church in this time. Please email Josephine in the office.
Please contact us for:
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Please pray for:
