Our LPD Church of the Week
In 2002, the Chairperson of Fort Langley EFC approached me about what to do with a Korean ministry beginning in their church.
The leaders of this group were Namgyu and Heejoung Lee, recent immigrants from Korea. Namgyu was studying to complete his PhD studies, and while doing this, began a Bible Study with fellow-Koreans settling in the Fort Langley area.
The work began to grow, and soon it was evident that this group would best flourish by becoming a church plant. We figured out how to do this, and Namgyu and Heejoung became our first Korean Church Planters in the EFCC, planting “The Church of the Sent For Life Proclamation.”
After this church was planted, Namgyu has introduced other Korean pastors and churches our district, and we now have seven Korean churches in our LPD. With this growth, we are thankful that we have been able to add Sanghyun (Sam) Cho to our LPD Board as our Korean Liaison.
Namgyu and Heejoung are faithful servants, and have been resilient in serving our Lord over the years. They have met in several locations and have always trusted the Lord to provide and grow.
Namgyu also continued his studies, and received his PhD in New Testament Studies through the University of Manchester. We are so thankful for Rev. Dr. Namgyu and Hejoung Lee, and we appreciate them and their faithful and fruitful ministry in their church and in the Canadian Korean Community.
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War, Pandemic and C.S. Lewis
This week, I posted the following on Facebook.
Some Reflections on Remembrance Day
As we honour our veterans and those who laid down their lives for our freedom this year, it will be in a more private and perhaps more personal way than we have been used to. No gathering at the local cenotaph. My maternal grandfather, James Gowans, a fisherman from Peterhead, Scotland, served in the Royal Navy in WWI. His minesweeper was blown up, and while most of his shipmates perished, was rescued, after clinging to a piece of wreckage for many hours in the North Atlantic. My father, Ray Stewart, had just become a school principal in Surrey, and left this to serve in WWII. He served four years, first in the Canadian Artillery and later in the Intelligence Corp as a translator. I am thankful for them, and for their service, and we will pause to pay our respects and give thanks on November 11.
In 2012, Karen and I travelled to Germany with our daughter, Sarah. We rented a VW camper and travelled about, making our way to Schladming, Austria, where our daughter Sarah was to attend Capernwray (Torchbearers) Bible School. Arriving there, we walked through the town, and very unexpectedly came upon a war memorial near the village town hall. It honoured those who served in both WWI and WWII. I had never been to a war memorial for the “other side,” and found myself deeply moved. The names engraved on the memorial are of young Austrians who my grandfather and father “fought” against. These men were not their enemies, but were those, who by birth were citizens of a country that was at war with the countries of my grandfather and father. The young men, whose names are etched into the stone of the memorial, were called up to serve, and they went – never to return. As I read their names, I wondered about their families, their hopes and their stories, and I felt a deep respect and grief for them. As a pastor, I have served veterans from both “sides.” I have always been moved by their stories and by their sacrifice, and I feel special sympathy for those called up to serve for a cause they neither shared nor believed in. All veterans value our freedom, because all of them know the price of it.
As I shared similar musings in a blog a few years ago, I received a kind email from a lady in Germany. She was moved by my words, and told me that her uncle’s name was among those written on the Schladming memorial. He, serving with the Axis forces, had been killed in action on D-Day. Ironically, this lady had married a British man, whose father had served with the Allied Forces on D-Day. Perhaps, just perhaps, one had taken the life of the other that day.
On this Remembrance Day, I give thanks for those who have served and sacrificed for our freedom, and even more so, remember our peace with God, purchased through the sacrifice of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
I include this piece today, because I learned this week that COVID presents to us circumstances and emotions very much like those of a time of war. Today, we are asking:
As we process such emotions and questions, both personally and among those we lead, how can we best minister to others?
We do not have the answers to the above questions. We do not know how long COVID will last. We cannot promise people that they and their loved ones will not become sick. We do not know the outcome or end of COVID, and we do not know what life and “normalcy” will be post-COVID..
At the outbreak of WWII, C.S. Lewis preached a sermon titled , “Learning in Wartime.” This has been referenced in a number of contexts and is applicable to our situation today. Lewis states, “We are mistaken when we compare war to ‘normal life.’ Life has never been normal. Even those periods we think most tranquil, like the nineteenth century, turn out on closer inspection, to be full of crises, alarms, difficulties, emergencies.
He also spoke of the necessity and value in “carrying on” in the midst of uncertainty. He states, “If we thought we were building up a heaven on earth, if we looked for something that would turn the present world from a place of pilgrimage into a permanent city satisfying the soul. … we are disillusioned, and not a moment too soon.”
Here is a link to an article in Christianity Today that references Lewis’ work: https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2001/
For further reading, here is a link to Lewis’ full message, preached 1n 1939:
Lewis.Learning%20in%20War-Time.pdf
As we listen, minister and plan, let’s be mindful that our God is the God of the Ages. He is faithful and His promises are true. Let us be messengers of hope, and let us carry on with our mission!
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Ron Koleba, District Superintendent of the Central District shared the following quote with his churches this week:
The power of Christianity lay not in its promise of other-worldly compensations for suffering in this life, as has to often been proposed, No, the crucial change that took place in the third century was the rapidly spreading awareness of faith that delivered potent antidotes to life’s miseries here and now! The truly revolutionary aspect of Christianity lay in moral imperatives such as “Love one’s neighbor,” Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, “ “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” and “When you did it to the least of my brethren, you did it unto me.” These were not just slogans. Members did nurse the sick, even during epidemics …
Rodney Stark , “CITIES OF GOD.” p.30
Stark presents a picture of practical and caring ministry in the midst of life’s hardships. Karen and I are thankful to find lot of opportunities to reach out to and serve our neighbours through COVID. No policies needed – just being neighbours 🙂
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Upcoming events:
Together for Good
National Day of Marriage
Presented by Family Life Together
Saturday, November 21 – next Saturday!
By signing up, you can stream this free event from your home
Here is the link for information and registration:
https://www.facebook.com/familylifecanada/posts/10157441044920009
Here is the link to the event’s Facebook Page
familylifecanada.com/event/tfg-2020/
Here is a preview video:
https://vimeo.com/473122887
Registration is filling up, so please check this out today, and forward this information to your church
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Pastor Sammy Kabyemera of Jesus Grace International Church presents us with an opportunity to minster to brothers and sisters in Ugandan refugee camps.
Pastor Sammy is inviting us to participate in a special Christmas offering for those in the Kyaka Refugee Camp. He writes, “These children need basic necessities year round. But at Christmas time I am hoping to give them an extra special gift for food ,clothes or at least toys. Please help me send love and joy to them in this holiday season in the name of Jesus.” As I write, Pastor Sammy is setting up mechanism for giving online – please look for this information as it is available:
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Please Remember our LPD Missionaries:
Here is the link to their information and how to support them:
Please remember all of our LPD Missionaries (and all missionaries) at this time.
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)
Nathan and Amber Kinsey (Winsome Games)
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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 contact us for info on:
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Please pray for:
