– our LPD Church of the Week
Hope City Church is a church that we all have a part in. It began in the hearts of a young pastor and wife, Phil and Grace Yung, serving in a church they loved, yet feeling a call to something new, something outside of their then current ministry, and something outside an existing church.
As we walked with this couple, they went through a process of discernment and assessment, which affirmed a call to church planting. They became LPD Church Planting Missionaries in 2012, went through a church planting bootcamp, followed by an internship in southern California, and were mentored and coached by Charlie Worley and later Steve Sharpe.
Our district invested in them financially, as did churches and individuals. We set up an Advisory Committee, and walked with them as they gathered a Core Team, and discerned what God was inviting them to join Him in birthing.
Hope City Church was born, has grown towards maturity, and now is reaching out to the community of Central Burnaby and beyond. It has grown from a church plant to a church that is now self-governing and continually refreshing its call to mission.
Leaders have been raised up, disciples have been made and grown, and Phil and Grace have been joined by a staff team that includes Andrew (Tiffany) Syyong and MIchelle (Aaron) Low.
It has been a joy to walk alongside this work of God, and to enjoy the partnerships that God has used along the way. Vancouver Chinese EFC commissioned them. Our district, ANACEFC (Association of North American Chinese Evangelical Free Churches), district churches and individuals supported them financially. Our district and the EFCC provided coaching and mentoring to them and volunteers from district churches served on our Advisory Committee.
Phil and Grace have grown as children of God, as a couple, as a family (Karissa, Micah and Kayla), and in ministry, and God is using them at Hope City and beyond.
There is an old saying (attributed to several notables) that simply states, “There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don’t care who gets the credit,” and this is so true. Hope City Church is the fruit of the efforts and gifts of many, and we are thankful to serve together to this end. As Paul reminds us, “What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor.” (1 Cor. 3:5-8).
Opening from COVID, Hope City Church is now meeting at the site of Vancouver Christian School. Their website is: https://hopecitychurch.org/
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Practicing What We Preach
A few years ago, our team of Elders did a book study together, and one of the exercises what to write an epitaph for ourselves – as something we would hope would summarize our lives – what we would want to be remembered for. Mine is simply, “He walked with God and practiced what he preached.” That’s all. That’s it.
Over the years, we have seen many trends come and go in the local church. Leadership is one of them.
While the church has always been led by gifted and called leaders (Ephesians 4:11-13), we have not always got this right. The pendulum has shifted over the years, as have the models for ministry and the church leaders that others might seek to emlulate. Sadly, those held in highest regard often do not “finish well.”
Gordon MacDonald, in his book, “Building Below the Waterline,” states,
Today, there is a tremendous emphasis on leadership themes such as vision, organizational strategy, and the “market sensitivity” of one’s message. It’s all great stuff – stuff I wish I had learned when I was a young pastor. But if it is all about what’s above the waterline, we are likely to witness a leadership crash of sorts in the upcoming years. Leaders blessed with great natural skills and charisma may be vulnerable to collapse in their character, their key relationships and their center of belief because they never learned that one cannot (or should not) build above the waterline until there is substantial foundation below it.
To this end, I, like many of you, admire the life and ministry of Timothy Keller, a New York Pastor who has influenced many. He loves the Lord, and though he has pastored a large metropolitan church, is a pastor all can relate to. He practices what he preaches.
He recently wrote a short book titled, “How to Reach the West Again.” This is a practical challenge to live as a positive voice in a negative culture today, and I encourage you to read this. He writes:
Instead of wringing our hands over the loss of cultural influence in Western culture, this decline should prompt us to examine ourselves, pray, and work toward a new missionary engagement with Western culture. We have to model and proclaim the Christian faith in our generation in a way that is both intelligible and compelling to our neighbors.
The book is available in its entirety for free at the following link:
ReachtheWestFullBook.pdf
I resonate with Timothy’s call to “reflect Christ” to our mission fields.
P.S. Timothy Keller was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Let’s pray for him. He is doing okay, and has shared his journey publicly. Here is a link to an interview in the Atlantic Journal: htim-keller-growing-my-faith-face-death He practices what he preaches!
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COVID UPDATE
The BC Centre for Disease Control and BC Ministry of Health continue to state that:
“Worship services are exempt from both the provincial mask mandate that requires mask use in indoor public spaces and the requirement to provide proof of immunization against COVID-19 to access some events, services and businesses. However, faith leaders are supported to implement these additional measures in their in-person services should they desire to do so.”
Here is the full document: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/community-settings/faith-based-spiritual-and-worship-practices
While we will welcome all who attend, please be both considerate and mindful of those who are either compromised and/or specially cautious regarding COVID. Wearing a mask can be an act of servanthood to brothers and sisters who feel vulnerable to COVID.
For current information, please visit our LPD Website under the COVID-19 Safety Tab: https://www.lpd-efcc.ca/covid-19/ Thanks to Josephine for keeping us up to date!
Important News regarding the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) and the Canadian Recovery Hiring Program (CHRP).
The Federal Government announced that the CEWS Program would end on October 23.
Here is a quick summary:
For personal assistance, please contact Josephine at our district office.
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Upcoming LPD Events:
Christmas Dessert and Appy Night for Pastors and Their Spouses
– for mainland pastors and spouses
Friday, December 3 at Johnston Heights Church in Surrey.
