Jubilee Chapel
– our LPD Church of the Week
On January 30, Jubilee Chapel called Pastor Sonkwan Hwang to serve as their lead pastor. Sonkwan Hwang, his wife, Eunhyung Kim and children, have been a part of Jubilee Chapel for several years, as he served as youth pastor and was mentored by Rev. As God directed Dr. Paul and JinGyung Yang to move to Africa for ministry, it became evident that God had prepared Pastor Hwang for this position.
Jubilee Chapel was birthed on the ACTS Campus, and has since moved to Fort Langley EFC, where it meets each Sunday afternoon. Fort Langley EFC also gave birth to our first Korean Church, The Church of the Sent For Life Proclamation, planted and pastored by Rev. Dr. Namgyu and Heejoung Lee since 2002.
Jubilee Chapel includes many Korean students and their families. They have come to Canada to study at ACTS, and serve and grow in the church while studying. Others are residents of Canada and are making Canada their home.
We are thankful for Jubilee Chapel as a part of the LPD/EFCC Family, and invite you to join us in praying for them and their ministry.
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Navigating Our Changing World – Sexuality and Gender
In recent years, all of us have been introduced to issues, vocabulary and challenges that we never could have anticipated. Culture has changed. Attitudes have changed. Behaviour has changed. Laws have changed.
A recent study demonstrates that the number and percentage of people who would not readily identify as being “heterosexual” has grown with each recent generation. According to this U.S. study, more than 20% of “Gen Z” do not identify as being heterosexual. As I view these statistics, I wonder if changing societal attitudes might make readily identifying as heterosexual appear to be “judgemental” and close minded.The article suggests that, “Without compromising the truth of Scripture, encourage open and honest dialogue about identity, gender, and sexual orientation in a loving way.” Here is the article: conversations-key-for-churches-student-ministries-as-lgbtq-identification-rises
What we may have assumed to be true and had taken for granted as “natural” and common sense may now be challenged as being a simple value judgement, our personal opinion or even hateful. Our society has become increasingly intolerant of anything perceived as intolerance.
Nowhere is this more true than on issues of sexuality and gender. Such terms as “assigned gender” might seem strange to all who have viewed gender from a perspective of physical characteristics only. Churches have scrambled to see what Scripture has to say about such issues and some Christians – and some denominations have divided over seeking to square their experiences and feelings with God’s design and God’s Word.
As I round my final lap as your district superintendent, this has been something very much on my heart. Churches have requested guidance. Colleagues in some other denominations have agonized and even left ministry due to their inability to resolve issues of gender and sexuality.
In an article we introduced last spring, we spoke of four postures or “quadrants” that churches might have when it comes to issues of sexuality. These range from “fully affirming” LGBQT+ lifestyle to the exclusion of Scripture, to adherence to traditional biblical teachings on LGBQT+ issues, but assuming a posture of judgement and disdain towards those who identify with this community.
See: A_Four_Quadrant_Framework_for_Thinking_about_Homosexuality_in_the_Church
We, in the EFCC, are in what I believe is both a strong and timely position to address such issues. We stand on the timeless truth of God’s Word. We also take a posture of humility as we acknowledge both our own brokenness and sin and that of others. We rely upon and preach God’s grace and His amazing pursuit of us as His created people.
This posture has been articulated well in a paper approved by our EFCC Board of Directors last weekend. Our Executive Director, Bill Taylor has done much of the work on this on our behalf, and the paper is the fruit of much collaboration by different committees in the EFCC. It seeks to present God’s design, and our posture and attitude toward others. As the paper states, this can sometimes be “messy,” but, as those who have come to experience and rely upon God’s grace, we are called to lovingly present this to others. We do not change or transform anyone – that is God’s work. Here is a link to this paper: EFCC Statement_on_Gender_and_Human_Sexuality_May_2022.pdf
You may also wish to view and file our EFCC Statement on Biblical Marriage: EFCC_Definition_of_Biblical_Marriage.pdf
Another resource is that in the EFCC, all ministry personnel are annually required to sign the Covenant of Personal and Professional Ethics. This articulates how we believe that we, by God’s grace, are called to live as servants of Christ and His church: Covenant_of_Personal_and_Professional_Ethics.pdf
These papers are intended to provide guidance and resources to you and to your church, and we do hope that this will be of assistance to you. As the above papers are approved by our EFCC Board of Directors, you as member churches can use these as your policies, and we encourage you to adopt these into your bylaws.
One more resource is our EFCC Sanctioned “Plan to Protect” program for churches. This protection program has a suggested policy on Gender Identity that you will find helpful for your church. This is included in the latest edition of their handbook on page 147. Please contact Josephine at our district office if you need more information on this.
Though these may be challenging days, God is good and He is faithful. I tire of those who, in the Name of Christ, preach condemnation without hope, and I also tire of those who preach a message of false hope. In Christ, we can be honest as to who we are and how far we fall sort of God’s design and God’s best. Nothing surprises Him – after all, He is the one who has provided the means of salvation and at His own expense. While most religions teach and portray sinful mankind as attempting to reach and gain the acceptance of a holy god, we preach a Holy God who is reaching out to us as broken and sinful people, and through Christ is able to both welcome us and view us as pure and holy in His sight.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.(John 3:16,17)
