Jubilee Chapel
– our LPD Church of the Week
Thanks to Anna (Ben) Crumback at Sointula Community Church for producing the Church of the Week!
Jubilee Chapel meets at the site of Fort Langley EFC on Sunday afternoons. Pastored by Rev. Dr. Paul (Jin) Yang, this church is composed of Korean students, some of whom are pastors furthering their training at ACTS Seminary, their families and other Korean immigrants.
We are thankful for this church family, for their commitment to discipleship, and to training and equipping leaders for Christ’s Church globally.
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Should I stay or should I go?
One of the hardest and loneliest decisions a pastor can make is to leave a
given ministry. When a pastor leaves a church ministry, it involves not only
leaving a ministry position, but usually also leaving one’s church family and
even community.
Over my years of ministry, I have made decisions to both stay and to go, and
such decisions have always been difficult. A pastor does not want to remain in
a ministry, simply for comfort, fear of change or of the unknown. A pastor also
does not want to leave a ministry for another for comfort (more salary), the
sake of change or the adventure of the unknown.
If there is a conflict in a church, a pastor does not want to remain and be a
cause of conflict. He or she will also not want to add to the conflict by
leaving, and people sensing that he or she has been bullied out.
Sadly, sometimes, the decision is made for pastors, and they are “forced
out.” Often, this is unfair, and damaging to the church, the pastor and
family, and to the Name of the Lord.
I recall a rather difficult time in my ministry journey. It was probably the
loneliest time in my life, as I sought to discern what God was saying in the
midst of turmoil and conflicting counsel. As much as I was tempted to quit, I
felt no peace in this, and I am glad that i didn’t. God used this time to
affirm my calling, gain empathy and to grow in my trust in Him.
I have been approached for ministry opportunities, by people who believed I was
called to serve with them. I have said no. When approached by our district, as
reluctant as I was to go, I believed God was calling me to venture into the
unknown, and to leave what I loved and knew. It was hard, but it was right.
So, how does one know what to do?
Several writers and pastors have shared their stories, and lessons learned
along the way. Here is one from Chuck Swindoll that I believe you will
enjoy:
should-i-stay-or-should-i-go.html
Transitions are part of life. My
prayer is that pastoral transitions will be both godly and honest. There will
be a time of transition for all of us, and when that time comes, I trust that
we can honour the Lord and one another as we do so.
Please pray for your
pastor(s) and their families. Your church is not only where they serve – you
are also their church family, and ministry is mutual. May your pastor be sensitive to the
voice of God and led by His Spirit.
I often find that potential conflict in transition can come from one’s
understanding of ministry, and to this end, I wrote an article on the Three Lenses of Ministry. Healthy
pastoring and healthy transitions will include an appreciation of all three
lenses.
Making_Sense_of_Pastoral_Ministry_Today_the_three_lenses_of_pastoral_ministry.pdf
***
Who’s Who in the LPD?
Since 2010, Rev. Dr. Paul Yang and his wife
JinGyung have pastored Jubilee
Chapel, a church that used to meet on the campus of ACTS
Seminary, and now meets at the site of Fort
Langley EFC. Jubilee Chapel joined the LPD/EFCC in March 2012,
and in February of 2013, Dr. Yang transferred his ordination to the EFCC.
Dr. Yang is also the Director of the
Christian Worldview Studies in Korean Program at ACTS Seminaries and Director
of the Vancouver Institute for Evangelical Worldview.
He is somewhat uniquely positioned as a bridge between Korean culture and that
of Canada, both in worldview and also in church, and we very much value Paul as
a member of our LPD Board in the position of Korean Liaison.
He has been instrumental in us adopting Grace Hanin Community Church, One Hope
Church and Cross Fellowship Church into the family, and also in the
credentialing of several Korean pastors. As a translator, he has also
undertaken to translate the EFCC introductory booklet, “A Closer
Look” into Korean.
We are thankful for Paul and Jin and for their partnership in ministry.
Please pray for:
Upcoming Events:
“Arise Ministers Conference”
We are thankful for Pastor Sammy Kabyemera (Eva),
who pastors Jesus Grace
International Church, a church in Vancouver. Sammy, Eva and
their six children came to Canada as refugees from Congo, via an Ugandan
Refugee Camp.
While their church ministers primarily to African Immigrants, they retain a heart for the people and church of Africa. Sammy is troubled by the spread of the “prosperity gospel” in Africa, and is burdened to see that pastors are grounded in the Word of God and equipped to teach and guide God’s people.
Sammy is trusting God to travel to
Africa for a mission trip to train and equip African Pastors through a
conference that he has been asked to speak at. Please see the attached email, to
learn more of this conference, and the need in Africa, and how we can support
this important ministry to brothers and sisters in Africa.
Arise_Pastors_Conference_2019.pdf
Please prayerfully consider giving towards this mission
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CAMP EVERGREEN
August 5-10
This local summer camp is affiliated with the Lower Pacific District, and provides a great opportunity to extend your church ministry through camp, and to follow up afterwards. Many district families, including ours have benefited through this ministry, both in the children’s camp and leadership development in the LTD program. This summer, there is a children’s camp (Aug. 5-10), a teen camp and the LTD Leadership Program. Check out their website for details:
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LPD/EFCC Pastor and Staff Orientation
All pastors staff and interested volunteers are welcome too this opportunity to learn about the history, ethos, doctrine and ministries of the EFCC. Orientation is a requirement for all persons seeking credentialing in the EFCC, and is valuable for everyone in EFCC churches.
Here is the info.
Pastor_and_Staff_Orientation_2019_Invitation.pdf
You can register online
at:
https://www.efccm.ca/wordpress/pastors-orientation/
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Best Practices for Mission Workshop
The Best Practice for Church Missions Workshop, developed by Fellowship International and Northwest Baptist Seminary, has benefited almost 50 churches across Canada. It has been designed to help churches navigate the maze of missions options to become effective and strategic partners in God’s mission to the world.
This one-day workshop provides church leadership and missions committee members the opportunity to revisit and clarify their missions program. The interactive format encourages vision and passion as participants see a role and purpose for their leadership in missions involvement.
Join others in a day of discovery and decision making that will give clarity, purpose – and a plan – for impacting missions participation.
Book your table soon, there is only room for 6 churches.
Date: Saturday October 5
Time:
9.30 – 3.30
Cost per
church (includes lunch): $80 (up to 6 participants), $100 (7-10 participants),
$120 (11-15 participants)
Venue: Vancouver Chinese
Evangelical Free
3295 E Broadway (at Rupert)
Missions_Committe_Workshop_brochure.doc
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LPD Pastor and Spouse Retreat
Nov. 22-24, 2019
Hello LPD pastors, we’d like to
invite you to join us on Nov.
22-24, 2019 for a Pastors’ retreat! We’d like to
encourage you to take a breather in late November (before Advent begins) with
your fellow pastors at Camp
Charis in Chilliwack.Registration is open on our LPD Website. Please
see:
https://www.lpd-efcc.ca/event/lpd-pastor-and-spouse-retreat/
