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Home > Praise and Thanks Volume II |
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Jehovah-Jireh, My Lord
Looking back at the 5 years of Bethany Evangelical Church’s history, we tried to follow the path in counter-cultural way, but at the same time it was difficult as well. For the first year and half or so we held our services in Deacon Park’s place, (who resides in Morgan Hill), or had rotated houses in order to hold worship services.
After some time later, we needed services for our children so we had requested a pastor (that I knew from his college days) to hold the English Ministry and they had gathered at Deacon Park’s place. After the English Ministry had became too big to be held at Deacon Park’s place, the services were held instead at a chapel in the San Jose State University. After that we had borrowed one of the classrooms from a Christian school located in Milpitas.
But, during this well-growing process, there was a rather unpleasant event that happened. The pastor had filed a divorce. After this happened, the pastor offered to resign from his post, but many of the members had prayed, and offered them to see counselors to solve this problem. But they ended up separating in the end, and things started to go downhill in membership. After the previous summer, with the pastor’s mother, 2 children, there were only 2 other families left in that service. One of the families had 2 children, who were in their early teens. They offered to resign from this service to move to another church instead.
After having many discussions with members, the English Ministry was decided to be closed instead.
Meanwhile, I had taken duty in “Small Size Church”. At first, it was held in my senior apartment through other couples who had problems, and were introduced to them. After some time later, the services were met in a couple-ran learning school classroom. I had used my best of the chances to all the Korean students’ parents and staff there to evangelize the gospel. My goal was to make small groups within our Lord, to raise new workers into Christ, to have 10 or more newly saved members. The members in our group were like one family and had helped each other out in raising new members.
We had split the funds we received from the Korean Worship Service into 3 directions – Missions, scholarship, and helping the poor. As a retired pastor, I was getting money from the Social Security Administration (Tax refunds etc.). To hold truthful and holy worship, serving others with endless love, and to have a growth-full vision sharing was very deep. We had discussions that one day all of us would have to be leaders to evangelize others. We knew the task would be monumental and difficult. The difficulty arising from several of the members having to support their elderly parents, very busy daily work schedules, and to prepare for their future.
After agreeing to the vision given to us by God, after about 3 years later, we decided to agree upon that vision again and had deep conversations. The paths that we have to split into were meaningful through our Lord, and the opportunity to serve in it was great, but through many complications, it was hard to carry the service on. Therefore, there were no more reasons to gather for the small group meetings, after this year, all Korean services were also closed as well. After that, each member all went to serve in their own churches as they desired.
On another note, the small hope was through that entire event, there was a chance to readjust our vision that was given. It was to spreading to the next generation – to reach out and find new workers unto Christ. The main concern of youths all leaving church is obvious. To reach out to the youth and to have a church for them, to raise them and ministering them is loose ended. In year 1994, I met with a Mr. Daniel Ryu, who was trained by me during my ‘Youth Born Again Mission’. While he was in college, he helped with me starting a new church plant called Silicon Valley Open Door Church. After graduating college, I introduced him to Christian & Missionary Alliance Theological Seminary so he can study further, and after graduating, I introduced him as the interim pastor of my denomination. When I moved to San Jose in 2007, Pastor Daniel Ryu also started working at a church in San Francisco and would meet up with me regularly to pray together.
Last year, he had finished his 7 year ministry and was heading to theologian school to study mission training for a year. His church desired for him to return, while he could’ve submitted for another church, he decided on a very difficult choice. He wanted to stay and to evangelize many of the Korean foreign exchange students to study and learn English.
For the last month or so, with Reverend Ryu, and the remaining English ministries members and my wife and I had gathered every Saturday morning 10AM to have a prayer meeting. While trusting that the Lord will close one path to open up another path to travel…
I prayed that I would meet students who don’t know the Lord, and that I would have a good contact with them. In this area’s Korean School’s size are very large and about 50 or so assistance staff had come to study abroad to help – which I heard from the principle of that school. I had been introduced to a student who had made a Korean student group, and his sister whom I taught the bible for few months, and one other friend of theirs. Reverend Ryu has been meeting with them for while. Through them, many unbelieving students were introduced, and when they have hard time learning English or have hard time in general, there were many opportunities to teach them of the Lord while mentoring.
Through volunteer work mentoring, we were looking for more people to help minister when besides Reverend Ryu, three other people had agreed to help with endless love.
Another thing I prayed was to have a place to gather for the students to grow in Christ.
One particular church had no senior pastor for while after they had left, the church I served temporarily happened to be in-front of the school that I wanted to evangelize. I had met with a deacon (who had a very important role in his church) to share the vision. He said that he would look for a place for us to gather. Because that particular church was great in evangelizing, using that church’s name, starting next Sunday (January 3rd,) from 4:30 PM we were allowed to use the church for 2 hours!
There was one more thing I had to pray for. Many of the members of Reverend Ryu’s church had moved to the general area of San Jose and are all looking for churches. Also the reverend has 3 young children and, our members also needed place to worship during Sunday, borrowing a church isn’t easy, nor if there was one, would the rent fee be expansive. So we were going to borrow a class room from the city’s Community Center. But Reverend Ryu’s father thought of the new ministry and of where to gather for worship, and had thought of a Korean Community building and called him. Last Saturday (December 26) they both went to the Korean Community Hall to ask about renting a place there, but the person in charge wasn’t there so they returned.
When I heard of this news, I thought of the church I served every last Sunday. There was an elder there that had a good connection with the Korean Community Hall. Perhaps if I spoke with him, I would be able to get a help and had called him. When I called this elder, he said that he knew of the person in charge very well. Apparently he was an elder that would come whenever I preach and told me his name. I had sometimes had meals with him after the service and talked about daily happenings. He was a very faithful elder who was a retired elder, since his house was very close he would attend this church (Ark’s Church in San Jose). Since the 27th of December was the last Sunday, he would attend the service. I said that “I would discuss the matter further when the elder comes” and hung up. When the next Sunday came, the elder didn’t attend that day! I called him to ask about meeting tomorrow, but he said that the meeting would be impossible until 9PM the next day.
At last, a call came 8:30AM in the morning. The elder who was involved in the Korean Community would meet with me 10AM in the morning. I prayed before I left, and while driving prayed for the building to be used. In this peaceful meeting with the elders, I requested permission to use one of the rooms for service. After hearing my request the elder said, “Sure let’s do that. I will give the keys right now.” After which, he asked “Which room would you like to use?” I was one of the judges for a Korean Language School’s essay contest last spring here; I decided to request for these 2 particular classrooms that I was familiar with. After submitting simple paper work, I asked about the renting fee. “Just whatever funds you get from offering” was fine, and that “only 100 dollars are fine” was the answer. I offered to have an offering slightly larger than that. Finally he wanted to explain how to open the door (since the door opening sequence was complex,) and kindly explained me how to open the door then handed me the key. “You are now allowed to use the place first Sunday of 2016…”
I give praise to our Lord, Jehovah Jireh… Hallelujah!
(December 29th, 2015)
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Youtuber Reverend? (23,000 views coming soon…) 
Jehovah-Jireh, My Lord