State of the Church Report 2 5 2006
It is hard to believe that our 125th church anniversary was only three months ago. Many people gave a great deal of time, effort, and gifts to make our celebration memorable. I know that Sherry Pang worked on the mailing list for many hours. Carolyn Hee and others performed almost miracles in seating the guests for the banquet. Anna Quan Wong had the planning committee over to her house many times—one time we worked until after 11:00 PM. Joy worked on the programs into the night and eventually published the history book in time for Thanksgiving Sunday. Usually when one has finished a major task, we are due some time off. We call this “compensatory time” or it’s time for a vacation!
The theme passage for 2006 comes from Psalm 96:7-9:
Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
Bring an offering, and come into his courts.
Worship the Lord in holy splendor;
Tremble before him, all the earth.
I like that phrase, “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name.” Although we might feel that after working so hard, we are due a vacation, what God seeks from us is glorious worship that is due to him.
How can we worship God with glory that is due his name in 2006?
1. Calling a New Pastor
I have learned many years ago that the church’s ministers are the members of the congregation. Professional ministers or pastors are merely servants of God who are called to enable the ministers in the congregation to ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name. For years, FCBC was known as “James Chuck’s church.” I know that James didn’t like that kind of labeling. FCBC is not “Don Ng’s church” either. It is Christ’s church and you are the ministers. From our anniversary celebration last year when we remembered the names of past pastors, we learned again that pastors come and go but the people of God remain faithfully here to minister in Chinatown.
In 2006, we will have opportunity to call a new Pastor of Chinese-speaking ministry to serve with us at FCBC. We will strive to invite the most qualified and faithful person to serve with us to make the Good News of Jesus Christ known. We want someone who models a deep sense of spirituality and through his lifestyle teaches by his words as well as his actions what it means to be a disciple of Christ. We will want someone who shares our passion for ministry and mission in San Francisco and in Chinatown. We are looking for a colleague who would work collaboratively with the church staff to build up the Body of Christ when we share our gifts in cooperative ministries. Expect nothing less. What we owe God is glorious worship due his name.
2. Missional Church
For a good part of 125 years, we have seen ourselves the objects of missions rather than advocates for missions. The faithful work of the missionaries and Chinese pastors in the past has solidly established our church as a beacon of hope and good news of which we are greatly grateful and indebted. We would not be here if it wasn’t for our forefathers and foremothers. The white marble stone marker on the Sacramento Street side of our building that reads, “Chinese Baptist Mission” reminds us that we were once “objects of missions.” It means that the Baptist had a mission to the Chinese who did not know Christ as Lord. But today, we have another sign. On the front of our church on Waverly Place in both Chinese and in English, we are now the “First Chinese Baptist Church.” No longer a mission, we are now a vibrant and active community of disciples serving Christ with a mission to share the Lord with others. We need to become “advocates for missions.”
We deliberately sponsored the Thailand Mission Discovery trip as a part of our 125th Church Anniversary celebration to dramatically demonstrate to ourselves and to proclaim to others that we want to become advocates for missions. In the coming days, those who traveled to Thailand as well as others on the new Missions Committee will challenge us to become more active in missions. Is God calling you to teach English in Thailand for a semester? Might we become a coffee distributor of hill tribe coffee that will produce income for hill tribe villages that have replaced their opium crops with coffee trees? Is there someone in our congregation who is ready to become a commissioned missionary?
When we become mission oriented—outward focus, we return to the Lord glorious worship due his name.
3. Life of the Church
While we need to be out in the world, the church also needs to care for the life and health of what happens inside the church. Today we received an update on the pledges thus far for 2006. Although we have not yet reached our pledged goal, you have expressed your confidence that giving will increase and will rise to the ministry needs of our church. I believe that to be true as well. As the result of careful monitoring of expenses and the highly successful financial contributions many made toward the expenses for the anniversary celebration last year, we have had to use a very small amount from our reserves to close out 2005. This means our financial picture is good and we stand ready to continue to be faithful to God’s mission for us. We owe God glorious worship due his name.
Some other ministries are worth noting. The Gifts Planning Committee has gotten off to a great start informing and inviting people to make deferred or one-time gifts to the endowment and/or current ministries of our church. You can already see these results in today’s financial statements in the annual reports. Thanks to Joel Jang and his committee.
The 9:30 English Worship has become the regular service for a significant number of worshipers. Some people who are attending this service have never attended any service in our sanctuary in the past. We are reaching new persons for Christ! This congregation is now collecting funds to purchase a brass cross for their worship center.
Pressing issues confront our faith on a daily basis. The emergence of the Social Action Network will help us to understand these disturbing concerns of our times such as homelessness and human trafficking so that we may grow in our faith both in words and in actions. We are called to alleviate human suffering and in doing so we return to God glorious worship due his name.
It would be a gross oversight if I did not acknowledge the fact that the established ministries and programs in our church serve as the primary engine that calls people into discipleship. We have a solid Christian education program that teaches our people about the Bible and life augmented with retreats and summer programs. We have vibrant and ongoing fellowship groups that provide a small group experience for everyone to belong and be supported in times of need. We have four inspiring and meaningful worship services that call people into the presence of God. What we owe God is glorious worship due his name.
Conclusion
We might think that we are due some time off. We deserve a vacation from everything we did last year. And it is biblical that after six days of creation work, God himself took a day off to rest. But today, we begin a new year in God’s name. When we say that everyday belongs to the Lord, we must say, “Ascribe to the Lord glory due his name.” After you and I have rested a bit, we are called to serve God at FCBC.
Dedication of Church Leaders
We are gathered to dedicate these who have been chosen for special service at FCBC. As they give themselves to the work of their offices, so we give ourselves to their support and encouragement and pray that they may be able to discharge their callings with faithfulness and to the glory of God.
In 2 Timothy 2:15, we read, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by God, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth.”
You have been called to special service in this congregation. Are you willing to undertake this ministry for the glory of God? If so, will each of you answer, I am.
I am.
Do you promise to give yourselves diligently and faithfully to this ministry? If so, answer: With God’s help, I do.
With God’s help, I do.
You have heard the promises of these who have been called to special service at FCBC. Let us stand and affirm our commitment to support them in their ministry.
We are thankful that you have responded to our call and the call of God to serve in the life and work of FCBC. We promise to honor and support you in this ministry that this church may be ever faithful to its calling for Christ.
Let us pray.
Eternal God, we thank you that from among us you have chosen these persons to serve you in the ministry of this congregation. Send your Holy Spirit on them, that they may be faithful in their service. By that same Spirit give us the grace to support them in their tasks, so that the ministry and mission of FCBC may go forward to your glory. Amen.
Memorials
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” (John 11:25-26)
The home of God is among mortals. God will dwell with them and they will be God’s peoples. God will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away. (Revelation 21:3-4)
On this day, we remember those who passed on to be with God:
1. Ping C. Lam
2. Julia Lu
3. Don Jin
4. Hubert Ng
5. Evelyn Jang
6. Ana Gonzalez Lew
Let us pray.
Eternal Spirit, before whom the generations rise and pass away, even in the presence of death our first words to you are in praise for your unnumbered mercies. For the memory of loved ones now departed, we praise you. For their victories of character over trial, of courage over difficulty, of faith over sorrow, we give you thanks, and for all those who have done justly, loved mercy, and walk humbly with their God, we sing joyfully to you. Grant us now this same joyful thanksgiving as we remember our friends, and give us that sure knowledge that you have won the victory over death in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Amen.