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December 1998 Newsletter

Love God with All Our Heart, Soul, and Might

For the past four weeks, we have seen with our own eyes the miracles that God is performing in our church!  There are no other explanations to what has happened to us.

Setting the stage, over 150 members and friends from a cross-section of our church faithfully participated in the 40 Days of Prayer & Fasting and the 24-Hour Prayer Vigil. We focused on the many dynamic ministries we have and the people who sacrificially lead them.  We broke away from our normal routines and fasted so that we might be more opened to God’s word.  And through this whole adventure, we got the chance to become better acquainted with so many people who are brothers and sisters in our fellowship.

The next day following the completion of 40 days of prayer and fasting, over 330 people gathered for the All-Church Banquet. This was the greatest event anyone can imagine!  From all four of our worshipping congregations, we came to capture the vision to Continue Our Legacy into the next century.  After a delicious served dinner, we were inspired by the Men’s Chorus and the CBC Choir that brought a deep appreciation for the gifts that members bring to the life of the church. 

The highlight was the multi-media slide presentation on the history of First Chinese from its early beginnings, through the years of earthquake destruction, followed by the enduring period of becoming a self-sufficient church, and up to the present with creative and relevant programs in Chinatown and in the Sunset District.  Mrs. J.S. Chu who is one of our oldest living member, started by reminiscing about how the church reached out to young Chinese girls and the importance of learning our Bible stories. The slide show ended with Jennifer M. Tom (a Junior at Lowell H.S.) sharing how she wants to eventually raise up her own family in the church because she wants them to have the same kind of blessings that she has already received. These and the others were powerful testimonies of how our church has transformed lives for Jesus Christ!  The hundreds of floral photos of children and members that filled our table centerpieces reminded us that now it is our time to do our part in continuing the legacy.

When all the pledges were counted, we had over one million dollars pledged toward our Faith Goal of $1,350,000 to retrofit for seismic improvement and comply with ADA requirements, to renovate the second and third floors for flexible classrooms, and to support the new Sunset church plant.  By November 15th, we have received over 211 pledges with a total amount of over $1,233,000.  We wholeheartedly believe that we will reach our goal when all the pledges are in.  Surely God is performing miracles at First Chinese Baptist!

In Deuteronomy 6:4-9, we hear that God’s people are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and might. We are to keep this commandment this way:

                        Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at

            home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise.

                        Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your

            forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

At the All-Church Banquet, the commandment to love God with all our heart, soul, and might was truly evident.  The legacy of the mighty deeds of ministry at the First Chinese Baptist Church of San Francisco was passed to the next generation!  In both resources and in witness, the future of FCBC is bright and beautiful.

Read Related Sermon  September 2013 Newsletter

                                                                                                Rev. Don Ng

Family News

Ed & Helen Chan, Sherryl Quong, Jeff Low, James Chuck, Larry Jay, and Don Ng were church delegates at the ABCW regional Annual Celebration held in Fair Oaks on Oct. 23-24. Both Larry and Don received certificates of congratulations as new pastors in the region.

Joyce Wong along with two other students from UC Davis designed and currated the “1998 Regional Scholastic Art and Writing Award Winners” at the International Children’s Art Museum, World Trade Center (Ferry Building).  Congratulations Joyce for the creative exhibit installation!

Vivian Mak, our church secretary for the past four years resigned to pursue her life goal of becoming a public school teacher.  We thank her for her dedication and skills in English and Chinese translation.  This means that we are currently seeking a new person in this position.  Please make recommendations of persons that you may know who may be qualified and interested in this position.  Position descriptions are available for applicants.

Stewardship Campaign & Retrofit Updates

Great Job!

The success of the Stewardship Campaign is due to many hard-working church leaders who gave way beyond what was expected.  They modeled for all of us what any major challenge requires to get the task done.  And what a superb job they did!  There are too many to name here, but we do thank you for all your dedication and gifts and will look forward to your capable leadership in the days to come.

Retrofit Committee

(Put Nelson Wong’s article here.)

Missions

In response to the damages caused to many American Baptist families and churches in Puerto Rico by Hurricane Georges, the November Communion Offering collected $510 that will go to bring relief and restoration.

The 1998 World Mission Offering on the theme, “Change Our World” has collected $  toward our goal of $4000.  If you have not had the opportunity to give to this annual offering in support of American Baptist missions overseas, you can still send in your contribution by clearly marking it to go to the “1998 WMO.” We are working toward achieving this important goal of supporting missions around the world.

Retired Ministers & Missionaries Offering

1999 Canvass: Building on The Foundation to Continue the Legacy

Our church members will be greatly challenged this year because of the invitations to pledge toward the Stewardship Campaign for three years and to the regular Annual Budget.  While we thank God for the remarkable success in our Stewardship Campaign pledges to date, we must also pray about what we will do for the 1999 operating budget.  Our future is depended on how we build a strong foundation next year.  Highlights of the 1999 Budget are:

  1. Adequacy of Pastoral Staff Compensation.
  2. Support of the Sunset Church Plant
  3. Continuation and Expansion of the Chinatown Ministry
  4. Alternative Sites for Ministry During Retrofit/Renovations

Of the total proposed 1999 budget of $518,089, we are seeking for pledges totaling $485,839. We invite you to consider making your pledge as soon as possible if you have not done so already. If you would like to receive a set of 1999 Pledge materials and/or a copy of the proposed budget, please call the church office and we will send them to you.

Read Related Sermon  October 1999 Newsletter

In 1 Corinthians 3:10-11, Paul taught that as we skillfully and carefully build our faith on Jesus Christ, there will be others who will build on the foundation that we lay.  Join us in laying down a solid foundation for our church in 1999!

Membership Meeting, December 6th

The next All-Church Membership Meeting will be on Sunday, December 6 at 2:00 PM in Chinatown.  The agenda includes: Presentation of New Members and Baptismal Candidates, Election of 1999 Church Officers and Board Members, Voting on the 1999 Spending Budget, and Updates on the “Continue the Legacy” Stewardship Campaign and the Retrofit/Renovation Task Force.  This will be a very important meeting in the life of our church as we make decisions that will impact ministries in 1999.  Please make every effort to attend and to participate fully in making decisions together as a Christian family.

A San Francisco Christmas

Just the thought of Christmas sparks in our memories of when we were children and the excitement of anxiously waiting to unwrap the pretty packages under the Christmas tree. And we know that it is not so much what was inside that matters but the expressions of glee and happiness that shone on the faces that we remember. Christmas, as we know, is more than gift-giving. It is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ, a babe wrapped in plain swaddling cloth. 

Christmas is the season for all of us to come together to worship, to sing the carols, light the candles, and to hear how God continues to make himself known to all people.  We hope that you will come to church and have your face shine in seeing how God is doing wonders in San Francisco! 

November 29              First Sunday in Advent

December 6                 Second Sunday in Advent

December 11-13         “Born is the King” Musical by Michael W. Smith at Sunset

December 13               Third Sunday in Advent

December 19               Chinese Speaking Christmas Celebration

December 20               Fourth Sunday in Advent—Christmas Sunday

December 24               Christmas Eve Service & Caroling in Chinatown, 7:30 PM

                                    Christmas Eve Pot-luck & Service at Sunset, 6:00 PM

December 31               New Year’s Eve “First Night” Service in Chinatown, 7:30 PM

May the miracles of Christmas touch your life this year.  As the angels proclaim, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace and goodwill among all people.”

December Calendar

Dec.     1                      Pastoral Staff Meeting

  • Retrofit/Renovation Task Force

CBC Choir Practice, 7:45 PM

5                      OYYAS

  • Second Sunday in Advent

Retired Ministers & Missionaries Offering

                                    Congregational Prayer Meeting, 1:00-2:00 PM

                                    Membership Meeting, 2:00 PM

7                      Pastoral Relations Committee, 7:30 PM

8                      Pastoral Staff Meeting

10                    CBC Choir Practice, 7:45 PM

            11-13               Sunset Christmas Musical, “Born is the King”

            12                    Emmanuel Family Group      

                                    Sojourners

                                    Semanons

                                    Men’s Fellowship

  1. Third Sunday in Advent

Retired Ministers & Missionaries Offering

Joint Worship Service & Baptism (9:00 & 10:05), 9:30 AM

Women’s Society Luncheon

  1.                   Pastoral Staff Meeting
  2.                  Assembling the CBC Newsletter

CBC Choir Practice, 7:45 PM

  1.                   Chinese Speaking Christmas Celebration

Genesis

UPS

  •                   Fourth Sunday in Advent—Christmas Sunday
  • Christmas Eve Pot-luck and Service at Sunset, 6:00 PM

Christmas Eve Service & Caroling in Chinatown, 7:30 PM

  • Christmas Day—Church Office Closed
  • New Year’s Eve “First Night” Service in Chinatown, 7:30 PM

Jan.      1                      New Year’s Day—Church Office Closed

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