by Suzie Park

My name is Suzie Park, wife to Hwa Park and mother to Kasey, Ethan and a baby to be born in Jan 11′. I’ve been part of the refreshment ministry for 10+ years and I love being in this ministry because food is one of my passions in life. I started serving in the refreshments ministry after I met Hwa in college. I remember the first time that I visited LBC while a freshmen in college the first person that stood out to me was Hwa. At the time, I didn’t know who he was, but he stood out to me because he was serving refreshments at the end of the service and not to mention, but he was wearing the most hideous shirt! I thought it was interesting that a guy was doing refreshments for the church…usually you would think it would be a gal. The refreshments spread was a HUGE platter of Cluck U Chicken and some sides…it looked great! I was thoroughly impressed!

After getting to know Hwa for a while, we ended up dating and while we were dating I started helping out with refreshments. Needless to say I fell in love with BOTH! If there’s one thing you need to know about me, it’s that, I love to eat, I love to cook, and most of all I love to feed people. It’s always a blessing serving the church at various church functions. I love seeing people with happy faces and full bellies! We have a wonderful group of people that LOVE to serve the church and none of it could be done without them. Over the years the refreshments at our church has evolved and changed so much and it’s been amazing to see how God has grown this ministry. This has been a ministry that we have been serving together, with Hwa as the head and we hope for many more years to come.

More recently, with both me and Hwa having a pssion for food we’ve been trying to grow our own food and raise our own chickens for the purpose of eggs and even meat. Everytime Hwa goes out to collect chicken eggs from the chicken coop he says its “mana from heaven”. Its been a challenge to grow vegetables in dry San Diego but we’re learning some things as we go. Its been a blessing sharing what we grow with our Church family and hopefully we can continue this for many years to come. A prayer request will be for the refreshments ministry to serve sacrificially and excellently with the goal of pleasing our Lord Jesus Christ.

If you are interested in joining the team we are always looking for more helpers. Please contact me at suzie4jc@yahoo.com or Hwa at hwapark@yahoo.com if you are interested. Thanks! =)

Chicken Coop

Fresh Eggs

Homegrown Veggies

by Chris Cho

Since the launching of the Photography Ministry, there have been constant pictures of the events documented and updated on SmugMug. Officially launching the ministry enabled more professional task handling, which in turn resulted in vast improvements of the event coverage and the photo quality. Thankfully, new members have joined the team: Andrew Lin and Christina Chon who help out eagerly on many events. Because of the departure of the San Jose team, the Photography Ministry decreased in number; however, it won’t be affecting the quality of the photos due to the improvement of the photo-taking skills of the team.

There have been concerns about the selection of the photos uploaded on the website. It is inevitable that the photos might not be the most pleasing to the one whose photos are taken. If anyone is offended by the photos on SmugMug, it is crucial to let the team know as soon as possible; it is likely for others to feel the same way about certain photos. There is a strict self-examination among the team members before uploading the photos online. We first focus on what glorifies God the most through these photos while protecting the reputation of the church and members, especially our elders. But it can be difficult to define something being “fun” from something being “offensive”. The last thing the team wants is stumbling the church members due to the photos taken from the events. Communication between the photographers and members are very important. We as a team want you to feel comfortable when the photos are taken. So please talk to us and “smile” when there is a camera pointing at you.

I thought this would be a great time to introduce some of the team members as photographers, and I would like to highlight some of the distinctive styles of the team members. First, I like to introduce the most active yet former member of the team, James Lim. As a professional part-time wedding photographer, James has encouraged the members of the team to take the ministry more seriously. He challenged many of the team members to seek the ways to improve the photo quality while not losing focus on why we are serving in the ministry. He is the most influential member at criticizing the photos and make suggestions to improve the quality. His strong point as a photographer is that he can frame the photos that convey a unique perspective not found from other team members. His distinctive style enables viewers to distinguish his photos from the rest of the members’. He mainly serves in the video ministry these days but he always helps the photography ministry members by giving advice.

Courtney Chow, who is a member of San Jose church plant team, has left the team; however, her unique style is worthy of being mentioned. Her style as a photographer is very different from the rest of the members due to her use of bright natural light to highlight the object (in photography jargon, over-exposed). Her photos, therefore, convey the style popularly used in wedding photography. Her photos are also easy for the viewers to distinguish from the rest of the members.

Last but not least, Chris Cho, myself (hopefully you may not feel uncomfortable referring myself in third person), is a photographer who fell in love with heavy photo processing that shows neither blemishes nor imperfections in the photos. However, this can be skipped occasionally when he is busy with other stuff while the deadline for uploading photos has passed. Then the most natural and almost non-post-processed photos can be seen on SmugMug. He is not very photogenic, which results in him avoiding cameras while asking people to smile in front of his camera. His photos can be easily identified because of his use of vintage style filters on pretty much all of his photos uploaded on SmugMug.

There are many more members who are not mentioned in this update faithfully serve in the ministry to glorify God. They are precious gifts from God. They serve the body and carry out the Great Commission. On the next update, the styles of the others members will be mentioned.

Our goal as a team is to serve the body of Christ faithfully while using our passion for photography to benefit the church. Our focus is on Christ and carrying out the MVP of our church. One request from the photography ministry to the church members is to get to know the photographers in the church. It is natural for photographers to take pictures of people whom they are comfortable with. This results in absence of many members in the event photos despite their participation. So please talk to the photographers and they will appreciate it very much.

Editor’s Note: In case you missed it earlier in the article, you can check out all the LBC photos on the SmugMug page.

by Min Kim

One of the duties of the Ushering Ministry is collecting white slips. It’s the little white slip of paper found in your program (or maybe you dropped it on the way into the sanctuary). The ushers collect the white slips and then I gather them and email the information out to the elders. Anyone may use the white slips to inform the church of changes in address, email, or contact information. On the front of the white slips, you can also indicate what affinity group you belong to, whether you’d like to be added to the weekly email list, want to apply for membership, or if you received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior today. There is also a question you can answer (every week if you wanted to), “If you were to die today, do you know for certain that you would go to heaven?” Y/N. The white slips have changed a little over the years. There is now box for Youth! Maybe one day we’ll have one for Sonlight? Sparklers? I do remember years ago when there was another box, “Would you like a pastoral call?” I used that one from time to time. But that was when the Church was a lot smaller and the pastor was able to visit every home in a week’s time.

On the back of the white slips, you can write down your prayer requests or comments. If it is of a more sensitive and personal nature, then there is a box for you to check off Leadership Staff Only. This means that only the elders and I will see the white slips. If the box is not checked off, then that means that the faithful prayer warriors will pray for you Sunday mornings before Church service begins. The elders will pray for you and I will pray for you as well. Lately, I’ve had the prayer list open on my computer and pray over them through out the week.

One may think that this is an easy and simple job and even an encouraging one at that. But there have been times when it has been difficult. You may wonder how just relaying information can be difficult. I have been collecting, reading, and emailing white slips to the elders for over ten years now. And let me tell you, I have been immensely encouraged by the questions and comments, but there have been times when I have been discouraged by them as well. There have been some strange ones too. I will not say more here because of the sensitive and personal nature of the questions and prayer requests.

I do have a request however. Please write legibly. There have been many times when I could not for the life of me read what it says. So if you have not been getting weekly emails or have not been contacted by the Church, then there might be a reason: I cannot read your writing. Sorry. And lastly, please use them. The leaders of our Church truly appreciate it when you communicate with them, and they welcome your questions and comments.

And finally, if you would like to be an usher or help out with communion setup/cleanup and are a member of Lighthouse Bible Church, please let me know.

by Joyce Kang

The PB Homeless Ministry was the first ministry I joined when I became a member of Lighthouse. Four years later, it still remains a ministry that is very near and dear to my heart for a number of reasons. I am often asked why I serve in this ministry, and quite frankly, my response can be summed up in our church’s passion statement: love for God and people. Christ’s death on the cross has given every believer a new life and purpose. As I continue to grow in my understanding and love for Christ, I desire to share this great gift with others.

We live in a world full of lost people, and it is the responsibility of every Christian to follow Christ’s command to evangelize and make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20) As Christians, our aim in this life is to make disciples of Christ because it is through the salvation of lost sinners that our Father is glorified. At Lighthouse, we are truly blessed to have solid teaching, praise, and fellowship on a regular basis; however, they are not the end goal of the church. The purpose of the church is to make worshipers of Christ by seeking and saving the lost.

The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the workers are few. The Great Commission tells us to GO and make disciples; therefore, we must be obedient and heed that command. If we truly desire to imitate our Savior and reflect His love for us, we must fervently labor to win men and women to Christ. The need for missions exists everywhere, so a good place to start is in our local community.

It has been a humbling and joyful experience to witness God’s faithfulness to this ministry over the years. Although the fruits of our labor are not always evident, there is great joy in knowing that we are faithful to Christ’s command. The PB Ministry has been a tremendous source of encouragement to me and I would like to challenge the members of Lighthouse to consider serving in this ministry. I would also like to encourage you to partner with us by praying for the following:

1. The Gospel to remain at the forefront of our minds as we labor.
2. God’s word would go forth convicting and changing lives for His glory.
3. Ample opportunities to build relationships with the homeless and boldness in sharing the Gospel.

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Since the beginning of Lighthouse Bible Church, we have known that there needed to be a great investment made in the families and married couples of the church. This group in some ways would provide much of the stability that the church needed to grow. Throughout the years, GraceLife has undergone several structural changes as the leaders sought to best minister to this group. This past term, we decided to meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays to discuss the Sunday sermons and it was a huge encouragement!

From various interactions with different members, I have found that not too many people interact with their sermon notes after Sunday. Most people do not remember what the previous Sunday’s message was about, and if they do, they have not really thought through the importance of the message to their life. The purpose of the GraceLife homework was to provide a catalyst to get people to reflect more on the Sunday messages. As a result, most of the members in GraceLife said they thought more about the sermons than ever before. By completing the homework each week and having the large group discussions, the hope was that it would make it easier to discuss the Sunday messages with others in different contexts and casual conversations. We wanted to not just facilitate a discussion time within GraceLife, but to influence the greater practice of the church.

This was to begin in the home. Since the men and women of GraceLife met on separate evenings, our hope was that married couples and families would come together sometime during the week to discuss the homework. Even in casual conversations, perhaps one person could comment about something interesting that was said on Sunday that they did not really think much about before.

I was glad to hear that the single adults were also completing these sermon worksheets for their small groups, and that the discussions that stemmed from the homework were greatly helpful each week. This is one of the reasons why we have decided to continue with the worksheets in the fall when we meet together in our monthly flocks. Again, the purpose is not simply to give an assignment to complete, but to get the church to the point where having spiritual conversations reflecting upon the Sunday sermons is normal, everyday, and routine.

The leaders of GraceLife were also really encouraged to see the turnout each week. Seeing so many men and women come out shows a desire to grow spiritually and to enjoy godly fellowship. Through our small groups, we were also able to provide much needed accountability. One vital lesson we wanted every member to realize was that spiritual growth came not only from what was learned each week, but also from the investment that was made in others. As people participated in the weekly discussions and small group times, the group (and in turn the church as a whole) was strengthened.

In the fall, the plan is to move GraceLife to Sunday mornings as a Sunday School class. Certainly this will be difficult for some, but for most of the group it will be helpful. Instead of meeting separately, couples will be able to worship and study together. Meeting on Sunday will also free up the rest of the week for small groups. The format should really be beneficial in the end and the leaders are really excited for it. As we walk through the book of Mark together, I am confident that examining the life of Christ will be truly edifying and a blessing.

by Randy Tsuchiyama

It always amazes me to see how faithful God is. Though we have had a couple of members of the skit team step down, it has been a great encouragement to see several people commit to joining the skit team. Over the past couple of months, the skit team has been blessed to make several different skits for the DTR series and the annual banquet. It is always fun to be able to collaborate as a group to come up with creative ways of reinforcing biblical principles to the church in ways that have allowed our skit team to challenge all of us as actors.

One very new thing to the skit team is the introduction of our use of videos. This is something that we, as a skit team, have not had an opportunity to do. Though there are new challenges, using videos allows for people with “stage fright” to be a lot more comfortable during their acting. Thankfully, several members of the video team have worked very closely with us to be able to produce really great videos.

One need that the Skit team seems to need frequently is that we could use more actors. We will be meeting from 7:00-9:00 PM on Thursday nights. People from all affinity groups are welcome to join. It continues to amaze me how God can work through this ministry. If you are interested in joining, please email me at dabigtsuchie@gmail.com.

by Andy Shin

What We Do

We clean Saturday and Sunday nights each weekend. Typically it starts at 6p, or later depending on church events, and takes about 2 hours.

Cleaning Ministry Is What You Make of It

It is totally dependent on your schedule. At the beginning of each month, I will email everyone and ask for the dates you are available to clean. Based on your replies, I set the staff/schedule for each day of that month. We do ask you to commit to the days that you are assigned or find a replacement if you can’t make it.

Needs

With several members leaving with the San Jose church plant and collegians leaving for the summer, there is definitely a need for more help. Please come talk to me if you are interested!

Please continue to pray for the ministry as well! Pray that we would serve joyfully. While the tasks may be as simple as vacuuming or taking out the trash, our prayer is that we would see it as a time of worship and fellowship as we serve the Lord and the church.

by Abram Kim, Joshua Lee, and David Jung

As we look forward to a historic summer in the life of our church, I asked two of our Sonlight ministry members to write about their perspectives on perhaps two of the most exciting events happing this summer: the Vacation Bible School (VBS), from June 28 to July 2, and the Lighthouse Bible Church San Jose, which we will officially send off on July 11. Please feel free to contact Abram Kim if you have any questions about Sonlight. God bless!

Joshua Lee on VBS from the Sonlight Ministry Perspective

When I think back on my experience with VBS last year, I recall one of the most fun weeks of my life. Serving on VBS staff included intense days and nights decorating the church and a wild week of musical praise, lessons, staff meetings, games, small groups, snacks, more games, field trips, activities, skits, a talent show, and even more games. These action-packed days left staff and kids alike exhausted and satisfied. As VBS 2010 quickly approaches, I will attempt to explain a little of the purpose behind VBS, and what kids and staff can expect.

The philosophy behind VBS and children’s ministry in general is no different from any other ministry at LBC. It is to exalt God, edify the saints, and evangelize the lost. We do not serve primarily to entertain kids or to give parents a break. Children’s ministry is real ministry; it is intended to glorify God by building up believers in Christ-likeness and by sharing the gospel to unbelievers.

We must remember that the goal of VBS is the same as Children’s Ministry in general, to make little disciples of Christ. However, practically, VBS is different from other Children’s Ministry. I thought of three unique benefits of VBS:

1. VBS gives LBC an opportunity to reach the community. A significant number of kids who don’t attend LBC come to our VBS every year. Although most of these kids attend other churches, we have the chance to bring the gospel to children and their families. Because of the quality and value of our VBS, word spreads quickly among parents.
2. VBS also gives members another avenue to minister to children. LBC members who do not have the time, or do not feel ready to commit to Children’s Ministry full-time can still invest in the next generation and gain valuable experience working with kids.
3. In addition, VBS gives the rest of the church exposure to Children’s Ministry. Because children are separated from adults for Sunday school and Bible studies, it is easy for collegians and singles to be unaware of what is happening with the little ones.

In terms of what kids and staff experience, VBS is similar to both a retreat and a short-term mission trip. VBS is like a retreat for kids. Like a retreat, VBS takes what we experience at church (musical praise, lessons, skits, small groups), packs lots of it into a few days, and adds games, team competitions, and activities.

For a staff member, VBS is similar to short-term missions. Anyone who has been on short-term missions knows the unique joy of being able to devote all their energy to ministry without having to worry about school or work or what to do for lunch. VBS offers the same experience. And like missions, VBS can make the staff tired and sleep-deprived, which may lead to hilarious moments of delirium.

This year’s theme for VBS is “Wisdom Calls Aloud.” We will be studying the book of Proverbs. For kids and parents who have attended our VBS in the past, you can expect more of the same. There will be tired but happy kids and staff, lots of fun, and good Bible teaching. What could be better?

David Jung on the San Jose Church Plant from the Sonlight Ministry Perspective

Hello, my name is David Jung and I’ve been in the Sonlight ministry for 2 and ¾ years. The more I serve in this ministry, the more I realize that this truly is a ministry that glorifies God by testifying the love of God and passing on the greatness of God to the next generation (Psalm 145:4). This ministry strives to make the one true God known to the children, and through the discussion times, I’ve been very blessed to share with the children and further develop their knowledge of God and share the gospel with them.

One perspective that I have about Sonlight is that this ministry is definitely fun. Pastor Kurt Gebhards, who was a former children pastor of Grace Community Church, told some of us that the language the children speak are fun, and we are to use this to bring the gospel to them. I truly believe that the Sonlight ministry tries to have fun with the kids as much as possible, not so that they could stay awake and not be bored, but so that we may share with them the great work that Jesus Christ had done on the cross, where He bore our sins and paid the penalty of God’s wrath that we deserve so that we may be justified before holy and righteous God.

This ministry has not only been fun for me, but God used this ministry to grow me tremendously. He has revealed to me not only the joys of serving the children and the parents, but He also showed me what happens when I fail to love Him and His people. To my utmost shame, there are times when I fail horrendously to show the love of God to the children and act in ways which are not the most kind, but God used those times as opportunities to make me realize what a horrible sinner I am and what a perfect God He is.

He also humbles me greatly every time I do Children’s Ministry. Every time the kids show love towards me by even wanting to be near me despite my shortcomings, I realize more and more of how much I don’t deserve such love. Lastly, God has given me the opportunity to live out His Word. As Pastor John shared numerous times, the Word of God needs to fill the mind, bring conviction to the heart, and will us to live it out. Time and time again, I see God doing that with me through this ministry, and I’m so thankful for His work in my life.

Currently, God is using this ministry to prepare me for the San Jose church plant. More than anything else, because of the uncertainties that the San Jose church plant bring, God is helping me develop a solid foundation in His Word and teaching me to constantly rely on Him and not on my own strength. There are times when I get worried about finding jobs and whatnot, which shows my lack of reliance on Him, so I’m thankful that He is teaching me how to rely on Him even to this day. I plan to do Children’s Ministry up in San Jose as well, for I truly believe that God has given me this ministry to glorify Him here on this earth. I also believe that Sonlight plays a vital role in the church plant because the ages that Sonlight ministers to are ages that are very impressionable. If God should bring more children to our church, I believe there needs to be a ministry like Sonlight in San Jose so that we can deliver the gospel of Jesus Christ to the children and make disciples.

by Ted Su

The MVP of the NVT

Several months ago, when Pastor John preached on the importance of the MVP (or the Mission, Vision, and Passion) of Lighthouse Bible Church and how it undergirds everything we strive to do in ministry, I was challenged to take it to the test…really, everything? What about the New Visitor’s Team?

The New Visitor’s Team (or NVT) was one of the first ministries I joined when I became a member of Lighthouse almost 6 years ago. Back then I was a second-year medical student eager to be a part of a church where I can grow and serve. The moment I stepped into the church, I was literally surrounded by several members of the team who kindly introduced themselves to me. Later in the new visitor orientation, they reviewed the gospel and went over how to find the right church. It is a day that is still “fresh” in my mind.

Since then, I have become part of the team, led by our coordinator Hwa Park. From welcoming people to church every Sunday morning to providing assistance with parking to leading the new visitor orientation to personally following up with first-time visitors, I have had the opportunity to meet many new faces whom I might not otherwise have gotten to know at our church. Each time I am able to share with a new visitor the reasons I decided to commit to Lighthouse, I am reminded of God’s goodness in giving me a church family I do not deserve.

Over the years, I have seen various changes made within the ministry to improve the way we can serve and minister to both new visitors and members. One thing, however, has remained the same: the commitment of the NVT to the MVP of our church. So, how does the NVT fulfill the MVP of Lighthouse Bible Church?

1. The MISSION of Lighthouse Bible Church: To Make Disciples of Christ (Matt 28:18-20)

• Every new visitor that walks through our doors has the opportunity to hear the gospel message during our new visitor orientation.
• New visitors are introduced to the biblical concept of church membership and the importance of committing to a local body of believers in order to grow as a disciple of Christ, receive accountability, and exercise their God-given gifts.
• As we invite new visitors to other church functions, we encourage them in the lifelong process of discipleship.

2. The VISION of Lighthouse Bible Church: To Plant Churches (Acts 1:8)

• We support the vision of planting churches by “recruiting” new soldiers for the army of Christ.
• During our new visitor orientation, we share about the vision of our church and the vital role of church-planting in fulfilling the Great Commission.

3. The PASSION of Lighthouse Bible Church: To Love God and People (Matt 22:37-40)

• We personally follow up with every new visitor that signs in on Sunday morning.
• We strive to do all things—from greeting people on Sunday mornings to providing assistance with parking and security—as a visible expression of our love for God and His people.

It has been a real joy and privilege to be able to fulfill the MVP of Lighthouse through this ministry. If you are a member and considering joining the team, I encourage you to contact Hwa Park at hwapark@yahoo.com. Please pray that our team will continue to keep the MVP at the heart of everything that we do, especially as we reach out and interact with each person that comes to our church, all to the glory of God.

The NVT

by Thomas Fong and Quong Duong

Car Care Ministry

Sooner or later, something will break, wear out or fail on every car. The LBC Car Care Ministry is designed to help teach and assist you in taking care of your vehicle. We prefer to deal with any car issues when they are small and easy to fix – not when your car has broken down and is smoking on the side of the road. So Ben Franklin was quite correct when he said that “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Through this ministry, we desire to teach you how to maintain your vehicle and to spot issues before they become problems. It is also a way for us to train up other men and women in the “dark arts” of automotive repair. Additionally, it allows us to get to know you better and fellowship with you as your car gets repaired or serviced.

The members of the car care ministry have extensive knowledge on cars from fixing their own vehicles and many other people’s vehicles as well. We’ve had experience with performing oil changes, replacing brakes, suspension and shocks, timing belts, clutches and many other common repairs. If your car needs maintenance, we probably have performed the service before and are very familiar with how to do it.

As an extra wonderful benefit, we can help you save hundreds (even thousands) of dollars on car repairs. Labor costs are usually the most expensive component to most auto repairs and we don’t charge for labor. Since this is a complimentary service provided to our church members, we encourage that you take the money that you save and bless the church with it. For an estimate of what car repairs typically cost, go to www.repairpal.com. For example, replacing the front strut/shock absorbers on a 2000 Honda Civic would be around $500, with the labor cost comprising about half that cost. Parts and labor for work on non-Asian cars will run higher.

Something to keep in mind is that we are not professional mechanics, nor are you paying us (although food is always appreciated), and we are doing our best to fix your vehicle with the parts that you will purchase and the tools that we have. So, please do not feel like you owe us something (or vice versa) when you come. Rather, we ask you to come and be blessed by the way our church family can serve one another with the gifts and talents that God has provided us. We would love to serve you in this tangible way!

Another thing to consider is that there will be situations where tools break or other parts may break in the process of repairing your vehicle. If this happens, please be gracious towards us and keep in mind that you will need to absorb any additional parts costs. Donations of new tools would also be very valuable to allow us to continue to bless the church family with this ministry.

Unfortunately, we can’t interface directly with your car to know if and when it needs some type of service or repair. So like a yearly physical exam, we need you to come to us to get the vehicle inspected and/or diagnosed. This is really important because we are not available at all times to immediately fix your vehicle, so it is crucial that preventative maintenance is done to avoid larger catastrophes.

Please email carcareministry@lighthousebc.com or talk to Thomas Fong at church in order to schedule a mutually agreeable time with the team to get diagnosed and serviced.

Some helpful guidelines:

• Do come to us to get your car diagnosed before it breaks down
• Don’t just drop off your car, but Do spend time with us
• Do come with an attitude to learn more about your vehicle and how to maintain it
• Do bless the church with the money that you save on your vehicle repairs
• Do come for maintenance and repairs (oil change, shock replacement, oil leaks, brakes, tire rotations, etc…)
• Don’t come for modifications and enhancements (lowering your car, engine swaps, cold air intakes, etc…)
• Do buy your own parts. Remember labor is provided, not the parts
• Do trust our judgment and workmanship. We won’t trick you into buying things or getting unnecessary repairs.