by Sam | Jun 15, 2015 | Reflection
“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. — Luke 6:32-36 If I only love those who love me, am I really loving? If I am only kind and generous to those I have an affinity for, am I really kind and generous? Lest I believe that I am really generous because of how lavishly I give to people I enjoy giving to, I have to come back to the words of Christ. Lest I believe that I truly am a lover of people simply because I love my friends and family, I need the sober awakening of His words. His words are not a harsh rebuke, as much as it’s a reflection of who He is. Jesus is not speaking against loving those who love us nor being a good friend to people we like, but it’s a call deeper. A call that ultimately challenges us to be more like Him. Even the greatest exploits for...
by Sam | Jun 11, 2015 | Events
UPDATED: Version 3.0 // Wednesday August 11, 2015 Version 2.0 // Monday July 13, 2015 Summer is finally underway! And for this year, we have something special planned called “Pursuit Summer Thursdays.” Starting next week (6/18) until the end of August, every Thursday we will be gathering together. Each week we will be doing something different, but with the same heart to pursue after God and His Kingdom for our region. Whether it be to soak in His presence, worship together, or go out into the streets, we want this summer to be one where we seek after what matters most! It will be a great time in community where we will be stretched, encouraged, and equipped to live out the best that God has for us together. So come join us this summer in our pursuit of more of God and in making Him known. Here is an outline of what we have scheduled. June 18 – Compelled by Love (Heidi Baker documentary) June 25 – Worship Gathering (worship – Josh Lim / preaching – Koob Vang) *** Friday June 26 – FRONTIER Night: The Yoon Family *** July 2 – Soaking July 9 – Cancelled July 16 – Treasure Hunting July 23 – *** Away at Retreat *** July 30 – WA1 Banquet August 6 – Worship Nite w/ Currency Red August 13 – Holy Spirit (documentary) August 20 – *** Away at Retreat *** August 27 – *** No Meeting *** September 3 – Finale: Worship Night Make sure to follow us online on social media to stay up to date with all of these dates and more. Bring a friend! It’s going to be a...
by Sam | May 28, 2015 | Frontier
In this edition of Frontier, we have two amazing young men who have given a year of their lives to serve in the Ivory Coast. I couldn’t be more proud of these guys. They have battled malaria, sickness, and many other trials, but have continued to seek after God and serve His people. Check out their stories and what they have been up to this past year. 1) Share with us who you are and what you do. DK: My name is Daniel Kim and I graduated from Rutgers University in May of 2014. Upon graduation, I worked at an outsourcing company as a salesman, and did pretty well for myself. I was relieved to have a job at all right after graduating, and considered myself extremely blessed. After working there for about 3 months, a series of “signs” and God’s voice led me to my decision to become a missionary. — JK: Hello, I’m Josh Kim and I’m a 2nd generation Korean-American born and raised in Jersey. Currently, I’m serving as a year-long missionary in Ivory Coast, Africa with my good friend, Daniel Kim. We’ve been serving with Abidjan International Ministry (AIM), a non-governmental organization part of Korean Abidjan Presbyterian Church (KAPC) here in Ivory Coast. We’ve been specifically helping out with one of AIM’s recent project known as Empowerment Center for Children and Youth (ECCY). ECCY’s goal is to empower Ivorian children and youth and their futures through nutritional, medical, educational, and social assistance. In this francophone country, learning English is considered really important in advancing in school and life so our main responsibility has been teaching English to...
by Sam | Apr 17, 2015 | Reflection
Yesterday was quite a hectic day at work! It started off earlier than usual because we had to go to a big event in Brooklyn. So we left from Jersey City at 6:30AM to go and set up. Yet while we were driving through Chinatown, we hit a huge pothole in the middle of the street. We immediately knew that something was wrong. Then the low tire pressure signal started going off on the dashboard. The tire was most likely flat… So I jumped out of the passenger’s seat, to go see what the damage was. To my surprise both the front and rear tires were not only flat, but the rims were cracked as well. We immediately pulled over onto a quiet street trying to figure out how to deal with this crisis. We called a tow truck for this car and a taxi for my co-worker so that she could take the equipment and go set-up. Our other co-workers came in their vehicle to take as much equipment as well. So now I am left alone to get this car back to New Jersey. About an hour later, the tow truck finally came, we got the disabled vehicle onto the flatbed, and we started making the journey back. While sitting in the front, I started talking to the mechanic who came to the rescue. I listened to his story, and we immediately kicked it off because he was a current Queens native who missed living in his hometown in northern New Jersey (I know what that’s like since I am a Jersey outsider at my home church in Queens!). He...
by Sam | Apr 9, 2015 | Events, Testimony
“Words are not adequate enough to explain all the feelings that I was experiencing during the Redeem Women’s Conference. In the midst of tears, there was also great joy and a renewed sense of hope. I felt like God gave me a glimpse of His heart for His beloved daughters and my heart just wanted to explode because of the overwhelming love that He has for each one of them. I want my sisters to hold on tightly to the Truth that God spoke into your lives that weekend. Remember who He says you are. It’s funny how God works. I said yes to this conference because I wanted my sisters to know His heart for them but I also walked away with the reminder of God’s heart for me. My heart is full! I am so humbled and honored to have been part of His Kingdom work.” – Eugenia Ko “I knew so little about my own shame and how much control it had over my faith. After hearing testimonies from the Bible as well as other young women, I learned that my shame had built walls from accepting the Lord’s love for me. Knowing and establishing my identity as a daughter of Christ, brings hope and freedom, and everyday I must fight to choose to live in that freedom because hope does not put us to shame.” – Ellen K. “I honestly didn’t know what to expect when going into the women’s conference. But, what God shows me again and again is that even though we may never know what He has planned for us, He does all things...
