Our Stories As Part of God's Story:

The Evangelical Church of Vietnam (Christian and Missionary Alliance): is the oldest and largest Protestant Church in Vietnam. Pastor Robert Jaffray began the Protestant missionary effort in Vietnam in 1911, and since that time, the Church has grown to more than a hundred thousand adherents. Known in Vietnamese as Tin Lanh, “Good News”, the Church will be celebrating 100 years of ministry in the city of Da Nang.  

What an achievement considering the circumstances they have been thr0ugh over the years.  Our Mission Team visited the Tin Lanh church in Da Nang and we witnessed their drive and love for our Lord Jesus Christ.  When meeting the young people there, students asked for the following prayers to prepare them for their 100^th anniversary:

1. Please pray for our students attending the Tin Lanh church currently. Often these students are struggling with accommodation, transport, language, culture, finances and persecution. Part time work often makes it difficult for them to attend Church and home groups.
2. Pray for God’s sustenance of other Tin Lanh ministry teams and volunteers including community impact, worship, home churches, Sunday school, transport, Sunday night outreach, orphanages, Pastors and lay leaders.
3. Let’s pray dearly for all the Pastors whom God has used over years to nourish and strengthen all the Tin Lanh Church in Vietnam.
4. Pray for God’s guidance and provision for Vinh Nguyen as he develops as Lay Leader /Volunteer of Tin Lanh Da Nang Ministry.

Lets give God Praise for the lives changed and experiences gained through these year’s Mission Trip to Vietnam. We had a team of 6 people including Pastor Candie visiting Churches, orphanages, a home group churches and orthopedics/rehabilitation centre. All of the team came back with a greater passion to serve God and minister to people. We pray for the mission trip that is planned for coming years. We pray for God to equip us with the necessary funds, health and volunteers to make a positive difference in the lives of many people in Vietnam.

DYM GEORGE

OUR LORD IS RISEN INDEED!

FPC had a amazing weekend. On Friday afternoon we began to make our lily cross. On this occasion Ginger Duron joined the McCaughan and the Gasdia family. I was inspired watching this group of friends working together to bring honor to our risen Lord.

Later on that night we had our Spanish Bible Study meeting. Given the fact that this Friday happen to be Good Friday, we decided to have a very different bible study on that night. We study the last seven words of Christ on the cross. It was a great joy to see Esther Aguilar, Marcial Rodriguez and Mary Garcia sharing the good news of the Gospel and leading us in singing beautiful hymns to our Lord.

On Sunday morning at 6: 30 am a group of nineteen persons gathered in Cumberland Hall to adore our Risen Lord. Ginger Duron Wrapped up one of our round tables to simulate the stone that was rolled away when Jesus was raised from the tomb. Cumberland Hall was representing the empty tomb. We illuminated the room with some candles, and at 6: 30 am we entered into the “tomb” while Knox was playing his trumpet announcing the resurrection of our Messiah.

Brian Johnson, Elizabeth Chacon, Jerry Scott and Frida Aguilar read the four gospel stories of the resurrection and Dennis Symonds and Knox led us in singing four hymns. At the end of each hymn we prayed according to each gospel reading. When the worship was over, we had breakfast together. It was a very special way to begin our Easter celebration.

Around 9 am we had our Easter Extravaganza led by Cyntia Stender and her team. Several kids gathered for this happy celebration. This was another way to share with our community the love of our Risen Lord.

The same Sunday, at 10 am the whole church gathered for our Easter worship service. Our service was filled with the presence of Christ. The band, the choir and the instrumental assemble did an extraordinary job. We praised with gratitude, and we heard the word of God with enthusiasm. After the word of God was proclaimed the congregation was invited to silently confess their sins as they come forward to immerse their hands in a basin with water as a symbolic reminder of our baptism. While they were doing so, Dennis Symond and I were giving them the assurance of pardon based on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Apostle creed was recited and after the benediction was given, the whole church sung a very enthusiastic Hallelujah chorus.

The Lord is Risen, The lord is Risen indeed!

For the early gathering on Sunday morning, Elizabeth Chacon wrote a prayer that I would like to share with you to day:

Dearest Lord, thank you for your faithful providence.We confess that in our lives we come to the empty tomb and we are lost. We see only emptiness: Our fears and doubts, our insecurity and loss, only sickness and death. But we praise you Lord for your loving kindness,your providence, for your message to us that you see us standing there and will answer us.

You provide us with love that conquers fear, peace that banishes insecurity and loss, healing that cures this world’s sickness and your resurrection that banishes death.

May we take the message of your son’s resurrection, the message of your loving providence out to all of those in our lives. Amen

Alfredo Delgado

THE ANNUAL SPRING CHASE?

Last spring we had a Hispanic Pastoral Fellowship meeting in Cumberland Hall. That was a very good meeting, but it didn’t start that well. The “prelude” was a very scary rat that decided to steal the show. After 30 minutes of crazy persecution the rat finally gave up and we were able to call SEAACA and they took care the animal.

Today we were about to start Kidz Konnection guitar classes when all of the sudden Talip came to my office to request another room for his classes. I asked him what was the reason for that, and the expression of his face was clearer than his words: There is a huge and weird animal in that room! His students were very excited about the possibility of seeing a big rat, a raccoon or an Alien… Joy (our Administrative Assistant) said “here we go again, let’s call Steve.” Meanwhile I was asked to go up there and chase the “animal”

I have to confess that I did not want to go there given the fact that I was really busy with church duties, but anyhow this was another church duty. Talip and I chased the “huge” animal, and at the end we were very disappointed that the mysterious huge animal ended up being a bird. Well, we let the bird go and we celebrated the fact that there was nothing to fear and that we have another story to tell.

Isn’t it interesting that this “real story” sometimes resembles part of the stories of our lives? Yes, we get scared of the “huge potential” to destroy our lives that some trials or challenges have, just to find out that it wasn’t that bad. In fact by the grace of God, we were bigger than our “huge problems.”

Keep chasing your problems, and God will give you the victory!

Alfredo Delgado

Yesterday we had a very special celebration in Cumberland Hall. We gathered at 6 pm to celebrate Kathy Johnson and Paula Montoya’s birthday. At the same time we were celebrating Abuela Carmen’s farewell (Carolina’s grandmother). We had a great time of fellowship and tasted a little bit of the Venezuelan’s cuisine. We ate the traditional pan de jamon, chicken salad and some “muchacho relleno” or Venezuelan cut of meat. We also had a very delicious Venezuelan flan a tasty Cuban birthday cake.

Henry Wale prayed for our friends Kathy, Paula and Abuela Carmen. He prayed in English and then asked us to pray the Lord’s Prayer in Spanish. Our Bible study for the night was based on John chapter 5. We were challenged to be grateful for the favor of God and at the same time careful with the type of live we are living. This time even our teenagers stayed for the time of praise and bible study. God is doing some remarkable thing among us, and what is happening in our bible study is part of what our church has been able to accomplish by opening its door to the community.

Well done FPC, let’s keep looking for more ways to be a blessing to our city!

Alfredo Delgado

Two Extraordinary Weeks Part II

Last Sunday was a very special Sunday. We had a very blessed service, and as usual our lay people did a great job in leading us in worship. Our church was encouraged when the Clerk of Session Norm Evangelista introduced our seven new members. Yes, while many churches and houses of worship unfortunately are declining, our church by the grace of God is welcoming new members!

The same day we heard and “watched” from the Word of God that Jesus is not in the business of power but in the business of “foot washing”.  We had a “visual reading” of the foot washing with a skit that Rick Huff (“Peter”) and Alfredo Delgado (“the Lord”) performed. Actually we did a real foot washing, and that was the introduction to our message that day. One of the highlights of the sermon was our friend Fred Cornelious’ testimony about his new life in Montana, and how he became a volunteer there in the Union Rescue Mission (For more details please see our web site and look for our latest sermon entitled “Where is Your Towel?”)

The other good thing that happened last Sunday was that our friend Kendra Huff was able to greet our church from Greece. Before the benediction we established connection via Skype and there she was ~ waving and greeting us. We prayed for Kendra and her studies in Greece, and then dismissed our church for fellowship hour and mini reception for our new members.

Two Extraordinary Weeks Part I

FPC has been blessed in the last two weeks in many ways. On March 14 we received the visit of Rev. Roberto Colon and his wife Noelia.  The presence and grace of God was remarkable during the service. Pastor Roberto thanked our congregation for being a great partner in prayer during his two years struggling with a lot of health issues. He acknowledged that he could have been dead if it would have not been by the grace of God and the prayers of God’s people.

We were inspired, challenged and blessed by his sermon based on Ecclesiastes 1: 1-11. He was talking about the purpose of God for our lives. His sermon title “there is a purpose” was received with joy, awe, laughter, and gratitude by our congregation. Pastor Roberto told us: “part of the purpose I am still alive, is that I could be here today and be a witness of the grace of God to you”

On this Sunday Our Church prayed and commissioned our mission team going to Vietnam. It was great to see Erica & David Yusten, George Leiva-Ardon, and Fred & Patricia Cornelious kneeling down before the Lord while our Elders and Deacons, and the whole church prayed for them and asked God his blessing, grace and protection over their lives.

The same day we had our former Music Ministries Director Timothy Cox (Timoteo ya te veo) singing and worshiping the Lord with our band and choir. This was our “despedida” farewell to him since he is leaving to live and work in New York.

Timothy sung with a lot of joy and enthusiasm, and I believe that our church was excited to have him sing with us before he left California. Timothy praised the church for being a place where transformation is taking place and for being a great hope to many in our community.

We gave him our historic church’s plate and prayed for him as he moves forward in life and in his call to serve God and his people in New York.

Stay tuned part II is on its way…

Multicultural Team Retreat
February 20, 2010
By Brian Johnson

We met about 8am at our house and all sat around the dinning room table with coffee and pastry. We prayed for the person to our left while standing and putting our hand on their shoulder. I prayed for my wife Kathy. I told her that I could still feel the presence of her mother Edna who came to live with us ten years ago after having a stroke. She died in April 2002, but her life was still an inspiration to us.

We then paired-off into couples, Pastor Alfredo and I, to talk about our “baggage” or character defects. One of my defects is procrastination and how I was trying with God’s help to deal with life in a timely manner. Pastor Alfredo talked about his troubles with living in a different country and culture and his struggles to adapt to his new country, America. It dawned on me that I was also struggling to adapt to my new “country” the country of dealing with life in a timely manner. So maybe we are all “strangers in a strange land”. Pastor Alfredo liked this analogy.

After this exercise we returned to the group to discuss Isaiah 61 which starts:
The Spirit of The Lord God is upon me, because the Lord
Has anointed me to bring good news to the suffering and
Afflicted…”

And Isaiah goes on to explain Israelites were down trodden and broken hearted and Isaiah prophesied that the people of Israel will be “given beauty for ashes and joy instead of mourning.” They will be given “everlasting joy.” I told the group that it seemed too good to be true and I was having a hard time believing and understanding “everlasting joy”.

Our last act was to lay hands on and to pray for those who wanted it. I said I wanted to be prayed for. It was a wonderful experience. After that we had lunch and the mini-retreat was over.

On Tuesday, March 2, 2010, we had our Kidz Konnection Day at Downey Chili’s! Thanks for your participation!  We are encouraged by  your willingness to help our students.

Newcomers, first-time visitors, and members alike all found out just how easy it is to donate to Kidz Konnection.

Did you miss it? Not to worry – we will be holding another event soon. Come and join us next time.  Spend an afternoon with your family or  with your friends.  Lets make a difference!.

And if for no other reason than pure curiosity,

Aren’t you wondering where God will take Kidz Konnection?  visit the program during the week.

“Kidz Konnection has change my life” – Abdul 

‘Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.  1 John 4: 11-12:

In my school days, I played on a collegiate soccer team where you were expected to “sacrifice your body” for the good of the team. I was playing as a left forward. During a game, a fellow team mate kicked a high long pass.I went after the pass as fast as I could down the left line. I caught the ball and before I had time to think a defender had swept me off.  I was thrown into the air and off the sideline.  I was severely injured and taken out of the game by the coaching staff. Later, when my body had cooled off, I was in terrible pain and in complete shock. My injury was so severe that I had physical therapy for over 9 months.

Pain plays an important part in our lives even if don’t want it. But when the pain is so severe our body goes into shock.   This shock or “numbness” has interrupted the unity of the body.  Pain is also important to pay attention to in the spiritual reality.

There are cries of pain from the Body of Christ. The unemployed, the divorced, the widowed, the bedridden, the sick, the lonely, the grieving, and the aged have all experience pain. What do we do when we hear those cries? Do we ignore them? Or, like physical pain in the body, are we to pay attention to those cries, and help bring healing to the Body?

The Bible is clear. We are to bear one another’s burdens. That’s a part of what it means for us to be a Community of faith. We are to comfort others as Christ has given comfort to us. Your hard time becomes my hard time. We join hands in the journey. When you suffer, I suffer. But we do it together. We share it together. And we do it, not so much in our wisdom or our words, but in our availability, our understanding, and through our presence.

We are called to bear one another’s burdens. To mourn with those who mourn. To be a follower of Jesus means to come alongside people who are hurting and find ways to help them walk even through the valley of the shadow of death. We are called to do this.

The truth of the matter is there is very little we can do or say to “fix” someone’s problems or change the circumstances that have caused his or her suffering. But there ARE specific things we can do that will help them survive the pain.

So how can we help a hurting friend?

**Be present**

I sometimes visit people in Los Ranchos Rehabilitation Center and wonder:
What can I say right now? What am I supposed to do to help take their pain away or at least ease their suffering?

After years of thinking about that I’ve come to the conclusion that there are no words for that. You can’t reverse what has happened in their life. You’re not going to have the magic words. In fact, what I’ve found is that the most significant thing you can do to bring healing in their lives is not to say anything at all, but just to be there. Just to be present in the room with folks who are hurting is an act of grace. They remember that. Very often they do not want you to say anything other than: “I care about you. I love you. I’m hurting for you. I’m crying with you.” “I’m praying for you” And that’s all we can do!

Remember, we can’t fix their problem. We’re not Jesus . God is the healer. God brings the restoration to their lives. But we can be His hands of comfort and encouragement. When God wants to hug someone, He always sends one of his followers to put His arms around them.

The apostle Paul wrote these words to the church in Corinth: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God” (1 Corinthians 1.3-4).

Sometimes God intervenes with direct miracles, providences, or giving supernatural strength to those in need. But for the most part, He relies on us His hands and feet, His chosen people here at FPC, to do His work in the world. We love each other, work for healing, and suffer with those who suffer.

The next time you find yourself in a hard place, searching for comfort, and wondering where God is, Jesus may invite you to look around your church family and find His warm embrace here with us at FPC “your church family.” The next time you see a friend, a brother or sister who is suffering, Jesus may just invite you to be the warm embrace!

We comfort each other with the comfort we have received in Christ and I’m 100% sure God has place a name in your heart like He did in mine. Let’s listen to His voice and when we do comfort someone, we become the Body of Christ and He receives the glory!

George

DYM

God continues to do amazing things in our congregation. Last Sunday we had a very special worship service. Rev. Steve Yamaguchi shared with us a very interesting perspective about Moses and Moses’ call. In a nutshell, I can say that his main point was: God chose Moses to be a bridge builder in spite of his weakness and limitations. He had cultural and language barriers. He was a Hebrew raised as Egyptian; he was a Hebrew who probably did not know how to speak to his own people in their own language, but he was a man chosen by God to lead his people out the oppression of Egypt into the abundance of God’s plans and purposes.

So, what language does God speak? God speaks the language of Grace, pure grace to offer freedom of the oppression of this world. That grace often times is offer thru people who is in the process of becoming what God intended them to be. In first Presbyterian Church of Downey we are in the sabbatical process. We are learning a lot, but we are also discovering our deep need to depend upon the Lord and to celebrate and continue to grow in the language of God.

You can see “the language of God” in our worship planning review. We are more open to be relaxed and to let the Holy Spirit “run” our worship services. You can see that in our staff meeting, we met at Chili’s restaurant yesterday to help with our fundraising day for Kidz Konnection. We openly talked about our weaknesses and how we can support and assist one another.

Where else can we see the language of God in our church? We can see that language of grace when we see the excitement of the small groups for Lenten series. We have three small groups during the week. We also can see this wonderful language in the support that we offer to one another across our congregation. Last Sunday while visiting our brother Richard Meharg at the hospital, I experienced an extraordinary multicultural moment. When I got there for the visit, our faithful sister Egbe was there before me, and after greeting one another we engaged in a very fraternal and joyful conversation. At one point in our conversation I realized that in that room we had three different cultures with three different languages (English, French and Spanish) and three different ages and experiences in life, but at the same time I was amazed that we were totally bonded by the language of grace that comes from the extraordinary heart of our God.

So, what language do you speak? Let’s keep speaking God’s language!

Alfredo Delgado