Sunday Service
- Adult 1st Service: 9AM
- Adult 2nd Service: 11AM
- Youth Service: 10:45AM
The House Church Has Taken Root
I just returned from a 3-week long trip from Korea, where I led 4 House Church seminars and conferences. Wherever I went, I found that Seoul Baptist Church was recognized as a model House Church. This made me both proud and humbled at the same time. For our church members, my co-laborers in Christ, I'd like to make a brief report of my trip.
2005 will be remembered as a watershed year for the House Church movement. Prior to my last trip, I was not sure if the House Church movement would take root, but I am now confident that it will happen. In a few years there will be ...
Hold Fast
Many of our church members say that they have happy lives because they are satisfied with church. Visitors comment that our church members seem genuinely happy. Statements like these make me glad because my goal in ministry is to help our members be happy through church. I had such bad experiences in churches I attended as a lay-person that I committed myself to making my church members happy when I became a pastor.
Every Christian wants to enjoy their church. But sadly, it's rare to meet Christians who truly feel this way. I also think that every pastor wants to make ...
Listening Old Man
When my grandchild Ellie was born, I had mixed emotions. On one hand, I was happy to get a beautiful granddaughter. On the other hand, I was sad to become a bona fide grandfather. I felt too young, at least at heart, to be a grandfather. But in less than a year, I will have three grandchildren. My daughter-in-law Jieun and my daughter Christine are both pregnant. So I'm resigned to the fact that I am a grandfather.
But if I must be a grandfather, I want to be a nice one. So I pay close attention to older people and observe how they behave. One thing I noticed is that ...
Healing Community, Mission Community
Someone once said that our church is demanding. I don't disagree with this assessment. Unlike many churches that accept visitors as members if they simply fill out a visitation card, our church asks people to come forward during Sunday worship services and sign a commitment card in order to become members. And these "members" do not have the voting privileges and may not serve in most ministry positions. These are reserved for "full members". To become a full member, a person needs to accept Christ, be baptized, and apply for full membership. Their application must be ...
New Rule For The Hug Ceremony
We have a "hug ceremony" for people who have come to receive Jesus as their Lord, been baptized, and completed "Survival Kit", our introductory training course. Their fellow house church members each give them a rose and a hug, thus the name, "Hug Ceremony". The purpose of the Church is to reach people who do not know the Lord and make them his disciples. This ceremony is meant to celebrate shepherds, their spouses and house church members for helping people take their first steps towards becoming disciples of Jesus. During this ceremony, most shepherds and their spouses ...
Lighthouses of Prayer
Starting from this Tuesday, we will begin our Lighthouses of Prayer ministry. We are doing this in response to the challenge God has given us during this year??s fall retreat in the area of prayer in our lives. We all know in our heads that persistent and fervent prayer is absolutely vital for any Christ follower and God??s church to grow and mature in Christ. However, it is not that easy developing a prayerful life on our own especially when we are spiritually young. We need support, encouragement and challenge from one another in order for us to develop the habit of ...
In Awe
Meteorologists predicted that Hurricane Rita would be the third strongest hurricane ever recorded when it hit the American coastline. Many reporters feared that Houston would suffer historic damage, being in its direct path. Many people evacuated the region to take refuge elsewhere.
I heard this news in Atlanta, where I was leading a seminar for pastors on the House Church. I was reminded of a Bible passage: "Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the ...