Round up 2008, Moving forward in 2009

1. Round Up
I remember after acknowledging God's calling to plant a seed group and before heading back to SV, when Ps Jeff asked me what target I have before starting, I blurted "Maybe 12 members and 3 DMM at end of 2008?" by faith naively. "Very ambitious," Ps Jeff said.

To be honest, I didn't really set forth trying to meet this target. All I was thinking was to start it. I wasn't even sure if anyone, yes not a single person, would come. I had a moment in Singapore when I suddenly realized there is coincidentally(?) 3 persons who responded to becoming a core team. I went on to make a head count on the number of people who are attending the caregroup, or people who have at least come once and do plan to continue to come:
- Simon Tang (DMM)
- Nicole Tay (DMM)
- Dylan Martin(DMM)
- Colin Tan (Singaporean friend)
- Eric Tam (Canadian friend)
- Kwang (Thai friend of Hope Seattle brother)
- Tom Lam (Phd from Hope LA, SG)
- Jenny Nan (seeker)
- David Ito (seeker)
- Micheal Villata (new b, ex-co worker whom we helping to build house)
- Gareth Yeo (friend from GRX)
- Mod (nanny from Hope Bangkok)

It was exactly 12 people. Wow. God really made that target come to pass.

The ministry started on Sep 16th 2008. For the past 2.5 months, we have average attendance around 4 - 8, 1 new convert, 2 non believers who come fairly regularly and a 3rd non believer in touch with the community. 3 persons stepped up as DMM. We conducted a few service meetings, including praying and helping a household where the husband was at terminal stage of brain cancer (he passed away in Nov).


2. Entering 2009
I have a few prayerful thoughts after Hope Singapore's Christmas service:

a. What I need most in trying times is FAITH
In crunch times, I feel I need more time, more sleep, more time management skills. Prayerfully, I pray for more people to come help, step up, more resources, venue. Not that all these are not require, but I realised what I need first and foremost is faith. Faith that is bigger than the challenges. Faith that can help me see its possible to come to pass.

When facing tough times in serving, am I responding with hope; a hope that is in my Lord Christ but not on how talented I am?

b. If the church don't win souls, we are missing a BIG part of our job
It's great if the ministry that got started grows in number. It's great if we start to have a group of believers who can find commitement to a local church and grow in God with us.
But if we become, like most other churches here in SV, just being another church that provides intra-Kingdom transfers of Christians, we are missing a big part of the reason why we start what we started. 93% of Bay Area is unchurched. Many intellectual and affluent souls find it very hard to accept there is a God and Christ. Let's do our part to reach these people and give them a fair chance to hear the gospel.

c. How much do I believe we need a Christ in our lives? How much do I believe the local church is the hope of the world?
Do we need a saviour? Is the power of the Holy Spirit real?
If the problem with the world is us. Do we believe the local church can help transform lives one at a time?
If we believe Christ is the hope of our lives, do we believe the local church is the hope of the world?