January 22, 2021
Dear TCCBC church family,
Greetings in the Lord to you and your family! The 46th president of the United States, Joe Biden, was officially sworn in today! Let us first ask for God’s blessings upon this country, and under President Biden’s leadership, the country will continue to uphold her traditional values, return to a more God fearing, more prosperous, with more social justice, freedom and democratic country. May the US become prosperous, peaceful and richly blessed!
The president’s inauguration ceremony was perhaps one with the most heightened security I have seen in the 30 years that I have been here. According to the reports, beside Special Services security staff, there were over 30,000 military personnel on guard around Washington DC, including the heavy presence of military vehicles and even tanks on city streets. All the streets in the DC area were closed to traffic. No vehicle can enter the area unless they have special permits. The atmosphere was similar to facing an imminent enemy attack. Fortunately, the entire inauguration proceeding went smoothly without incidents. This allows us to feel that ultimately, the US is a mature democratic country. Even with questionable fairness over the election, the country is still one with law and order, respecting the outcome of the election. It was admirable that the outgoing President Trump, with the First Lady, had given a very courteous final speech, being considerate of the wellbeing and safety of the US people.
I believe you have all received the good news from the chairman of our Church Council, Deacon Roddy. Through united hearts from our church members, the resolution to call Pastor Stephen Choy to be our English Pastor was approved unanimously. Within a short turnaround time, Deacon Roddy had received the signed acceptance to our offer from Pastor Stephen. We have witnessed again God’s special blessing upon TCCBC. Let us give all glory and praise to our God! Pastor Stephen will be preparing for his relocation, residence rental, and the arrival of the baby, and will require some time preparing for these needs. Based on our current agreement, Pastor Stephen will start his ministry as our English Pastor officially on April 8. Please pray for them, and ask that God’s lovingkindness and blessings be with their family, watching over them as they move to California, serving our King of kings, the Lord of lords among us.
I should also mention the baby shower put together by the English congregation for Pastor Stephen and Candace is tomorrow (1/23) at 10:30 am. Those of you from the Mandarin or Cantonese congregations are also welcome to join them using this link with the passcode of “TCCBC”. If you would like to send them a small gift, the English congregation is collecting contributions for a gift card that we will be sending them because of the pandemic situation. Please contact Jachin Hsu (510-205-9663 or bruddhashark@nullgmail.com) if you are interested.
I want to also take this opportunity to thank Pastor Daryl Watts for his love, sacrifice and contributions to the church this past year. Over his interim pastorate with us, not only has he continuously provided spiritual feeding and support to the English congregation, he also contributed many good suggestions and ideas on the ministries to manage through the coronavirus pandemic. Regardless of where Pastor Daryl will be serving next, I believe God will be with him, make him a blessing to many, and will expand his impact for His kingdom. We look forward to a nice sendoff event for Pastor Daryl toward the latter part of March. I will share the details with you once we have more specifics on the arrangements.
We are indeed at a unique junction with much to look forward to, seeking God for His wise guidance, and honoring Him with our praises and thanksgiving. The Concert of Prayer is coming up at the end of this month. All three congregations will be gathering for prayer together online next Saturday, Jan 30, at 9:00 am. We will send the link out to you next week. Please plan to join us.
Currently, there is no indication that the pandemic is moderating. However, we heard from the news that the governor of New York and the mayor of Chicago were reopening shops and businesses in the very near future. I am not sure through which channels they learned of the improving turnaround of the pandemic, or if it was because of the increasing number of businesses moving to other states. We still do not know if this reopening phase includes worship services in churches. If New York and Chicago are able to reopen, perhaps the governor of California will also follow suit. The opportunity for us to return to church for worship will dramatically be higher also.
With the new president and a new administration in charge, we can expect to see new policies and changes in the near future. We do not need to worry when facing these new environment and changes. For God has promised to be with us! As Christians, we live before God every day. Whatever situation we find ourselves in, we are filled with the joy of contentment, and become a testimony for God in our lives!
In conclusion, I would like to share a YouTube video with you. At the invitation from the Voice of America, former Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, presented a very thought-provoking speech on Reclaiming America’s Voice for Freedom on Jan 16, 2021. You can take a listen using this link.
Giving thanks to God with you together,
Job Lee
Pastor Job Lee, Senior Pastor
With fellow church leadership team
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