When the new year comes, both individuals and churches often set goals for the year. However, in my case, since I’m not the type to particularly remember anniversaries, I don’t set specific goals when the new year changes. This is because I always have burning desires in my heart. It’s more like something God has planted in me with great conviction, rather than something I’ve decided on my own, so it doesn’t easily fade away.
Last January, I summarized and shared with our congregation three visions that our church hopes for. The first is the establishment of a Multicultural Church, the second is Diaspora Mission, and the third is setting up meetings for Christians at Work. Looking back over the year, although there were no visible accomplishments, we continue to pray and persevere. Still, I think it’s necessary to share with our congregation the current situation and my feelings.
Firstly, regarding the establishment of the Multicultural Church, the most urgent task is to find a young Korean pastor who speaks English well. A pastor who has been leading missionary kids’ camps for a long time has promised to send us a faithful pastor candidate from among his disciples in good time. Meanwhile, we are also meeting with second-generation pastors in London to continue our search.
Importantly, we have been praying for the healthy growth of the English cell group that will join us when this church starts. Last year, the group expanded into two cells, and currently, the number of members keeps increasing, so we are ready to add more cells as soon as we have leaders.
For the Diaspora Mission, the urgent task is to create a platform where many immigrant churches in London can come together. To discuss this concretely, I had two meetings with the chairman of a theological seminary, the vice-chairman of one of the most influential missionary organizations in London, and the representative of a missionary organization with a global network. This year, we plan to come up with a name and meet with more pastors from various ethnicities. We had also planned to hold a retreat for the children of diaspora church pastors, organized solely by our church. The idea was to strengthen practical cooperation with those pastors who sent their children. If it’s difficult this year, then we definitely want to do it next year.
For Christians at Work meetings, it’s first necessary to clearly define each domain or field. Art and music are so diverse, and design can vary between artistic and commercial, and research is so vast that categorizing by profession might be confusing. Therefore, we first need to philosophically and clearly define each domain so that people can choose their areas well. There are not many books to help with this, but we have found some books to pray over and seek the Holy Spirit’s wisdom. Once we roughly sketch each domain, we can create the final picture in actual meetings.
We need the Lord’s grace now more than ever, especially since we have the intention to purchase a church building this new year. More than anything, we need to focus on the Lord, stay with Him, and seek His face. We need a strong conviction, a ‘faith’ given by the Lord, so that we don’t back down in the face of any barriers. Please pray for us.