On Sunday, February 27, Pastor John MacArthur preached at Evergreen Church. Hear more from Pastor Rocky as he reflects on that Sunday.

How did you think Pastor John’s sharing at our church went?

The entire Lord’s Day when Pastor John visited our church was amazing! Our Lord continues to show His hesed love for Evergreen Church by bringing gifts like Pastor John to encourage us. Out of his incredibly busy schedule, he preached the Word and took the time to share his personal thoughts with us. People have shared with me that the interview portion of the day felt like our entire church family was able to pull up a chair beside the pastor and hear him share his insights as an older brother. It was fun to hear about his family and the insights that he learned through football. On a personal level, Sharla and the children were super encouraged to have Pastor John take the time to visit our church since I have shared on many occasions with them on how the Lord has been caring for our church through people like him.

Was there any significance to what Pastor John preached (Psalm 19) in relation to where the Lord is leading our church?

It was quite significant for Psalm 19 to be preached as it is one of the signature portions of Scripture that proclaims how God speaks to His people. Pastor John delivered a clear exposition of Psalm 19. Psalm 19:1-6 says that God communicates to all people on a general level through His Creation. Psalm 19:7-14 says that God gives specific revelation to His people. Specific revelation is where God give His own testimony to who He is and how one comes to a saving relationship with Him. In other words, creation may declare in a general sense that a divine creator exists, but the Bible is God’s only reliable testimony to who He is. The Bible is the only inerrant, authoritative and sufficient Word from God. Psalm 19 tells us that we are on the correct path as we emphasize God’s Word in everything that we do.

Why do you believe this was an emblematic moment for our church?

As I think about Pastor John, his commitment to the faithful ministry of God’s Word comes to mind. Therefore, his visit was significant for us as his visit was emblematic of what our Lord is doing at Evergreen Church. The ministry of the Word of God is foundational to the discipleship of our church. Since discipleship is the central theme of the church, this was a foundational teaching on what the church is to focus on. God’s Word is a “Discipleship Essential.”  “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42) To put it in another way, one cannot grow as a disciple without God’s Word. Therefore, anyone who is with Evergreen Church on the Lord’s Day comes away with a strong emphasis on God’s Word. The Bible is being taught during the Sunday School Hour from 9-10am. The Lord’s Day Service is loaded with God’s Word as we read the Word during our public reading of Scripture. We sing the Word as the praise music is loaded with doctrine. We pray the Word as leaders pray according to God’s Word and we preach the Word as we are committed to expository preaching. Expository preaching is the commitment to preach the God intended meaning of the biblical text for the building up of the Body of Christ. Therefore, the preaching of Psalm 19 was incredibly significant to our church.

What benefit do you see in allowing guest preachers, such as Pastor John MacArthur, to preach at our church?

We are just getting started as we are coming out of two years of COVID-19, and we will begin to see what it feels like to be a member of Evergreen Church.

Pastor John has been faithfully pastoring Grace Community Church for over 50 years, and it is amazing to see their commitment to build up one another through the ministry of the Word and prayer. The benefits from hearing from people like Pastor John are numerous.

First, he is able help paint the picture of what the future could look like some day. As he shared with us, he is looking backwards upon his life as he is in his 80’s and he can recognize the providential moments in his life that has led up to where he is at today. It takes time and patience to see how the invisible hand of the Lord is moving. We are just getting started and it helps to hear from role models who are further down the road. “The Work of the Word” was preached at Pastor John’s 50th anniversary and it provides a picture of what faithful Bible exposition over the course of a lifetime yields.

Second, he was able to encourage us by letting us know how difficult it was for him in his initial years at Grace Community Church in 1969. This is a reminder that Gospel ministry is always filled with challenges. There are always unique challenges when there is a transition in leadership, but the challenges were multiplied due to the COVID-19 season. Therefore, we should expect challenges in the life of the church and understand that it is a part of the process.

Third, he is a living picture of finishing strong. Finishing well is the genuine desire of all followers of Jesus Christ. Paul said that he had fought the good fight and finished the course that was set before him, and a crown of righteousness was waiting for him in Heaven (2 Timothy 4:6-8). A picture is worth a thousand words, and we all need to formulate the vision of a Christian Champion.

Fourth, it is good to see the greater Body of Christ to see more of Christ. This is how the one anothers functions in the greater Body of Christ. Our aim is Christlikeness, and it is helpful to see. It is a great reminder that we are not alone and there are many faithful likeminded brothers and sisters outside of our local church.

Are there any guest preachers lined up the church can possibly look forward to hearing in the future?

The Lord has provided other people from outside of our local church who have come alongside us, and some have agreed to preach on the Lord’s Day. However, I will keep it a surprise for now.

By Shaun Ho

Since 2020, our church has directed families to participate in Kare Youth League, a Christian sports league for children PreK - 6th grade. Hear from one of our parents share testimony of his family's experience being in Kare Youth League.

Just before the pandemic, our kids were starting to get involved in sports, even taking semi-private lessons for basketball.  Like with everything else, this venture was cut short by the closures.  As things opened up again in 2021, we wanted to find an inexpensive avenue (like some city community centers have) to have them re-engage in team sports, but still receive a decent level of coaching.  We weren’t looking for anything as advanced as club/travel teams (we were not that intense about it) and we wanted something that we could reasonably juggle our schedule around.  Pastor Victor invited us to check out KARE Youth League (KYL) in Irwindale (they have other branches in Covina and Upland), so we signed our son up for soccer in the summer of 2021.

Our son really loved playing at KARE and we were really impressed by the quality of the facilities as well as the warmth of the community.  As the summer closed out, we were thankful that the next sport offered for the girls was volleyball.  Our daughter was willing to try it because of some spontaneous volleyball play at church and because she has always known that I have played and coached the sport.  It was during this fall season that we really got to know more of the parents as well as the staff, and this set off a new era in our family’s lives.

Our entire family has found a great community at KYL and I became a participant in an unofficial “Dad’s Club” while watching our kids practice and play games.  Our daughter and our son really enjoy playing with their teammates and I love how the environment fosters a general level of respect and warmth even in the parent community.  Having coached and known many coaches, I have felt and heard from most of them how difficult the parents can be sometimes, but I have not witnessed much of that at KYL.  In fact, it is not unusual for a parent to say encouraging things to kids from the other team, win or lose.  I believe much of the reason for this is set by the tone of the coaches.  They will call out, give directives, and even gently discipline the kids, but never in anger.  Even during a game when they feel a referee made an error, they will point it out without anger and do not continue to make an issue of it.  They do not merely preach good sportsmanship. They exemplify it.

But the coaches do not just focus on the sport with our kids; they have weekly devotionals with them and work on character building.  I have witnessed on several occasions a coach gently pull a kid aside, if the child was not exhibiting care and/or respect, and compassionately speak to them about the issue without making the child feel bad.  Even the assistant coaches are great.  They are youth that have gone through leadership training in the Rio Hondo Prep program and they all are great leaders and role models for our kids.  Essentially, I believe that all the staff demonstrate a great meld of healthy competition in sports combined with the heart of Jesus.  Even in Paul’s exhortations, he doesn’t call us to shy away from competition, only to compete in what matters.

“24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”  -  I Cor. 9:24, 25

Although the kids aren’t exactly competing for the crown that will last forever at KYL, they are shown the heart of healthy competition so they know what it looks like.  Additionally, the kids are given good exposure to a variety of sports so they have the chance to discover what they are most passionate about.

In the midst of this family atmosphere that we have come to love, we discovered that the Rio Hondo Prep School (RHP), which this program is connected with, could also be a viable option for our own kids.  With my wife and I both being public school teachers, we never seriously thought that we would want to or could afford to send our kids to private school.  Well, the Lord has opened up the doors in a variety of ways and we discovered that, compared to most private schools, RHP is actually quite affordable.  We are truly excited that we have found not only a sports program that will also guide the characters of our kids towards Jesus, but a school environment that will continue to partner with us in such character-building until they become young adults.  We are so thankful for the doors the Lord has opened up in our lives and are excited as we venture into this new chapter in our lives.

For more information about KYL or RHP, feel free to contact Pastor Victor or visit www.kyl.org and www.rhprep.org

by Pastor Victor Chen

There is an interesting passage in the Bible that I never quite understood. It was only recently when searching for a passage that about “reopening” church that I finally discovered its significance:

And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away. (Ezra 3:11–13 ESV)

The people of Israel were allowed to return from exile to rebuild the temple of the Lord. This passage describes the dedication of the foundation of the temple being rebuilt and there was great excitement and joy as a result.

But there was also great sorrow and weeping. Why? The “old men” who had seen the original temple in all its glory wept that things had come to this point. Rejoicing over a foundation? They longed for “how things were”.

And so here in this dedication is a great mixture of emotion, literally shouting and weeping, joy and sorrow, hope and mourning.

As our church reopened many of our ministries, I saw this same mix of emotions.

For those who had grown weary of staying at home and being apart, we were just happy to be together, learning together, fellowshipping with one another and worshipping the Lord together. “Look at what the Lord is doing!”

For those who had been part of the church when it was bustling and full of life pre-COVID, it was sad to see that things had changed so dramatically. ”Can’t we go back to how things were?”

So who’s right? What do we do with these two contrasting attitudes and perspectives?

I don’t think we can completely dismiss the experiences of those who enjoyed our church in previous times. We are always encouraged to look back and remember God’s goodness towards us.

However, I don’t think we can stay in the past and be overly critical of how things are now. Things may never be the same again and dwelling on “how things were” will not help us in moving on.

I found the words of the Lord in Haggai particularly insightful in how to proceed as a church. These words come shortly after the aforementioned passage in Ezra in the biblical timeline of rebuilding the temple. Note, the physical temple never reached its former glory. In fact, it was later destroyed and remains absent today.

The Lord here is pointing to something (or someone!) greater, and that is where I believe the Lord wants us to focus on.

 ‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes? Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the LORD. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the LORD. Work, for I am with you, declares the LORD of hosts, according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt.

My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not. For thus says the LORD of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the LORD of hosts.

The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the LORD of hosts.’” (Haggai 2:3–9 ESV)

by Pastor Victor Chen

Just about a year ago, I started a blog series, “What are my Children Supposed to Do During Sunday Service?” Children had grown accustomed to school, Sunday school and church on the screen. As a result, focus and attention became challenges as children began returning to services in-person.

Early on, we tried having pastors give a “keyword” for children to track in the message and keep them engaged. This served as a “teaser” for the sermon in hopes of building anticipation. (Remember how children tracked how many times the “keyword” was mentioned?)

We started developing our own “Children’s Bulletins” to match with the specific sermon that Sunday, including the passage, title and series theme. Activities like mazes, word searches and coloring sheets were provided to help children engage with the passage.

We also developed a “Church Notebook” with blank sermon notes for our older children 3rd-6th grade to note the key points of the sermon and the key idea or question.

All of that has led to the launch of a “Children’s Worship Service” every 4th Sunday of the month beginning in January for children 0-6th grade.

But I like having the children join us for worship service.

And they will, for the beginning portion of the service. Following the opening two songs and the scripture reading, children will be excused to the back of the sanctuary, where they will be escorted to the MPR for the “Children’s Worship Service”.

Why is the service for older children? They can stay quiet and sit still in service.

The aim of the “Children’s Worship Service” is not to keep our children quiet and sit still in service. The aim of the service and the aim of children in any worship service, is to get them to listen. We see in the Bible that “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). We have a great opportunity to train our older children to listen attentively, take notes and engage with the message and God’s Word as it relates to their life.

How do you expect to keep a toddler and a 6th grader engaged from the same message?

My message will have the same title, be from the same passage, have the same keyword and the same key points as the big Lord’s Day service. My expectation for the young children is for them to be able to identify the keyword. The older the children, the more they will be expected to track with the message. Following my message, there will be age-specific breakout groups with age-specific activities ranging from coloring sheets to small group discussion to help the children engage with the message from God’s Word in their particular context.

It’s only once a month? I need it every week!

Because a service like this requires a lot of volunteers, we will begin offering the service once a month. As more volunteers commit to helping, we can expand to twice a month, 3x a month to eventually every week. The hope is that we would have enough volunteers to form a rotation where everybody volunteers once a month.

For more information about our upcoming Children’s Worship Service or how you can help, please contact Pastor Victor at vchen@evergreensgv.org

By Tiffany Ng 

Mothers give a lot. But what if they are giving out of nothing? It is a recipe for disaster.

My mission field was once East Asia, first as a team member, and then a team leader, during my days in university. As part of my training, I read an article titled “Moving from Solitude to Community to Ministry” by Henri Nouwen. The link between my quiet times with Jesus and ministering to others was “community,” which at the time, came in the forms of my weekly team meetings, Friday night Bible study group, and perhaps my three other like-minded apartment-mates.

Fast forward, when my oldest was first born, I found myself on my own as a new mother. I found myself in solitude a lot (Do sleepless nights with a crying newborn count?), and my new “mission field” was my daughter. But while I appeared like I had it together on the outside, I was seriously struggling on the inside because “community” was the missing link. At that time, the women’s group I was in met inconsistently and infrequently. Most mothers, if not all mothers, in the congregation had adult children, and I was one of the first among my like-minded friends to have a baby, let alone be married.

Fast forward again, now with my youngest child, who was born during this pandemic, I am blessed to be a part of our Friday morning Mom’s Ministry while I work in my 1st grade classroom on the other days as a team-teacher. I am thankful to have this space in my life to regularly meet with other like-minded moms. I leave this place with my heart feeling full from our shared laughter, my spirit inspired by our mentor mom who has gone before us, and my soul humbled by my peers’ honesty. 

But the best part? The commitment to Christ and His words. 

I have followed Jesus since I was in middle school, and over two decades later, I still find myself always needing to have the gospel preached to myself all the time. As we go through “The Gospel Project,” I love our Christ-centered conversations that are based on Scripture. Together, our group spurs one another on to remain faithful to Christ. This Mom’s Ministry is truly a place that creates space in our lives to be empowered to preach Jesus’ life-giving words to our children. In John 10:10, He has said, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Thank you, Jesus!