by Pastor Victor Chen

As we continue to emphasize "discipleship" in our church, I found this recent blog post, "Learn, Love, Live: The Heart of Discipleship", to be particularly helpful and insightful. 

This blog on discipleship centers around Deuteronomy 6:4-9, a critical passage detailing discipleship in the home. Specifically, this passage fleshes out what discipleship looks like throughout the day in our homes.

I appreciated how "love" is highlighted in discipleship here. Our children should not just learn about the Lord and live for Him, but also love Him with all their heart, soul and might.

Note, this blog post comes from "The Gospel Project", the unified curriculum our Church School is currently going through."

by Community Food Pantry Leadership

As the lockdowns seem to be coming to an end, we have been asked, “What's going on with the Pantry?" 

Here's what we know. 

Evergreen's Local Outreach is in a leadership transition:  Pastor Hugo is transitioning to lead Local Outreach, and Pastor Victor is currently leading Family Ministries.  As such, the Community Food Pantry is on hold as the vision and direction of Local Outreach is being crafted. 

Initial direction for Local Outreach will focus on building personal relationships with our neighbors. Some of you may be aware that Evergreen has reached out to a neighboring mobile home park with Christmas and Easter gifts.  Evergreen also continues to support Don Julian Elementary School. Pastor Hugo has also started a weekly Spanish-speaking Bible Study group. 

At this time, the Pantry is not scheduled to re-open at any time in the near future. We know that many of you are disappointed with this news. Please know, however, that Pastor Hugo has been reaching out to members of the community, including those who have received from the Food Pantry.  He has also delivered food packages and various goods as needed on behalf of the church. Also, anybody who calls the church regarding the Pantry is now directed to Pastor Hugo, who will follow up and act on behalf of the church in providing for any appropriate need.

God has used the Pantry ministry to bless many hundreds of families. Please be blessed in knowing that your many volunteer hours were used to show God's love to others. God is in control and has a plan for this ministry. 

We pray for Pastor Hugo as he works to create God's vision for Local Outreach. We also pray that Pastor Hugo has clear direction from God specifically regarding the Pantry ministry. 

Please join us in praying for God's direction regarding the Pantry ministry. 

by Elliot Snuggs

Decades from now I think history will look back on this time as pivotal. But what will we pivot to? While we don’t know all the implications the Covid-19 pandemic will have on our world, we can be certain that God’s kingdom will advance. Jesus tells us as much in Matthew 16:18 “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (ESV).

In fact, I believe we may see one of the greatest inpourings into the kingdom of God we have seen in our generation. I have been involved in missions ever since I graduated from college. Okay, that was a long time ago! One of the key things Jesus said that is foundational for cross cultural missions is, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14 ESV) In one sense, Covid-19 has seemingly slowed down missions. Travel has been heavily restricted and in person gatherings have been curtailed. But the pandemic has also created a huge void in people’s lives. That void includes fear and isolation. People need good news!

I think we should expect people to be hungry for what we have. I think we may see what Jesus meant when he told his disciples that, “The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it.” (Luke 16:16 ESV) And if we do see millions of people forcing their way into the good news of the kingdom, we are going to need discipleship in a massive way. This is encouraging to me as both Evergreen SGV and the organization I work with, Asian Access, are keen on discipleship. At Asian Access we have four outcomes, the third of which is reproducing disciple-making leaders. The fourth is catalyzing disciple-making movements.

A few years ago I was able to travel to Bentonville, Arkansas. There I met with Mike Duke, the former CEO of Walmart and one of his Vice Presidents Edwin Keh. We spent the morning doing a video shoot for Asian Access’s leadership development training for business leaders. The topic was discipleship and we were asking Mike how he found time for that as a very busy CEO of a global company. Here is what he said: “There is no greater Return on Investment than discipleship and investing in other people.” As Mike’s quote suggests, far more than his investment in business and the influence he had (Forbes listed him as one of the ten most powerful people in the world), Mike views his time discipling people as having the biggest return on investment.

Decades from now, will the church look back on Covid-19 as a time when millions became disciples? I pray so. Jesus is the answer to the void people are feeling. A common refrain from Jesus, and throughout the Bible, is “fear not!” We need to disciple people toward Jesus, and out of fear and isolation. Back to Luke 16, here is how The Message version of the Bible puts it:

What society sees and calls monumental, God sees through and calls monstrous. God's Law and the Prophets climaxed in John; Now it's all kingdom of God—the glad news and compelling invitation to every man and woman. (Luke 16:15b-16)

by Pastor Victor Chen

Summer is upon us and as parents are searching for activities to keep their children busy, I would like to offer one —The Evergreen Summer Reading Challenge.

What does it entail?

I will recommend a book for your child to read during the summer. These will be fictional novels written with a Judeo-Christian worldview for reading levels 3rd grade and up. (For lower reading levels, I can recommend books to be read to your child).

Upon completion of the book by the end of summer (before the start of school) and a written submission indicating what your child liked about the book, your child will receive a prize —a recommended Christian book from me!

Why fiction?

Fictional stories spark the imagination and creativity of a child. A fictional novel teaches a child how to sit, focus and track with an entire book.

How does it work?

Email me at vchen@evergreensgv.org to receive the name of the book assigned to your child. Please indicate the reading level of your child.

Can adults participate?

Of course! Reading has become a lost discipline. What better opportunity than now to grow in this discipline by reading through a good novel.

by Andy Pearce

Our weekly Zoom English conversation class for Caltech internationals always begins with a presentation of six slang/idioms. During a recent class, one of the six was “pronto,” a Spanish word that English-speakers use for “soon” or “quickly.” Because the class includes an Italian from Palermo, Sicily, I mentioned that Italians say “pronto” when they answer the phone, and that it means “ready” in Italian. As I was talking, she noticed that behind me was a picture of the Palermo Cathedral, the most famous building in her city. She let out an expression of surprise and joy! Then she told the class more about her Sicilian hometown and culture. I had surprised her by putting the Palermo Cathedral as my virtual background on Zoom. I learned that if a photo is projected onto an actual “green screen” it is very sharp and realistic, so I have been collecting backgrounds from around the world.

After the presentation of slang/idioms, the class splits into discussion groups or Zoom breakout rooms, which is easy to do. A recent group I facilitated had two Taiwanese internationals, so I quickly switched my background to a photo of Taipei 101, the world’s tallest building from 2004 to 2009. my favorite virtual background is the Great Wall of China. Doesn’t it look like I’m sitting right on the Wall? I also have the Taj Mahal (India), Marina Bay Sands Hotel (Singapore), Mt. Fuji (Japan), Petronas Towers (Malaysia), Taman Mini (Indonesia), Seoul Tower (South Korea), Hong Kong’s harbor, and other famous landmarks.

I greatly miss traveling and look forward to starting up again. However, I enjoy connecting on Zoom with current and former international students and scholars. I also think that using familiar virtual backgrounds on my green screen encourages and helps them to feel at home. First Thessalonians 5:11 says, “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” I am thankful to use Zoom to be an encourager to these friends.