Sermon Rewind 11/28/10 (Cindy Park)

Cindy Park continued the Status Update series with the topic of grief. It is often hard to understand the rough times in our lives, but we must not fool ourselves into thinking that because we call ourselves Christ followers, that we are exempt from hardships and struggles. Rather, what we gain is the knowledge and comfort that though we may suffer, we do not suffer alone. God is there with us, sharing and understanding our pain. This is made clear in the Bible when it states that "Jesus wept," moved by the emotions displayed during Lazarus' passing. God also provides us a community of support. Just as Taiga Ryu shared his deepest grief to the church during the sermon, so should we learn to share our lives with others and process our feelings. Regardless of the situation we are in, we are loved and never alone.

Listen to this sermon and others online!
http://noc.newsong.net/grow/resources/message-archives/

Dave's Got Wheels Again!

Dave, 62, is a plumber by trade, has a lot of warehouse experience, is a believer, and has been a part of our NOC community for several months. He's an all around nice guy who's just trying to get by and live his life. He currently is living on the streets of Fullerton near the train station. 2 weeks ago his bike got stolen over night so it became difficult for him to get anywhere.

With the help of your donations, and the Hospitality donation jar, we were able to purchase for him an awesome beach cruiser, a new basket, and a lock. After taking a test drive, Dave said the bike was comfortable, easy to control, and "perfect for this old guy." I am thankful that God chose us to provide a tangible need for Dave!

Dave currently receives about $600 from social security a month. With proper budgeting, he could rent a place up to $350-400/ month and have enough for Food and necessities. He has been spending money trying to upkeep his laptop. If anyone knows of a room he could stay in Fullerton for around that budget, Please let Johnny Lee know! Like any of us, he wants to stay out of the rain and cold and have a warm place to rest.

Email Johnnybyullee@gmail.com.

Sermon Rewind: Status Update (Peter Park)

Peter Park continued the Status Update series with a message about loneliness from Psalm 139:1-18. God created in us an innate desire to be in close relationships with our Creator and people. Loneliness is the painful reminder that we don’t have close and meaningful relationships. Peter shared two ways we can overcome our loneliness. First, we must pursue a closer relationship with our God. Being intentionally alone with Him will fill us up with the fruit of the spirit. When we’re overflowing of God in us, it’s easier to engage with others. Second, we must pursue a closer relationship with other people. God calls us to be in relationship with others, not to fill a void, but because we are better together than apart. Is your relationship with Jesus based on business transaction or based on personal interaction?

Listen to this sermon and others online!
http://noc.newsong.net/grow/resources/message-archives/

Connecting the Dots: Lessons from (W)hole

By Kristin Kwan, Member of HOP Life Group

I’ll admit that charity has never really been my top priority; much less have I dwelt on it as an integral part of my relationship with Christ. I remember being uninterested a few years ago when my college fellowship did a series on social justice, because in my mind, helping the poor was a peripheral Christian issue – something you do for “bonus points.” I was much more focused on maintaining my relationship with Him in a mostly personal, introspective way. Of course, there’s truth to the importance of that personal aspect, but through the (W)hole series I’ve come to see this: To ignore God’s heart for the poor is to ignore a huge part of who He is.

As I was forced to come face-to-face with this issue He cares so much about, I had to examine my own attitude – not just my feelings toward charity, but also how I approach my relationship with God. In a human context, I couldn’t disregard my best friend’s greatest passion and still expect to know her on the deepest level; neither can I do this with God. His heart for the poor doesn’t just have implications for those living in poverty, and His concern doesn’t exist just to exemplify moral perfection. God’s passionate advocacy for the helpless is direct insight into His character, and it’s something that we need to pay close attention to if we want to know Him better.

As I began to realize this during the (W)hole series, I wrote these thoughts in my journal:

‘You don’t require charity for the sake of doing something “good.” You require it because you care. Those who are in pain, who are emotionally and physically tormented, who are lost and suffering spiritually, who are hungry…providing for their needs and touching their hearts, bringing them comfort – these are the things that are close to your heart. These are things that you care passionately about – because you are good.’

There was a time, when overwhelmed by bitterness, I found it hard to believe that God really is good. But through this series, He has corrected and expanded my understanding of Him. The way He provides and comforts those in need is tangible proof that He is compassionate and close to the broken. Better yet, the fact that he commands us, as His people, to do the same shows that He is undeniably passionate about it. He hasn’t asked us to do anything that He hasn’t done Himself.

The dots began to connect in a personally relevant way. There's no separation in God’s character: The same loving compassion that moves Him to care for the needy is the same that moved Him to die for me, and it's the same love that moves Him to guide me even now. As we continue on to a new series, I hope we’ll continue to pursue His heart and actively engage in the causes He cares about, realizing that He invites us to enter into higher intimacy by walking in His example.

A Night of Freedom and Fashion

By Pat Hsieh

I love fashion and I love social justice. I was planning to attend Freedom and Fashion as soon as I heard that the event would be held at NewSong Irvine this year, so when Janice Yu asked me to represent NEO (NewSong Mexico City) at FnF, I jumped on board. NEO’s presence at FnF was to raise awareness about its safehouse for victims of human trafficking (“El Pozo” or “The Well”) and to raise funds for this ministry through the sale of jewelry.

From what I could see with my human eyes, Freedom and Fashion was a huge success. The place was packed with people and we sold over $1000 of jewelry for El Pozo. I feel really great about raising money and awareness for such an important ministry, but the experience left a deeper imprint in my heart that will hopefully last a long, long time.

In the weeks prior to the show, I was feeling stressed out about making enough jewelry to sell at our booth. I knew that Janice was planning to make pieces, too, but didn’t know how much time she would have because El Pozo had just opened. God gently told me that it was more important to pray over the show because it was about what He would do through it, as opposed to what I could do on my own. Even so, God brought me some partners. Cindy Park and Kumi Nakagomi helped me to make jewelry. Kumi, My Le, and Sandra Thio came with me to the actual event to set up, talk to people, sell jewelry, and break down. I am so thankful for their partnership. Being the type of person who is reluctant to ask for help, I am learning how to trust and rely on others.

At FnF, a lot of information was shared about human and sex trafficking. When I think about how widespread this problem is, not only in numbers but also geographically across the world, I feel overwhelmed. When I think about what life is like for a girl who is a victim of sex trafficking, especially compared to what life is like for my own daughters, I literally feel like throwing up. Then God reminded me that, “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5)

Next Step

By Sandra Thio

Approximately 1,300 people attended Freedom and Fashion Showcase + Tradeshow held on Saturday, Nov. 6th at Newsong Irvine. Jeannie Mai, from Style Network’s “How do I Look?”, hosted the event and shared her poignant journey of how she became aware of human trafficking. Before every line of clothing was modeled on stage, a series of video clips highlighting the designers--organizations and businesses dedicated to fair trade and/or awareness of human trafficking—was shown. Vendors were on site to provide information about their cause and promote their products.
“I had no idea what Freedom and Fashion (FnF) was all about until the night of the event. When Pat Hsieh asked if I would be interested in selling jewelries at FnF and that all profits would go towards El Pozo (a safe house in Mexico City for victims of human trafficking), I said, ‘YES, of course I would help out!’

The event as a whole was AWESOME! Selling handmade jewelries and engaging with people asking about our Cause was humbling. The theme of this event was about “Redemption”, which means rescuing people from something and then giving them the freedom to live. The clothes highlighted on the runway definitely communicated redemption. It was remarkable how the many different non-profit organization (i.e. Newsong NEO, Kristinit, Not For Sale, Definicion, etc.) using fashion to raise awareness in fighting against human and sex trafficking.

I became aware of human trafficking in December 2009 when my husband and I went on a mission’s trip to Mexico City. Through this FnF event, I am more knowledgeable to the different non-profit organization out there. Now the next step is how I can get involved.”