OCSBA family!
We are almost through the end of October, and what an incredible month it has been as we lead through to Thanksgiving. It has been an honor and a joy being OCSBA’s DOM as it has led to my team. Being able to partner with so many of you in even deeper ways in ministry by having encouraging conversations and deep prayers for many going through challenging times. I am excited to see all the different strategies churches have to disciple their people and engage their communities. We can do it! God is with us! Yet, it is even easier and more fun when we do it together! I mean c’mon ladies and gentlemen, solitaire is great, but tennis is better. Tennis is great but there’s nothing like a foursome when you are playing golf. A foursome playing golf is great but not as great as 5 on 5 basketball. 5 on 5 basketball is great but 11 vs 11 soccer or futbol is even better. 11 vs 11 soccer is great but full contact offense/defense football with the squad is best. We are meant to do it together, so let’s keep rolling together in this new season God has allowed us to live in.
I am praying for all your Harvest Festivals. Many churches on October 31st will be casting their nets out there to try to reach those in their community with the Good News of Jesus Christ. Thank you for opening your ministry sites so that children can have a safe place to have fun and meet good people. I want to encourage all of you to partner with each other in these ministries. You will see that some of the things that are tough for you to do, are a joy for others to do. I want to encourage you to take a chance on new people with mentors or tag team partners to help lead areas of these outreaches when you can. It is great to teach someone to drive, but eventually you must let them drive. At the harvest festival at FSBC Anaheim, it is common that teenagers run the games and candy distribution, and they even do it without eating all the candy. Keep an eye on new people and especially the young but please give them a chance.
Try something new and try it with the support of our association and our partner ministries. It has been said many times now of the titles that I am holding at the same time in this chapter of my life. I hope that it shows that we can work together as association, the state convention, and the national convention to support our churches. Let me know what your vision is, and I am glad to help you to get connected to whatever I can. This is a great convention of churches. I grew in a small network of ethnically Thai churches where financial support, prayer support, and strategy support were very low. We often felt alone, but we had each other. Well, there is more each other than you know, and I want to be a part of your family at all your churches because I love you with the love of Jesus Christ.
October is also the month of gathering. The end of this month includes the CSBC Annual Meeting where messengers from 2400 churches gather to discuss how to reach this great mission of a state together. Join us Thursday October 27th at the Chinese Community Baptist Church of South Orange County for our executive board meeting to vote on budget and new moderator/vice moderators. All of this is in preparation for two big celebrations: one for the community and one for our family. The first is SoCal Harvest at Angel stadium on November 5th and 6th where many of our churches will be helping translate the message into people’s heart languages, some will even be BBQing under the big hats to feed hungry people. Second is our 70th annual meeting on Saturday, November 12th! It’s our birthday! Come listen to my friend and big brother Pastor Rick Warren speak, come meet our new CSBC executive director Pete Ramirez, and come show gratitude to our very own Jason Robertson who has led us well as moderator through these challenging two years. It’s going to be a great end to the month! Thank you, Jesus