Connection in Him
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During the summer vacation of 1987, I received a call from Pastor Gao Yaomin of the Holy Church in New York, inviting me to join the newly established youth fellowship in Queens, New York. The pastor said that those who came were all young international students and needed a "sister" to tutor the young sisters. I just graduated from college, so how do I know what counseling is? I can drive, and I was once a foreign student. If action and experience can become a resume, then... I am "coaching".
I and four or five young people of similar age became tutors for a group of young international students who were in high school. In the fellowship at that time, there was Kimberly who lived alone across from the school; there was the Kelly family whose father died young and immigrated to New York; there were the Liang brothers who originally studied in Taiwan and only came to New York to reunite with their parents after completing their military service; there were also people who participated in singing The competition is named after the three sisters of the Liu family who won a television; there is also Daniel, whose father was a high school English teacher in Taiwan; and there is the first couple in the history of the fellowship, Joe and Xiaofang. Oh! There was also William who happened to be standing by the roadside and was "asked for directions" by Pastor Gao, who invited him to join the fellowship. After William came to the fellowship, he seriously pursued his faith. After being baptized, he successively led his parents and sisters to believe in the Lord. In the youth fellowship's "heyday," there were about thirty to forty people attending each week.
Pastor Gao, who was in his fifties at the time, was a little "distanced" from the age and gadgets of teenagers, but he trusted our guidance and let us plan various activities, such as camping, barbecues, choirs, Bible studies, and acting. etc.; not letting it go, but behind the faith, nominating and praying for us every day. He has God's presence in his service and prayers, works with God, and strives to walk on the path God has called him.
This group of "elder members" of the New York Holy Church Youth Fellowship went to college, worked, and started families, and then they all went their separate ways. Among them, there are also members who are new members, or who have returned to New York Holy Church after studying, and continue to serve as youth fellowship counselors, and have become important co-workers of the church to this day. In 2006, Kimberly was entrusted by KRC founder Gao Lili to deliver rice dumplings to the KRC camp. At that camp, I met missionary Fan Qianzhiyu and heard about a group of Chinese students in eastern Germany, so I entered European campus ministry. From her missionary experience (please refer to the neighbor unit in this issue), she saw that as long as she has a willing heart and hands, she can spread the love of God.
Grace was also a member of the Youth Fellowship and opened a dental clinic in Delaware. She and her husband came to attend the KRC camp and later joined the KRC service. Dr. Grace's story was published in the 44th issue of the outreach section "Welcome to the Smile Clinic".Issue 44 Outreach Section: "Welcome to the Smile Clinic".
In the singing Liu family, the eldest sister, Susan, developed a burden for abused women and sex workers after completing her studies. She took to the streets to care for this group and also wrote two testimonies for KRC."Beautiful Footsteps in the Busy Streets and Alleys" (Issue 65 Neighborhood Section),"Red Roses Blooming in the Dark Room" (Issue 66 Neighborhood Section). She carries a tender heart and bravely cares for these overlooked women.
William, who met Pastor Gao by chance on the roadside, married Kelly, whom he met in the fellowship, after graduating from medical school, and moved his family to Boston. After that, he continued to serve young people in the local church, and often invited doctors and their families who came to Boston from Taiwan for short-term training to attend gatherings at his home. In December 2023, the KRC literature ministry team and director Xue Yueyue held a literature essence class and a fundraising concert at the Chinese Bible Church in the suburbs of Boston. After the event, we went to William and Kelly’s house for a feast and reminisced about the interesting events of the past.
In 2024, the Holy Church in New York will celebrate its 40th anniversary. We, a group of "young people", gathered at the church again, put on hymn robes, stood on the stage to offer poems, and relived the joy and beauty of praising God together.
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Pastor Su Wen'an, who has been teaching since the first literature camp organized by KRC and is also the editor-in-chief of this magazine, has joined KRC's ministry with his family. At first, the accompanying assistant was the eldest son Panquan. Later, the daughter Zhenquan joined the English unit editing team, and now the younger son Enquan is a full-time colleague.
Although the team members of KRC’s English Arctos ministry are young, they are all spiritually mature and passionate about serving. Even if there are different ideas and concepts, in the kingdom, the core of faith is the faith, hope, and love of the Lord Jesus Christ. Each issue of the magazine is the result of a collaborative effort with the Arctos team. In 2023, we and the Arctos team began to "travel" to churches to hold "communication courses", and the Arctos team also came to support our writing courses in Boston.
Faith must be passed on, and so must ministry. Nurture and cultivate a new generation of co-workers, support them with prayer and encouragement, believe in God’s guidance and provision, and let the ministry continue. Just as Pastor Gao Yaomin prayed sincerely and earnestly for the youth fellowship back then, how do you know what kind of fruit God will bear through these young people decades later?
This is what KRC is doing
Ask ChatGPT: How do today’s Christian leaders inspire and edify each other? AI gives this answer;
- Preaching and Teaching
- Counseling and Discipleship
- pastoral care
- Word Ministry
- Organize camps and activities
- Missions and Outreach
Isn’t this what KRC is doing?
In order to prepare for this sharing, I looked through old youth fellowship photos and saw one of them, which showed several students tutoring Kimberly and other students. In the photo, Joe and Xiaofang are holding their son Clement, who is under one year old. More than 20 years later, Clement went to Nepal to serve. His missionary story was published in the 40th issue of "Missionaries of Generation M—Bringing Heavenly Father's Heart to Nepal". The baby who was difficult to feed back then is now feeding the homeless children in Nepal with love.Issue 40: "Missionaries of Generation M—Bringing the Father's Heart to Nepal". The once difficult-to-feed baby is now nurturing Nepal's street children with love.
As time goes by, because we are "connected with God and connected with others", with God's blessing, we blossom and bear countless fruits of grace!
Read more:
Listen, the Stones Are Telling Stories…
Arctos Articles Intro
Prayers Anytime, Anywhere
Connecting Lives Through Biblical Stories
Encountering Botticelli in the Hallway
Religion and Morality
Making Peace with Time, Moving Forward Together
Benefiting from AI; Glorifying God with AI
Love to Hear You Speak
The Sins of White Supremacy Culture
What is in Your Hand?
Resources, Support, and Cooperation
To Succeed, Prepare for Spiritual Warfare
Fathers, Mothers, Sisters, Brothers – Part 2
I love you because God loved me first!
Being a Smart Bridesmaid
How much money do I need to retire?
Small Loans, Big Support
