Page 33 - 如溪邊喬木40th 紀念特刊 _Neat
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1991-1998


             係，有系統地學習聖經真理並操練屬靈生                                        在此四十週年之際，允許我用以下

             命的成長。 這個小組使我有諸多美好的回                                 幾點來互勉:
             憶，其中之一就是有一次我們在小組結束
                                                                  1. 為著基督的使命繼續前進
             前跪下禱告，等禱告結束大家站起來的時
             候， 才驚訝地發現已經是凌晨一點鐘了!                                  2. 高舉耶穌基督的名，使基督可以在凡
             沒有人抱怨，每個人都被聖靈充滿， 興奮                                      事上居首位

             的期待上帝來改變我們的生活及在教會中                                   3. 藉著上帝的話語和聖靈的大能，建造
             的服事。 通過這個小組，長執及弟兄姊妹                                      上帝的國度

             們開始火熱的服事，進行教導和門徒訓練。
                                                                  4. 熱切盼望耶穌基督-我們信心的創始
             在這個過程中我見證到只要那人願意被上
                                                                      成終者-的降臨
             帝所使用，祂可以使用任何人。


                L
                                                                                 /Reverend Edward Choa
                         ina and I would like to congratulate Formosan Presbyterian Church Orange

                         County (FPCOC) on your 40th anniversary!  May the Lord continue to sustain
              you all with His grace.

                   FPCOC will always have a special place in my heart.  It is my first church ministry
              experience in the United States.  It was evenly spent in both English (3 1/2 years) and
              Taiwanese (3 1/2 years) ministries as an Associate Pastor.

                   It was extremely challenging for my whole family trying to acclimate to the American cul-
              ture.    Even  more  challenging  is  pastoring  the  English  ministry  without  the  said  cultural
              tools.    Thanks  to  the  English  ministry  leadership,  they  helped  reduced  the  learning
              curve.  After 3 1/2 years, the church session migrated me into the Taiwanese ministry.

                   I vividly remember the church overflowing with worshipers each Sunday.  We didn't have
              enough parking spaces.  We even negotiated and rented space at the commercial building

              adjacent to the church for adult Sunday school.  I call it growing pains.

                    Satellite ministries were started by members and exiting ministers in different parts
              of Orange County.  Eventually, the number of worshippers dwindled causing the leader-
              ship to think of change.  And change started when members of the session attended
              the  Purpose  Driven  Church  Conference  at  Saddleback  Church.    A  new  excitement
              started to brew within the leadership and among the members. The Lord also allowed
              me to pursue my Doctor of Ministry at Fuller Theological Seminary focusing on Chris-

              tian Spiritual Formation.

                   A Bible study and prayer meeting was started on Wednesday mornings.   It was a
              hard sell.  Some felt it was a quixotic plan. But we started getting together and it still
              meets every Wednesday morning.  The purpose of which is to study the Bible book by
              book and to pray together for each other and the ministry at hand.

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