Covered in Prayer

Over the past several months, I have been guest preaching at various churches. It has been a wonderful time of fellowship with the larger body of Christ. And it’s a powerful reminder that the Kingdom of God is greater than any one church, but encompasses Christ-followers in many churches.

Every church my family has visited, we have received an outpouring of support, encouragement, and prayers. I have had countless people personally pledge to pray for our church. Truly, Imago Dei Church is covered in hundreds of earnest prayers.

Prayers matter. The prayers of the righteous are powerful and effective (James 5:16). Prayers defeat the schemes of Satan (Ephesians 6:18). Prayers empower the ministry of the gospel (2 Thess. 1:11). We have many sister churches praying for us. This is how the Kingdom of God advances--through the prayers of God's people, planting new churches, and encouraging and supporting one another.

Photo caption
Top: Pastor Sam Shin praying for our church during worship service at Wellspring Church in San Ramon
Bottom: Pastor SooSang Park praying for our church during their retreat at Revive Presbyterian Church in San Jose

Why do we need another church in Castro Valley?

Don’t we have enough churches?  Why plant another?  These are reasonable questions. The answer is simple: we don’t need less churches, we need more.

The reality is that Christianity is in decline in the United States.  A slew of surveys indicate this.  According to the Pew Research Center, the percentage of Americans who identify as Christians is steadily declining, and the percentage who have no religious affiliation is steadily rising (see chart).  In 2020, according to Gallup, church membership fell below 50% for the first time in US history (see 2nd chart).  In many ways, these are lagging indicators.  The generation most disaffected by Christianity are young people.  Gen Z is the most non-religious generation in US history, with nearly 50% identifying themselves as non-religious (see 3rd chart).  Which means that the decline in membership that major evangelical denominations, like the SBC (Southern Baptist Convention) and even the PCA (Presbyterian Church in America) are currently experiencing, will only accelerate in the future.

The old strategies of evangelism programs and community outreach events are increasingly less effective in a culture that sees Christian morality as retrograde.  The difficult issues of sexuality and politics have to be addressed directly in a thoughtful manner that respects skeptics and yet is firmly grounded in the truths of Scripture. Biblical teaching that is solidly orthodox has to be explained in a compelling manner that will give confidence to believers to bring their unbelieving friends to church. 

New churches, with their energy and dynamism, are uniquely positioned to do this evangelistic work.  Statistically, church plants are the most effective at reaching young people and nonbelievers.  The Bay Area is about 4% churched.  96% of Bay Area residents don’t attend church.  Think about that for a moment.  Jesus said, “the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray to the Lord of the harvest to send more laborers.”  We don’t need less churches, we need more.

Reflections on Suffering and Loss

For my family and I, this past year was the most painful and difficult we’ve ever experienced. We suffered deep loss and grief. It’s hard to describe the intensity of it. I remember many nights, lying on the floor, thinking I would surely die from the agonies of a broken heart. It literally felt like my heart was being torn apart. Grief is a physical thing. You feel it in your bones and body.

But in those moments of complete vulnerability, I felt the presence and comfort of God as never before. I felt like a little child being held by my Heavenly Father. Psalm 56:8 says that God “keeps count of our night-time tossings, and puts our tears in a bottle.” It’s an expression of His deep care for us. He is not indifferent to our suffering. Our tears matter to God. 

One verse that has been very precious to me is Psalm 126:5 – “those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy.” The Bible says, every tear is a seed. Time sows the seeds. And then, one day, all those tears shed in agony will produce a vast harvest of joy, beyond counting. This is the promise of Scripture. We see the first installment of it in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This gives me great comfort and hope.

Suffering can never destroy believers; it only ennobles and deepens the soul. It enlarges the heart’s capacity to receive Christ. It produces compassion for fellow sufferers. It gives grace and humility, which makes us useful for the Kingdom of God. And ultimately, when borne with patience and resilient joy, it gives God glory as all-sufficient and all-satisfying.

The idea behind our logo

The idea behind our logo is that the cross is in the empty space. The blue quarter-pieces fill out what would ordinarily be the negative space around the cross. So what the eye sees at first are the four quarter-circles, and then, only after looking longer is the cross discernible.

This is the way we see Christ in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, we see Christ, not in what Israel did, but in what she failed to do. We see the necessity of Christ's sacrificial death in the negative space of Israel's failures and disobedience. Our logo is a small visual representation of this concept and this way of reading Scripture.

Special thanks to Jennifer Cheung who worked on the first draft of the logo, and to her friend Bonnie Man who created the final version of the logo.