When I first arrived at HOC6, it was the first day of 2017. I had just landed the night before and was still battling jet lag. That morning, I came to the back door of the English Hall, where Dean came out to meet me. Kathy and Chris greeted me warmly, and I also met Matt. During the worship service, Daniel and Kelsey were leading the song Give Us Clean Hands, Give Us Pure Hearts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That song comes from Psalm 24 \u2014 the very same psalm my church in Hong Kong had prayed over me before I came to visit this church in the Bay Area. I wondered if God was already saying something. Three days later, I attended the Wednesday night prayer meeting led by Pastor Sidney. The very first thing he said was a quote from Psalm 24: \u201cWho shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.\u201d (Psalm\u202c 24\u202c:3\u202c-4\u202c)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The same verse again, the third time. In that moment, I knew I had received His confirmation \u2014 this was the church He was calling me to serve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have now been here serving at HOC6 for eight years. It\u2019s a small church; we don\u2019t have a lot of people. But what continually impresses me is the people\u2019s heart for service. Almost everyone serves in some capacity. We don\u2019t really have spectators here \u2014 everyone participates. It\u2019s very close to my vision of an ideal church, a worshiping community where everyone takes part rather than simply watching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I first arrived, our Sunday attendance was around 20 to 30 people \u2014 sometimes as few as 15 on a quiet week. Today, our attendance averages 45 to 50. We\u2019ve grown a bit, and more importantly, we\u2019ve become more steady in our faith. Our young adults especially have become more committed to the life of the church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My hope is that we will continue to raise up the next generation, growing together in faith, in the love of God, and in love for one another. May God continue to use this church for His glory and make us a blessing to our community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All glory and thanksgiving be to God.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"