by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz
What’s New?
Coming back from a small break of meeting with College Life during the summer, the Singles began meeting on Wednesday nights instead of Friday nights. This has been a great switch from the pattern of Single Life for the past few years, when before, many of the post-college guys and gals usually come to get their hearts refreshed and their eyes refocused after a long workweek. The time of refreshing teaching had to wait until the end of the week, leading to multiple hours of work, continual study for graduate school, or the pursuit of a job in between. Coming to the middle of the week, many of the Singles can see each other sooner, and fellowship as brothers and sisters on the race to spiritual growth and maturity, keeping one another accountable as a whole group to stay spiritually-minded for the rest of the week.
Along with the new day of meeting, Single Life has new staff! Though we lost nine faithful members from staff for various reasons (we all miss you!), our God has continued to bring up workers of His grace to this ministry. Splitting into a Shepherding and Admin Staff, the dynamics now has a group that helps out with the planning of events in Single Life, while the Shepherding Staff helps out with the facilitation of small groups, seeing the necessity of one staff helping the other. On Admin staff, we have the privilege of servants Vic Allende, Jane Liou, Eugene Park, Janet Shih, Brian Song, and Herman Wang. On Shepherding Staff, we have the additional joy of Joseph Ho, Obadiah Lee, Jennifer Shih, and, with God’s humor, myself, to newly serve our brothers and sisters. With the wise oversight of our Pastor, Patrick Cho, he saw the need for a focused staff to exercise their gifts in specific ways within the ministry.
Lessons Learned
It’s been a personal joy for me to be a part of this affinity group, since I get to spend more time with brothers and sisters my age and grow alongside them. Having moved from Youth Staff to Singles Staff, I immediately saw the change in atmosphere and interaction among one another. Not saying one is better than the other, my time with the youth has given me a wider love to a group very much unlike myself in many ways. The youth, as well as the staff, have taught me and modeled for me a love that grows deep in a ministry with the specific goal of building one another up in love and good deeds. Now that I am with a group closer in age, I can now give of myself to other brothers and sisters and share the joy I had with the youth, all coming from the same Source of love: our bond in Christ.
Starting up where he left off, Pastor Patrick continued to preach on Colossians 3, specifically addressing the attitudes we need to “wear” in our relationships at church. I think I can safely say the preaching continues to refine our character to look more like that of Christ in every area of our lives. With each garment we put on (vv. 12-13), it becomes more and more heavy to wear, and yet the reminder is always that God in Christ has shown how to do this abundantly, and empowers us to put these clothes on. Each character trait must actively be evident in our walk under the umbrella of love (v. 14), forgiving one another as we pursue Christian character. I’ve taken this to be a divine diagnostic of my life, evaluating my heart according to Scripture and finding where I need to lean on the Lord for His power to change.
I also had the opportunity to preach on the issue of contentment, since discontentment seems to be the unwelcome guest in our hearts that we have a hard time kicking out. Looking at the life of Paul in Philippians 4:10-13, you get a glimpse of a man completely content in Christ—no matter what circumstance he finds himself in. When I find that Paul had to learn how to be content, it reminds me that even the apostle Paul didn’t get it the first time around. He had to grow in having this attitude of being satisfied with whatever the Lord gave him, since he saw everything, especially his hard life, as a gift from God that was made for his growth in devotion to Christ. Seeing that it is through the strength of Christ that empowers us to live content humbles me again in admitting my lack of perspective when I work or when I take tests in class.
It’s an exciting time of new starts and continual growth for our Singles Ministry, and I’m grateful to God that I get to see with my own eyes the hand of God at our church. To see Singles continue to grow in their understanding of Scripture and seeking to do what it says is a beautiful sight. These are men and women dedicated to honor God in the workplace, and the conversation continues to focus on how to glorify our Savior in specific ways and holding each other accountable.
We’ve now begun small groups, and I, along with the other staffers, have already seen the love that shines in our church through these times of sharpening and encouragement. We all look forward to serving the Singles and finding more ways to do so. There is also the upcoming Car Rally this Saturday, so it should be a fun and stimulating way of getting to know the area we live but also the people who walk alongside us in faith. Our Christmas Party is quickly approaching, where we always enjoy a special time to enjoy the giving hearts of our brothers and sisters (including the gift cards to In N Out).
Continue to pray for our hearts to seek biblical change consistent with our confession of the God who saves and redeems from the inside out. Pray for the Gospel to spread to more and more singles who are in need of God’s grace, and that this ministry will continue to be centered on the Word of God as it relates to this stage of life that God blesses us with.
Last Thoughts
Singles, we have a unique opportunity to bear witness of Christ in companies and classes where the light is dim but our God shines bright. Let’s take advantage of every opportunity to introduce our friends, family and co-workers the Creator of the universe, Jesus Christ. God supplies our every need; let us demonstrate our thankfulness to Him at our station in life: “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus (work, sharing Christ, loving each other), giving thanks to God our Father through him” (Colossians 3:17). Let us “exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13).