by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear LBC family and friends,

Happy New Year! I hope your 2014 is off to a wonderful start! The New Year always provides a helpful time for self-evaluation and new resolutions and adjustments. As we looked at during our New Year’s Eve service, one of the passages that is often turned to during this season is 1 Corinthians 10:31. This is appropriate because our goals should stem from the one most worthy motive – to bring God glory.

Too often resolutions are merely about self-improvement. We want to be better individuals so we seek to lose some weight, learn new things, and treat others better. While these resolutions might seem lofty in one sense, in another they fall awfully short of what they could be. We forget that we were created to be part of something greater than ourselves. We worship an amazingly awesome God and our lives could be spent in pursuit of magnifying Him and ascribing to Him the worth He deserves. Instead, we shrink our vision down and focus on our comparatively puny selves. As I said at the New Year’s Eve service, self-improvement simply for the sake of self-improvement is like decorating a rotting tree or gilding a tomb. It serves such little purpose when compared to the grand scope of God’s will for our lives.

Let’s allow the New Year to serve as a much needed reminder that our goals and resolutions must be run through the filter of God’s Word to ensure that we are expending our resources and energy on things that truly matter.

In His grace,

Pastor Patrick

Here are some upcoming opportunities for you to get involved!

1. Midweek Bible Studies. Please keep in mind that our midweek Bible studies and activities are still on hold this week. LKC, Youth, College, Singles, and Grace Life will all resume next week. Please check the church calendar at the website for updated schedules and more information.
2. Communion. We will be taking communion this Sunday during service, so please come prepared for this special time of worship and fellowship with our Lord. Perhaps you will want to read and reflect on 1 Corinthians 11 where Paul gives instruction about this ordinance.
3. Sunday School. Our Sunday School classes will resume this weekend. Please make an effort to attend either our Fundamentals of the Faith class or our class on Eschatology during the Sunday School hour.
4. Missions Sunday. Our small delegation to Argentina has returned and the team is excited to share with you all that they were able to experience. On Sunday, January 12, we will be having a special missions themed morning service dedicated to the Argentina team’s report.
5. Men’s Breakfast. On Saturday, January 18, at 7:30 AM, we will be having our next men’s breakfast event. The theme for the series is “Men of Steel: Cultivating a Life that Overcomes the World.” Please bring a breakfast item to share.
6. All-Church Photo. We will be taking our annual all-church photo on Sunday, January 19, between the morning services.
7. Membership Class. Our next membership class will be at the end of the month. Part 1 will be on Saturday, January 25, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Part 2 will be on Sunday, January 26, from 2:00-5:00 PM. You must attend both sessions. Please contact Pastor Patrick for more information or for a membership application.
8. Members Meeting. We will be having a members meeting on Sunday, January 26, at 4:45 PM. All members are highly encouraged to attend. As always, dinner will be provided.
9. Parent/Child Dedication. We will be having a parent/child dedication service on Sunday, January 26 during our morning worship time. If you would like to participate in this service, please contact Pastor Patrick for more information.
10. Baptism Class and Service. Our next baptism class will be on Tuesday, January 28, at 7:00 PM, in Room 107. If you have not yet been baptized as a believer in obedience to the Scriptures, or if you simply want to learn more about what the Bible says about baptism, please make plans to attend this class. The baptism service will be on Sunday, February 9, at 4:30 PM.
11. LBC Los Angeles. LBCLA will be having their official inaugural service on Sunday, February 16, at 6:00 PM. Be sure to mark your calendars for this exciting and momentous occasion!
12. Mission Bowl. If you are interested in playing on either our men’s or women’s Mission Bowl flag football team, please contact Randy Tsuchiyama (dabigtsuchie@gmail.com). Practices begin this month!
13. Bible Reading Plan. If you would like to download an electronic copy of our Bible reading plan, you can go to www.lighthousebc.com/handout and click on the folder named “Bible Reading Plan.”
14. Prayer Need. Please continue to pray for Alex Ko as he is still in the hospital. Pray that his treatments would be successful and that the Lord would be gracious to grant a speedy recovery. Pray that the Lord would not only sustain Alex but also his family during this trial.