by Grace Wu

This Beacon interview, we get to know a staff member — Kaitlyn Tou. She describes herself as “a lover of Christ, a wife, a nurse, and a definite sinner.” She is married to Chris, who also serves on youth staff.

How long have you been serving on youth staff?

I’ve been serving on youth staff for about 2 years.

What made you want to join youth group?

When I was a youthie, I was very encouraged by older believers at Church who spent time to teach me, hang out with me, and love me in Christ. So I wanted to be that kind of encouragement and light in the lives of our youthies, so that they too may come know to the saving knowledge of Christ and how awesome He truly is.

How do you see your gifts being used in youth group?

God has allowed me to teach, admonish, encourage, and love the youth. I am always humbled by how He continues to use a sinner like me to build His kingdom. Only by God’s loving grace and perfect will do I serve in youth, which also means if anything goes wrong, it was His will…  =)

What has been one blessing in the past month that you’ve experienced in youth group?

Being able to spend time with my small group girls outside of church has allowed me to get to know them more. Not only are they so very interesting and funny, but their convictions and struggles have encouraged me as a fellow believer in Christ.

What’s it like to serve with your husband?

Being able to serve with Chris is great! It’s like having your cake, eating it, then serving on staff with it…haha, sorry. But seriously, it is wonderful to serve on youth together. I love to see him get excited when interacting with them and teaching them, it spurs me on to be excited as well.

What is the most important lesson you wish you knew when you were a youth?

I wish I knew back then that God is the Savior, I wish I believed sooner that He died for me by paying the penalty on the cross, and that through His death and resurrection, I have eternal life with Him!

by Grace Wu

Note: This week, the Youth affinity group brings us an interview with one of their staff members: John Yang. John has attended LBC since his freshman year of college, and has stayed at LBC even after graduating from UCSD. He is currently engaged to LBC member Melody Yu. In addition to preparing for marriage, he is also involved in an ongoing effort to get into medical school.

How long have you been on youth staff? What drew you to joining youth ministry?

Since March 2009 (~2 years). The simple answer as to why I joined youth ministry was because I became convicted that I needed to be willing to serve the church body and thought the youth ministry was a good place to cultivate this love for the church. I joined youth because I trusted JR, who was the youth pastor at the time, and knew he would encourage and help nurture this love for the body, and because I have always had an interest in investing in young men.

Now the long story: I came to LBC with a lot of jadedness and misinformation about Christianity. I hated church and I hated church ministry. I distrusted church leaders, and believed that leadership was rotten with corruption. With solid teaching and time (and grace and divine intervention), in 2007, I came to realize that Christianity and Christ are true. Not all Christians were phony, and certain members are even genuinely loving and trustworthy. Nevertheless, I refused to trust church as a whole, and was exceedingly distrustful and judgmental of the church. Throughout 2008, JR challenged me to love the church, not as a perfect entity, but as the object of Christ’s love and by His mandate, the proper recipient of my love as well. With much patience on his part, I was eventually convinced of the errors of my unbiblical and emotional way of thinking, and thus began to consider a more official ministry to serve the body in 2009. It was at this point that I decided to join the youth. I joined the youth because I struggled with loving church leadership, and saw serving the church in some leadership capacity as the most appropriate way to combat this sin. I joined youth because I trusted JR as a suitable overseer who would be mindful and understanding of my weakness in this area. It was a blessing that I loved the youth anyway, but I would be lying if I said it was because of them exclusively that I joined the ministry.

How has being on the youth staff helped you grow?

My love for the church has grown immensely since I joined 2 years ago. Certainly it was not exclusively the result of serving on staff, but where I previously would quite vocally express my distrust and hatred towards the church and its leadership, I now actively strive to love both the church and its leaders, endeavoring to kill the sin in me that judges them based on merit rather than grace. A lot of it involves learning humility. It is much harder to condemn the leaders when I realize how difficult it is to lead even in the simple responsibilities that I have been entrusted to. In summation, serving on staff has helped me to grow in humility and love especially towards our leaders.

What are some of your responsibilities in youth ministry?

Currently, my regular responsibilities are hosting and sharing a short devotional at the youth study hall on Wednesday nights. As for Friday nights, I am currently Zach’s small group leader and I try to be mindful of ways that I can continue to pray for and exhort him to godly living and worship.

Since you’re on youth staff, you have to be with them during Bible studies on Friday nights, which takes away time from being part of the Singles Ministry. How do you manage your time between youth ministry and Singles?

Certainly it is more difficult not having that default face time with the Singles by being there on Friday nights, but we manage. I live with 4 other LBC singles, I am part of a small group, and I try to mingle with them after youth Bible study and over lunch on Sundays. I also make it a priority to attend Singles events. Additionally, the Singles are diligent in reaching out, which makes it a lot easier for us. In terms of how I manage, I try to be purposeful in the scheduled times we do have with the youth, and I try to be intentional about being available for the unscheduled hangout opportunities with the Singles.

What is your encouragement to someone who is thinking about joining youth staff?

Pray. So long as your heart is set upon glorifying God and you believe joining the Youth ministry will serve that purpose, go for it. (Of course, this is assuming you love kids and are willing to serve the youth).

by Roger Alcaraz

For the past eight months, I’ve been able serve and hopefully bless our youth ministry. I absolutely love the people there and though life can get demanding, ministering to them has never been a burden. You have been able to get to know some of them more through recent interviews and more are still to come, but for now, I want everyone to know why I love serving in this ministry. Before I begin, I should clarify: it may sound like I make the students to be such great people that I can’t help but to love them. The truth is, I love them not for who they are, but simply because God has placed this group in my life to serve and give my life to. Still, God has seen fit to bless me by allowing this ministry to bring much joy and comfort in life. Here are five ways the youth ministry has blessed me.

1. I am never alone. Pastor Patrick sometimes reminds me, “You’re not a leader if no one is following you.” So while I was dubbed as the youth leader, I would be helpless without my staff. I’m aware that they follow my lead mostly for the same reason I love the youth, but it doesn’t change the fact that I can depend on them for anything. Their love for the students is as great as mine and the success of this ministry is entirely dependent on the staff all having a shared goal. No matter who you talk to on staff, their goal is to sacrifice their time, money, sleep, and everything else to bring even one lost sheep to the fold. Not only do I see their love for the students but I see their immense devotion to Christ and to the spread of the gospel. I used to feel bad for asking so much from the staff but I know how much joy they have in serving. I am blessed to have a staff so committed to the MVP.
2. Their parents desire for them to grow. As great of an impact the staff and I hope to make with the gospel in the lives of the students, we know the biggest influence and witness to each of them is their own family, particularly their parents. It would be a huge struggle if the parents were telling their children to pursue the things of this world with us having to teach against their counsel. It would only confuse our teaching. But here at Lighthouse, I’m blessed to know that parents teach the Bible to their children and care about their salvation even more than the staff or I do. We do have some students who do not have believing parents and for that, I’m thankful for blessing number three.
3. They desire to grow. It seems basic, but having a youth ministry that wants to grow is not the norm for many youth ministries. I talk with other youth pastors and the main heartache they have is that they preach on deaf ears and hard hearts. Or worse is when most of their time is spent trying to get the students to settle down so that the gospel can even go out. I’ve always thought our youth ministry was weird because I could never even sit still in church when I was younger and yet because of their desire to grow they are willing to not just endure but enjoy studying the Bible. I always pray that their pursuit of holiness continues and that they would be abiding in Christ.
4. They’re challenged by God’s Word. It’s not easy to tell people about the cost of following Christ—that they are to deny their own desires in pursuit of loving God and people. But it’s a blessing that they understand this cost and not jump to hasty conclusions that they’re a disciple of Christ apart from living for Him. This follows what Jesus advises in Luke 14:25-33. Certainly I would want professing believers, but I do not want them be unaware of the life to come so that their profession is genuine. It is a blessing that when a student claims to be a Christian, they’ve done so considering what God’s Word has required of them and seeks to follow him.
5. They challenge me. For older people, it is easier to compartmentalize God to Fridays and Sundays. I’ve noticed that for the believing youth, this is impossible. A young Christian man or woman includes Christ in his or her daily life, depends on His mercy, and lives for Him in ways I wish all believers would. This puts me to shame because when I accepted Christ, I was too afraid to publically proclaim Christ to my class. I certainly did not write a commentary on a book of the Bible. I did not choose a college based on where there is a good church that I could grow in. And yet, this seems normal for the youth who believe because they understand that love so amazing, so divine, demands their soul, their life, their all. It is a blessing and humbling to see such maturity in faith from those who are younger.

by Grace Wu

This week, the Youth affinity group brings us an interview with one of their members: Angela. Angela is one of the newer additions to Lumos, having come to the church by herself through the recommendation of family and friends. She is an example of the wide-reaching ministry of LBC, extending not just to college-aged or single adults searching for churches in San Diego, but also to the youth group. Though her parents are not members of LBC, she still regularly attends youth group on her own. She is originally from New York and moved to San Diego just a couple of years ago with her family. Angela is currently a senior in high school.

How long did it take you to find a church in San Diego after moving from New York?

It took about six months to a year to find a good, stable church to go to constantly.

How was the process of looking for a good, stable church to go to?

It was stressful because I kept arguing with my parents about what kind of church I wanted and what kind of church they wanted because we had different views about what church should be. It was hard for me because my church from New York was the church I grew up in. I didn’t know if I’d feel the same at a new church, so it was very stressful to find a church to settle in.

How and when did you start coming to LBC? What were you first impressions? What was it like coming to church on your own without your parents?

My brother’s friends from college heard Pastor John as a guest speaker at a retreat they went to and they knew that he was a pastor at a church in San Diego and so they told me to go to LBC. The sermons were very strong and straightforward. It was long but it was very beneficial. Coming by myself, I paid attention more. I felt more independent so I felt like I needed to listen more. I was nervous coming by myself, but I overcame that nervousness. There were a lot of friendly people and it was comforting to see that people at LBC care about their new visitors.

What made you to want to settle down at LBC?

The sermons that were presented were very helpful during the week and the people were very friendly.

Was it hard to want to stay at LBC because people are so much older than you?

No, since people here are older than me and have more experience, I think I could learn from them what they have learned.

What’s something you’ve learned since being in Lumos that has impacted you?

Taking up the cross everyday. It was my 2nd or 3rd Bible study at youth group, and I was going through some rough times, and listening to those sermons about taking up my cross and following Christ made me think if I made better Christian choices, then my life’s path will go the right way and that I wouldn’t feel so lost.

How is Lumos different from your old youth group?

It’s more one-on-one and very personal. My old youth group was pretty big so I couldn’t get much time with a leader. I learn more when it’s one-on-one or with fewer people.

How has senior year been?

So far, it’s been hard and very stressful. There’s been a lot of work. Even though it’s been stressful, there are times I could go out more because it’s senior year. There’s a lot more peer pressure in school because it’s my last year, I’m older, and I’m going to college so there are a lot more opportunities to be pressured.

What are your hobbies?

I love to dance, if it weren’t for dance I don’t think I’d be Angela. I usually do choreographed pieces and if I do do freestyle, I’d do hip hop dancing

by Grace Wu

Editor’s Note: This week, the Youth affinity group brings us an interview with one of their members: Zach.

How long have you been a part of Lumos? What was it like when you first came?

I have been in Lumos since April 2008, and I loved it! It was smaller than other youth groups I previously attended. I was nervous, but the staff and youth were and are so kind. I had never met a group of people so kind as the Youth Group.

What is different about Lumos now?

The only thing different about Lumos is that JR and the Kims aren’t there anymore. It feels like nothing about Lumos has changed, because whenever I walk into Bible Studies or Sunday School, it is a part of the family of Christ.

How have you changed since first being in Lumos and now?

I definitely have changed a lot since the summer of 2008. I went to a Youth Retreat hosted by Pastor Chris Mueller, who taught on Jonah. He spoke of his hypocritical ways, and the messages he spoke got me thinking. And a few weeks later, I repented and became a Christian on 7/20/2008. I have grown into a higher spiritual maturity than before, thanks to JR’s epic Systematic Theology lessons. The lessons now are just as God-filled as JR’s, and encouraging and Scripture-filled also.

What is one significant lesson God has been teaching you lately?

One significant lesson God has been teaching me for a very long time (even today) is to not be anxious. I get hung up over all my sins, and when I’m not hung up over my sins, I think that I’m not caring about them, which gets me in an endless circle of emotional stimulation and fear. It is hard to learn, but I know I will learn it one of these days. For of God starts a good work, He will complete it.

What’s it like being one of the few guys in Lumos?

Being one of the only guys in Youth just makes you stand out a lot! The young women try to pick on you, you are an instrument of fun, or if you are like me, John Yang picks you up and spins you around and around! It is really fun! And its a blessing to be one of the young-and-growing men in Lumos.

How do you shine the light at your school?

It is hard to shine the light, because when I try, I feel an all-out war in my mind, one part saying “Do it!” and another saying “Don’t!” I am different, people know I’m different, it is just hard to show it as much as I would like to.

What is one thing you want people to know about you?

I want people to know that I am a great enemy of God, a scoffer of Christ, and a rebel to the Law of God, who was redeemed by Christ’s death, and that I want to be like Jesus.

What are your hobbies?

My hobbies are writing papers proving the truth of Christianity; reading; learning about things I do not know about; watching war movies; being a World War II know-it-all; hanging out with friends; playing the ukelele, violin, guitar and piano and my Xbox; and I absolutely love to sit in one spot, space out and think.

by Grace Wu

Editor’s Note: This week, the Youth affinity group brings us an interview with one of their members: Kristen.

1. How has youth group changed since you came in as an 8th grader and now as a senior in high school?

I officially became a part of the youth group in the summer of 2006, about to enter the 8th grade. At that time there were 3 middle school students, and 3 high school students. Now there are 5 middle school and 5 high school students. It’s still a relatively small group, but I’ve come to appreciate the intimacy that we have and how we all know each other pretty well.

I’m so thankful that throughout my years in youth group, amidst various changes, the staff have remained consistently the best staff ever! They are so patient and willing to do anything to serve us and point us to Christ. The only thing that has changed about the staff is the staff to youth ratio. There was a time when the ratio was 1:1! Even though there was a surplus of staff, the fact that they still wanted to remain in youth group and help us grow in our understanding of the Gospel spoke volumes to me. All the current youth staffers have been so encouraging and its been my joy to learn from their wisdom.

We used to have Wednesday night Bible study called WWF (not to be confused with the wresting group) which stood for Wednesday Workout Fellowship. During these times we went through the book of Proverbs, and learned about the way of the wise and the fool. Later on we switched our Bible studies to Friday night, and then began studying the book of Luke. I’m so glad that we are studying the life of Christ and seeing for ourselves who He claimed to be and how He deserves our worship.

All in all, youth group has not changed much in terms of the staff’s commitment to teach us the word of God and how our lives should change as a result of true salvation. And for that I’m thankful.

2. How have YOU changed since you came in as an 8th grader and now as a senior in high school?

When I first came to LBC I was not a Christian. That is the biggest difference between me back then and me now. Through the ministry of the youth staff as well as older Christians who showed me the love of Christ, I saw the Gospel being lived out. I had the head knowledge that I was a sinner, but I truly didn’t see my hopelessness in my depraved state until early high school. This was a miracle in itself and definitely the work of God, because I had grown up so prideful and judgmental towards others, looking down on everyone. Also during this time my dad wasn’t doing too well physically, so I was put in a position where I had the choice to give my life to Christ and depend on His strength or continue in my self-dependent ways. By the grace of God, I believed that I could only be saved through Christ’s sacrifice, and He gave me the desire to live for His glory.

Something that God has really changed in my heart is to fear Him more than I fear people. This is something that is still an on-going process, but I definitely see His work in this area. When the youth group studied the attributes of God during Sunday school, my eyes were opened to see how majestic and big God really is and that He is so much more mightier than any force or human being. I have the privilege of calling the God of the universe my Father, and I have the promise that nothing can separate me from the love of God. What am I to fear? Every week my heart is consistently saturated with the Gospel and the glory of Jesus Christ, and this fills my mind leaving very little space for my worries and anxieties to expand.

Because I have grown up going to church, many biblical ordinances were just habits to me. But now that I’m a Christian I’ve learned over the years the reasons why I should do the things that I do, like something as simple as serving at church. So to an outsider I may look the same in terms of the external lifestyle that I lived back then, but my life is completely different because now I’ve been washed by the blood of Christ and God gives me the ability to serve Him in a God-honoring way.

Also a big difference from the 2006 me and the 2010 me is that I see life with an eternal perspective. This past summer youth retreat the theme was Heaven. I was challenged to always set my mind on the things above (Col 3:23) and to look forward to the day when I will worship the Lord with no encumbrances. It is still a temptation to worry about the things of this world (such as grades and choosing a college), but ultimately I know that everything will work out for the good to those who love God.

3. What is one thing you want the people at LBC who don’t know the youth group well to know about Lumos?

The youth group desires to get to know the rest of the church body! I think it is somewhat easier for the upperclassmen of high school to converse with the older people at church, but I remember being in middle school and how intimidated I was to approach someone who was a lot older than me. The youth staff tells us to not be shy in getting to know people of other affinity groups, but I think it is still a little scary to do so, especially for the younger youth. I have been personally blessed by the kindness of older LBC members who graciously gave their time and energy to spend time with me, and I would love for the other youth members to be blessed by this as well. I’m definitely not saying that this isn’t taking place already, but I’m merely affirming your efforts in doing so. Thank you for your serving hearts and desire to pass down the greatness of God to us!

4. How are college applications coming along?

They’re going well. I’m only applying to a few colleges so its not too strenuous. The UC and CSU apps are due November 30, but my goal is to turn it in before Thanksgiving. As a Christian, the process of applying is not as stressful because I know that ultimately God is sovereign over where I get accepted or rejected. But that should not be a reason for me to be lazy in writing those essays, since God calls me to work heartily and be good stewards of the blessing of education.

5. How have you been able to shine the light at your high school?

I’ve been so humbled by how God has used me as well as the Christians at my school. For me personally, I’ve always been afraid of talking to my peers about God because I didn’t want them to dislike me. But its been so neat to see how God has been filling my heart with the fear of Him and placing various opportunities to share the Gospel with classmates. Earlier this year my English teacher gave us an assignment called a Self-Discovery project where we had to share with the class who we are (to help us brainstorm ideas of what to write in college essays). Another Christian in my class and I shared the Gospel through our testimonies. I was so nervous and fearful of how it would all turn out, but God gave me peace and the words to speak. I trusted that no matter how eloquent or inarticulate the presentation was, God was the one to change my classmates’ hearts, so all glory goes to Him. As I said before, I’m so humbled by how God would choose to save me and use me to do something that I would NEVER have done before prior to salvation.

Also LBC sponsors an on campus Bible study at Torrey Pines High School called TP Bible Study. Every Wednesday during lunch, either Cesar or Roger comes to teach us God’s word. In the past years Pastor JR has come and spoken, as well as other men from LBC. This semester Cesar is going through 1 John, which has going great! The book talks about what true salvation is and how to discern if you are truly a Believer or not. Praise God for His Gospel being preached at my high school!

6. What was your most memorable youth activity?

Hm, that’s a hard question. We’ve had so many fun and interesting activities! To name a few, we’ve had Christmas parties, a mini-golf night, a photo scavenger hunt, ping-pong & Foosball tournament, FWiiS night (which stands for Friends, Wii, and Snacks), ice skating, youth retreats, a bring-your-own-utensil dinner, movie nights, bowling outings, an attempted bowling activity that turned into a game night at the arcade (Jenna, if your reading this, you know =D ), joint college-youth and singles-youth activities, and many many more!

But my most memorable “youth activity” isn’t really an activity, but more of a memory. I will always remember when Roger proposed to Grace during the “Sunday school lesson.” None of us were expecting for that to happen, even though Josh Liu was there videotaping the “sermon” as part of an “assignment” for a class at seminary. That day is unforgettable!

7. What is your favorite subject at school? Least favorite?

My favorite subject is Math! I love how there is only one answer to a problem! My least favorite subject would have to be the class that I spend the most time in: English.

by Roger Alcaraz

It’s sobering to think about Lighthouse without her youth members. Sobering because a year and a half ago, I couldn’t recall many interactions with them, but now it’s hard to walk throughout church without seeing each of their faces and reflecting on how they’re growing. The youth ministry is very active but is often tucked away in its own Bible studies, Sunday schools, and activities. This summer was a time of transition with our beloved youth pastor JR Cuevas moving with the church plant, but as he has said, “All who know me well can attest that I am the furthest thing from an indispensable minister. I have always been aware that the growth of the youth depended not on my strengths and talents but rather on God’s sovereignty and love for them – and He is more than capable of raising up another leader to accomplish whatever purpose He has for them.” So by the strength and grace of God, we’ve continued studying His Word with our studies of Jesus’ “I am” statements in the home of one of our staff leaders. We also developed a proper view of salvation and angels through our continued systematic theology series.

But these only describe various programs we have in Lumos, and as Pastor Patrick shared, people come before programs and so it is with Lumos. Perhaps you’ve seen their bright and young faces around church and have wanted to get to know them but have asked, “What do I, a collegian or single adult have in common to such an energetic youngling?” You’re asking the wrong question. It’s easy to worry that you’ll have nothing to talk about with this new generation and veer toward people you’re more familiar with. However, I can attest that these youth members treasure the friendships they have with older men and women. Also, what better way is there to apply the Titus 2 principle then with the youth at Lighthouse? I was once intimidated by the youth but after getting to know the Lumos bunch, I realized the tremendous opportunity to welcome them and represent Christ to them.

The dynamics of Lumos have changed. No longer are we a group entirely made up Lighthouse members’ children or even believing parents. Some have started attending because their Lighthouse friends invited them and they are discovering the message of the gospel. Some have been in Lighthouse their whole lives and are committed and baptized Christians. Still, some lie in between, having recently become Christians and want to take the gospel to their families. Each youth member is unique, and at times they’re all that the youth staff talks about when speaking together. It’s invigorating to be part of a ministry that takes so much joy in the people we serve and witness to. Since we take so much joy in our youthies, we want let you join the fun despite your business schedule. That is why we’ll be starting a Beacon series dedicated to better knowing them. We want you to see their goofy and fun side but we also want you to see how each one is growing and being challenged by the gospel.