by Ryan Short and Randy Tsuchiyama

Editor’s Note: Pastor Patrick wanted to do a series here on the Beacon that encouraged the attendees of the Shepherds Conference to share their thoughts with the church. This is the third part in that series. And if you are interesting in listening to the messages, you can download them all for free.

From an overall evaluation, what was at least one thing that was encouraging to you from the Shepherds Conference?

This was my second time at the conference, and something that I looked forward to a lot this time was the time I would have to spend with some of the older men at church. Specifically this time I was able to meet and get to know Steve Lim and Breck Yoo a lot better. It is such a blessing to hear from older men and learn from their wisdom. (Ryan Short)

One thing that was particularly encouraging from the Shepherds’ Conference, was the hospitality that was shown from the host families. Not only did the host families provide us a place to stay, they went out of their way to make sure any needs that we had were met. One family hosted all of the people from both LBCSD and LBCSJ for a time of food and fellowship. The care that was shown was amazing seeing that a lot of the families had kids and still had to worry about sending their kids to school and taking care of them as well. Throughout the entire time, it never felt like that we were a burden to the families that we were staying with. (Randy Tsuchiyama)

What was at least one thing from the messages that was particularly helpful or challenging for you?

Something that was specifically helpful for me from the messages was from session 7 with Nathan Busenitz. He preached from Philippians 4:11 about Paul’s example of contentment. Nathan challenged us to put off the sin of discontentment. Nathan showed that three ways in which Paul demonstrated his contentment in three ways. Firstly, Paul’s contentment was characterized by patience, secondly, contentment was something that Paul learned, it was not automatic, and thirdly, Paul’s contentment was not dependent on circumstance. This message helped me by reminding me that my circumstances should not determine how content I am, but that I should find my hope in Christ through all struggles and trials. (Ryan Short)

In a sermon given by Steve Lawson, he talked about the famine described in Amos 8. In the sermon, the famine was shown to not be a famine of food and ultimately a famine of the word of God. I was challenged by the fact that this famine occurs in the church and that this is something that you can see in the world today. Understanding that the Truth of God must be brought to everyone was something that was very sobering. Even though our church is committed to the preaching of the Word of God, we still need to be aware of the importance of the preaching of the Word and the lack of the Word being preached everywhere else. There is a sense of importance that is instilled by knowing this. (Randy Tsuchiyama)

What was at least one lesson that challenged you in regards to your service at LBC? How will you take this and apply it to ministry here in San Diego?

One lesson that I learned that will affect my ministry at LBC is from Bill Shannon’s seminar on Transforming Truth. Specifically what was helpful from this seminar was the reminder that my goal in ministry must be the salvation and sanctification of people’s souls for the worship of Christ. If I just teach doctrine but do not challenge people’s hearts to repent from sin and to love Christ with all their heart then I have failed in my ministry. Specifically as I serve in College Life, I want to do a better job of helping my small group grow in their love for Christ and not just learn for the sake of learning. (Ryan Short)

One lesson that I learned from the conference was from one of the breakout sessions. It was concerning counseling the faint-hearted. From that time, I was able to understand how to counsel people a lot better. I feel that the session really challenged me to really consider who I am counseling and the need to thoroughly understand the circumstances that they are going through. I was challenged to think through not just the circumstances but the need to have an understanding of the person that I am counseling as well. It can get easy to treat everyone exactly the same though they may have completely different experiences. Though it may seem obvious, this is a challenge for me. This breakout session helped me to change the way that I handle counseling situations. (Randy Tsuchiyama)

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear LBC Family and Friends,

I hope you all enjoyed Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday! What a great weekend it was at LBCSD! Everything was such an encouragement from the delicious breakfast to the musical performances to the children’s skit. Thanks to everyone who made the weekend so amazing! More than anything, praise God for all the new faces who came and were able to hear the gospel message. Let’s continue to pray that God would work in people’s hearts and bring them to saving faith.

There are still a lot of things going on around Lighthouse, but before we get to the announcements, I wanted to continue on in our series through The Trellis and the Vine, by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne. Chapter 4 is entitled “Is Every Christian a Vine Worker?” If the work of the vine involves proclaiming God’s truth in disciple making ministry, is this something that is only left to religious professionals? Or is this something in which every believer needs to be involved?

The authors address this question by presenting a few pointed truths. The basic premise is that the Bible does not describe different classes of disciples – those who give all to live for the Lord and do His work, and those who don’t. They write, “The call to discipleship is thus a call to confess our allegiance to Jesus in the face of a hostile world; to serve Him and His mission, whatever the cost.” This call is given to anyone who would confess Jesus as Lord.

The main passage the authors consider is Ephesians 4 where Paul instructs the church to speak truth to one another (v. 15). This is a wonderful passage to look at when considering what it means to be a part of God’s church. In vv. 11-12, Paul instructed the Ephesians that God appointed leaders in order to train believers to do the work of ministry. All believers were to be involved. It was not left to a special few. This work is what eventually brings the church to maturity and fullness in Christ (v. 13). The particular way this work needs to be done is by strengthening in faith to combat false teaching (v. 14) and speaking truth to build up the body (v. 15). As the different parts of the body are committed to this ministry to one another, the body builds itself up in love (v. 16). The authors conclude, “This can only mean that God wants all Christians to be speaking to each other regularly, urging and encouraging each other to stick with Christ.”

This does not mean that we all need to take turns preaching from the pulpit. The pulpit is not the only place that God’s truth is proclaimed. It should be proclaimed by you in many contexts to many people. It is proclaimed in evangelism as you steer everyday conversations to spiritual topics and as you help people understand their need of a Savior. It is proclaimed in the encouragement you give to each other by taking advantage of opportunities to talk about God’s Word and pray for one another. It is proclaimed in your hanging out when you make the most of the gathering by sharing with one another what you are learning from God’s Word instead of allowing the time to go by wasted on frivolous things.

Consider the implications of having an Ephesians 4 mindset. If you are not actively involved in building up others by speaking truth to one another, the church’s growth will be stunted. Most people see the relationship between pastors and “lay people” as feeders and those being fed. Their main concern each week is, “Was I fed God’s Word?” Certainly, this is a good concern because you should be receiving a healthy portion of God’s Word each week, and the ministry of the pulpit is vital and necessary. But Paul reminds us that this is not where it should end. As important as the pulpit is, it is not sufficient. Every believer needs to be proclaiming God’s truth to evangelize the lost and edify the saints. Once you have been fed God’s Word and blessed by it, you need to seek to feed others and be a blessing. Growth will not happen otherwise. As we see the fullness of Christ as our goal, let us all run hard at achieving it in His strength.

In His grace,

Pastor Patrick

Here are the announcements for this week:

1. FLOCKS. Don’t forget that this is flocks week, which means all our regularly scheduled midweek activities will be taking a break. This includes Kids’ Club, Youth, College, and Singles. Our regular Bible studies will resume next week. In order to prepare for flocks, you should complete a sermon response form. These can be downloaded from the flocks website. If you don’t have a flock and would like one, please contact Peter Lim (peterlim@yahoo.com).
2. WOMEN’S SEMINAR. This Saturday is the women’s seminar that will be at the church from 9:00am to 12:30pm. If you are a lady, come out for this special time of teaching and fellowship. Breakfast will be served as well. Please RSVP with Christine Cho by Wednesday to reserve your spot (christinescho@gmail.com)!
3. COMMUNION. This Sunday is the first Sunday of the month, which means we will be taking communion during our morning service. Please come having prepared your hearts for this time. In particular, if you are currently in a relational conflict with another member of the body, please make every effort to be at peace with one another in preparation for this time.
4. ANNIVERSARY WEEKEND. This weekend marks Lighthouse Bible Church’s 12th anniversary as the church celebrated its inaugural Sunday on May 2, 1999. In honor of this special weekend, we will be having a special cake and punch reception after Sunday School. Please stick around for this time of fellowship.
5. SISTER CONNECTION. Signups for Sister Connection will be taken for the month of May until the end of the school year. College Life sisters will either be paired up with a Single Life or Grace Life sister. If you would like to participate, please email sisterconnection@gmail.com or you can sign up after church or during affinity groups with Christine Cho/Mabel Tse (Grace Life), Andrea Lem/Jane Liou (singles) or Grace Lee/Deborah Wong (collegians). The last day to sign up is this Sunday, May 1!
6. MEN’S BREAKFAST. Calling all men! We will be meeting once again on Saturday, May 7 from 7:00-9:00am for breakfast, fellowship, and prayer. All men are invited to attend in order to further study what the Bible says about manliness.
7. TMS GRADUATION. As you may have heard, Pastor J. R. Cuevas of LBCSJ will be graduating from The Master’s Seminary on Sunday, May 15, at 6:00pm, at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley. We are planning on having a small party with refreshments afterwards. If you are interested in driving up to support Pastor J. R., please let Pastor Patrick know as soon as possible.
8. LBC BANQUET AND VISION QUEST. On Sunday, May 22, we will be having our annual all-church banquet at 4:45pm, at the church. Signups are now being taken by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz on Sundays in the foyer. The cost for the banquet is only $35/adult ($100 max/family). Children 0-12 eat free! Don’t miss this annual tradition as we look back on the Lord’s faithfulness to the church this past year. We will also use this evening to recognize our high school and college graduates, so you won’t want to miss it!
9. MEMBERSHIP CLASS. Our next membership class will be on Saturday, June 4, from 9:00am-12:00pm, and Sunday, June 5, from 1:00-4:00pm. Attendance at both classes is required. Please talk to Pastor Patrick for a membership application or for more information.
10. VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL. VBS will be from June 20-24, from 9:00am-5:00pm each day. The theme for this year is “God Always Wins!” and every year it is a very special time for our kids. Registration is currently open. Talk to Josh Liu for more information (liu.joshuac@gmail.com).
11. SUMMER MISSIONS. Please be in prayer for our summer missions teams as we prepare to go to the Czech Republic and Argentina this summer. The dates for the Czech trip are June 26-July 16, and the dates for the Argentina trip are July 6-21. There is a lot of work that needs to be done, so please keep the teams in prayer.

by Brian Song and Min Kim

Editor’s Note: Pastor Patrick wanted to do a series here on the Beacon that encouraged the attendees of the Shepherds Conference to share their thoughts with the church. This is the third part in that series. And if you are interesting in listening to the messages, you can download them all for free.

From an overall evaluation, what was at least one thing that was encouraging to you from the Shepherds Conference?

There’s a practice that’s apparently become commonplace and accepted at Shepherds’ Conference. It’s actually very similar to what happens before a dodge-ball match. Before every session, men line up outside the numerous locked doors along the perimeter of the main sanctuary and wait in anticipation for the doors to open (whistle blowing). As soon as the doors open, men flood in from all directions to take find and take their seats. You have your gunners who literally sprint to get the front row seats (dodge balls), while others are content just hanging out in the back. I know this is a silly analogy, but in the end, I really was encouraged to see how excited these men were to hear God’s Word being preached. It was truly an amazing experience to be worshipping together with men representing over 50 countries. (Brian Song)

I love going to the Shepherds Conference! It is my annual retreat. I am always encouraged and blessed every time I go. I love the teaching, the spiritual and physical food, the singing, the worship time, the books, and the fellowship. Every year I go, I observe, and I ask lots of questions in order to gain wise counsel from those older than me. I sometimes ask questions to random people that I meet while standing in line for books or food, or just taking a break. You meet faithful servants from all over the world. (Min Kim)

What was at least one thing from the messages that was particularly helpful or challenging for you?

It’s clear from Scripture that if we are doing the will of the Father, we will encounter and have to endure persecution. In the midst of ministry it’s easy to lose perspective and start focusing all the tasks at hand and our circumstances. When trials arise, we think that we deserve better and even wonder why there hasn’t been more fruit as a result of everything we’ve done. It’s this prideful heart that will manifest itself into a heart of discontentment. Yet, no matter how tough it gets, Godly leaders are called to be content and depend on God for strength. We need to be courageous and be an example of joy to those around us. This joy will only arise out of a spirit that is humble and is fixed on the hope of Christ, not fixed on ourselves.  One of the speakers, Nate Busenitz, reminded us that when our happiness is in the Lord, we will be better able to endure any trials in our path. So in the midst of these trials, those who have a humble heart of thankfulness to God will be able to truly say, “I can do all things through him who strengths me” (Philippians 4:13). (Brian Song)

Editor’s Note: Min skipped this question, but gave an extra-long answer to the next one.

What was at least one lesson that challenged you in regards to your service at LBC? How will you take this and apply it to ministry here in San Diego?

I was seriously blown away by all the men & women from Grace Community Church who served us over the three days. They all served us with such great joy. You could totally see it in their faces; there wasn’t a single frown to be found. It was a great encouragement to see their testimony of Jesus’ servant heart. I think with the business of ministry responsibilities, I sometimes see ministry as a task to be completed and not something I do out of joy and love. Just like Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13, we are nothing if we do not serve the church body, and ultimately God, out of love. I am challenged to serve joyfully with a smile, both on my face and on my heart. (Brian Song)

There are two major things that have stood out to me over these past years of attending the Shepherds Conference. The first thing that I noticed is that these godly men that I meet have a long-term mindset. There are men who have served in the same church in the same ministry for decades. I respect these men as I have seen even in my short life time people move on from church to church or from ministry to ministry for whatever reason. These men are committed and dedicated to their ministry and their local church. That is my desire for my family and I at Lighthouse Bible Church. When Lighthouse first started, I would tell people that I want to die here. God willing I still do. Lighthouse is my home and my family. Lighthouse is the only reason I am here in San Diego. I would like to, as one elder put it, ‘just grow old together.’

The second thing I learned was how biblical everyone was. Every time I asked a question, the answer always came to me in the form of a Bible verse. These men would, as some would say, “bleed Bible.” They never offered me human wisdom but only Godly wisdom from God’s Word. I became aware that whatever question I posed, Bible verses would be quoted to me. I also began to realize that when I asked the same question to different people, I got the same answer from different people. They seemed to quote the same verses. They were very like- minded in the Scriptures. They were all thinking biblically and had a verse for everything. It is so true that ALL of Scripture is God-breathed and that ALL of it is profitable. I also noticed that these wise men never told me what to do. They just told me what it said in the Bible. That is something I was challenged with. I need to learn not to tell people what to do but direct them to His Word and pray that His Spirit move and change people’s hearts. And in order for me to do that, I need to be in the Word more, and more deeply. (Min Kim)

by John Lim and Breck Yoo

Editor’s Note: Pastor Patrick wanted to do a series here on the Beacon that encouraged the attendees of the Shepherds Conference to share their thoughts with the church. This is the second part in that series.  And if you are interesting in listening to the messages, you can download them all for free.

From an overall evaluation, what was at least one thing that was encouraging to you from the Shepherds Conference?

I am always moved by the hospitality of our host families who house us during the shepherd’s conference.  The host family that I had the pleasure of staying with even invited the whole LBC SD and SJ group for a “snack” fellowship!  It is obvious that they truly enjoy serving God through serving the extended family through their hospitality and encourages me to be more generous in this way as I see how much of a blessing it is to us. (John Lim)

Chris Hamilton, an elder at Grace, gave a session entitled “The Ministry of Godly Leadership.” What profoundly impacted me was that he made me aware of my own acute desire to be a godly man. He wanted us to get discipled and to disciple younger faithful man of God. 1 Tim 3:4-5: “he must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to mange his own household, how will he care for God’s church?” (Breck Yoo)

What was at least one thing from the messages that was particularly helpful or challenging for you?

Rick Holland’s message about being an under-shepherd was particularly helpful to me.  He challenged those who shepherd a flock to take Christ’s perfect example of being a shepherd while at the same time, knowing that we are only under shepherds to the great Shepherd who is Christ.  We need to be humble as we lead knowing that we are just another “mentally challenged” sheep like those we shepherd. (John Lim)

The scripture speaks of patience as one the fruits of the spirits. We are to consider patience from where we are, but to consider where the others are. We are all at a different levels of sanctification. By truly having patience with love and understanding I can come along by their side to encourage in their walk. (Breck Yoo)

What was at least one lesson that challenged you in regards to your service at LBC? How will you take this and apply it to ministry here in San Diego?

Although I am not a leader in the church, I am shepherding those around me as God provides ministry opportunities as well as my family.  I need to remember to be gentle, willing to exhort and rebuke, and humble in shepherding others. (John Lim)

A couple of months back Pat had asked the parents to consider serving in the Sonlight ministry. My response was not, “why not, my son is part of Sonlight.” Chris Hamilton’s lecture reminded me of my intention. Do I want to serve for serving sake or to truly Glorify God by loving and serving the children? After praying and serious consideration I truly want to Glorify God in serving in the Sonlight. (Breck Yoo)

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear LBC Family and Friends,

I hope you are doing well and walking in the Lord. I wanted to pick up on our review of The Trellis and the Vine, by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne. Last time, we looked at chapter 2, entitled “Ministry Mind Shifts.” Chapter 3 is entitled “What in the World Is God Doing?” The focus of this chapter is to survey the Bible to examine God’s plan to redeem sinners through “Spirit-backed gospel preaching leading to the salvation of souls.” It also takes a look at the means by which God accomplishes growth in His people. This growth is not tied to churches’ financial security or numbers in attendance. It all comes down to the spiritual outworking of the life change that takes place when people are saved. In order for lives to come into conformity with God’s will and to grow, God’s truth must be proclaimed. This is the only way gospel growth is going to take place. This is the kind of growth we particularly see in the book of Acts and is the particular fulfillment of Christ’s promise when He said He would build His church (Matt. 16:18).

There are three particular implications that result when you think about gospel growth in this way.

1. First, if we understand what God is accomplishing in the world and how He intends to bring about gospel growth in His people, we need to “say goodbye to our small and self-oriented ambitions, and to abandon ourselves to the cause of Christ and His gospel.” There is nothing else in the world that is a greater thing to be a part of!
2. Second, we need to adjust our thinking to remember that the growth God accomplishes is in His people. It is people growth, not program growth, not church numbers, not stable budgets. The success of a church is not measured by the number of paid staff it has, the existence of a radio ministry, or how many books the pastor has written. It certainly is not measured by the number of members it has or how much the annual budget is.
3. Third, we need to remember that God accomplishes this growth when His truth comes to bear on people’s hearts through the working of the Holy Spirit. This is the way people are brought to faith in Christ, and this is the way people will continue to grow in respect to their salvation. You speak God’s truth to someone and pray that God would bring about life change, spiritual fruit, and gospel growth.

This is what is meant by tending to the vine. Everything else is trellis work.

In His grace,

Pastor Patrick

Here are the announcements for this week:

1. Friday Night Bible Studies. Don’t forget that the youth, college, and singles Bible studies meet tonight at 7:00pm. The youth and singles meet at the church, and the collegians meet on-campus at UCSD. Visit the church website for more information regarding our affinity groups or for more information about Bible studies.
2. End Times Bible Study. The final End Times Bible study will be this Sunday evening, from 6:00-8:00pm, at the church. Come out and learn more about what the Bible says concerning future things.
3. Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. Next Friday, April 22, we will be having a special Good Friday communion service at the church at 6:30pm. Please come out and invite your family and friends to observe Good Friday and remember the cross of Christ. On Sunday, April 24, we will be having a breakfast fellowship at 7:30am at the church to celebrate Resurrection Sunday. This is a terrific weekend to invite anyone who does not know Christ as Lord and Savior to hear the gospel message.
4. Women’s Seminar. The next Women’s Ministry Seminar will be on Saturday, April 30, from 9:00am-12:30pm. The cost is free to attend, but you still need to register with Christine Cho in order to come. Breakfast will be served. For more information, please talk to Christine Cho.
5. TMS Graduation. For those who want to attend The Master’s Seminary commencement service on Sunday, May 15 to support Pastor J. R. Cuevas as he graduates, please RSVP with Pastor Patrick or Ryan Short. The ceremony begins at 6:00pm at Grace Community Church. A small refreshments reception will take place afterwards.
6. LBC Banquet. Signups for this year’s banquet will be taken after service on Sunday in the foyer by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz. The banquet will be on Sunday, May 22, at 4:45pm, at the church. The cost is only $35/adult (children 0-12 are free!). Don’t miss this opportunity to reflect corporately on the faithfulness of God to LBC.
7. Vacation Bible School. VBS will be from June 20-24 this year, from 9:00am-5:00pm each day. The theme for this year is “God Always Wins!” Registration forms are available from Josh Liu.
8. VBS Staff. If you are applying for VBS staff, please remember that applications are due this Sunday, April 17.
9. Summer Missions. If you are applying to either the Czech or Argentina summer missions trip, please remember that applications (with references) are due by this Sunday. Argentina applications should be submitted to Pastor Patrick. Czech applications should be emailed to Pastor John Kim at LBC San Jose. If you have any questions, please contact Pastor Patrick.

by Hansol An and Eugene Park

Editor’s Note: Pastor Patrick wanted to do a series here on the Beacon that encouraged the attendees of the Shepherds Conference to share their thoughts with the church. This is the first part in that series.  And if you are interesting in listening to the messages, you can download them all for free.

From an overall evaluation, what was at least one thing that was encouraging to you from the Shepherds Conference?

Being with pastors and leaders from all around the world is always an encouragement. It is a blessing to hear about how God is using faithful men to carry out His work among different people in various places. There is so much division in the world, and even among those that call themselves Christians it can be difficult to find unity. But those that attend Shepherds’ Conference are of a common mind. There is unity. There is an understanding that the call to lead is a great honor and great responsibility. There is empathy. It comes with many challenges too numerous to name to which few can relate. There is encouragement. (Hansol An)

I really enjoy spending 3-4 days straight with people from church. Just being able to hang out, talk about different things in ministry, and seeing how excited these guys are to apply what they’ve learned from the conference encourages me so much. I also enjoy being able to see people I know from other churches attending the conference. (Eugene Park)

What was at least one thing from the messages that was particularly helpful or challenging for you?

Rick Holland shared a message called Shepherdology. In it he outlined what it means to be a shepherd. He summed it up with, “Shepherding is not something you do; it’s something you are.” This year all the messages had a more poignant impact than in previous years, particularly this one. I’ve been on College Life staff for many years now, but this is the first year taking the lead. This expanded responsibility brought a greater appreciation for what Pastor Holland was sharing and what all pastors and elders do. It was also a sobering reminder that brought a fuller understanding that God has placed me in that role. (Hansol An)

Tom Pennington said in his message that the greatest danger to our ministry is our own pride. And as he talked about those manifestations of pride, I could see myself in a lot of them. (Eugene Park)

What was at least one lesson that challenged you in regards to your service at LBC? How will you take this and apply it to ministry here in San Diego?

Today’s churches stress relevance and people want to have their ears tickled. Not much has changed in 2,000 years. The cure for ears that want to be tickled is the preaching of the Gospel. My goal is to do whatever it takes to teach and live out the Gospel. (Hansol An)

Every year I attend Clayton Erb’s seminar on music even though he pretty much says the same thing each year. But I keep attending because I enjoy listening during the Q&A to the issues other people have at their churches in regards to the music ministry. And hearing those issues helps me to appreciate the many volunteers involved with the music ministry at LBC. (Eugene Park)

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear LBC family and friends,

I hope you are doing well and walking in the Lord! Thanks to everyone who prayed for me, Mike Chon, Cesar Vigil-Ruiz, and John Kim during our trip to Argentina. The time with the church in Tucuman was a tremendous blessing. On Friday evening, we had a time to fellowship with the men of the church over asado, and Pastor John taught on the topic of leadership. On Saturday evening, the entire church came together and I had the opportunity to preach on denying yourself and taking up the cross daily from Luke 9:23. On Sunday morning, we gathered for worship and John preached again on the topic of spiritual maturity. Then on Sunday evening, we had our last church meeting where I preached from Colossians 1 and reconciliation in Christ. Cesar did a tremendous job translating for us.

On Saturday afternoon, we had an opportunity to sit down for lunch with the leadership of the church and field some questions. It was exciting to see how much they have all grown and to hear the kinds of questions they were asking about ministry. It is obvious that they want to build their ministry in a God-glorifying way and to seek how to honor Him with their work. On Monday, the four of us had a chance to talk with Pastor Jorge about various issues concerning our missions philosophy and to map out a general plan for the future.

All in all, it was probably the most profitable time down in Argentina, but it was also the most exhausting. At least twice we were up past 3:00am meeting and preparing. Since most of the church members work late, the meetings generally did not begin until late in the evening. That Friday evening, we did not start eating dinner until about 10:00pm and did not finish the evening meeting until about 1:00am! Still, what an amazing time with IBM Tucuman!

When we arrived back in Buenos Aires, before leaving for home, we were also able to meet up with Eduardo and Matias Buldain. This was also a tremendously encouraging time, and we all felt as though our hearts were knit as one. We are so thankful for our brothers in Christ and are excited about what God has been doing through them in their ministry.

Let us continue to pray for the work in Argentina. It is still very difficult and those committed to the gospel of repentance and faith face great opposition both from outside the church and from within. What we are thankful for are these ministries that are committed to growing in their knowledge of the Word and to serving Christ with all their hearts.

In His grace,

Pastor Patrick

Here are the announcements for this week:

1. Regional Flocks. Don’t forget that our regularly scheduled weekly meetings will be on hold this week due to flocks, which meet on March 30-April 2 at various homes throughout the community. More information about flocks can be found on the church website. If you do not currently attend a flock and don’t know which one to attend, please contact Peter Lim (peterlim@yahoo.com).
2. Men’s Breakfast. This Saturday, April 2, at 7:00am, we will be having a men’s breakfast fellowship at the church. Come out as we discuss what it means to be a man of God and enjoy a time of prayer together. Food and drinks will be provided. Please email Pastor Patrick if you plan on attending so we can prepare adequately for the morning.
3. Communion. As this weekend is the first Sunday of the month we will be taking communion together during the worship service. Please come with your hearts prepared for this time.
4. End Times Bible Study. Part three of our four part end times Bible study will be this Sunday evening from 6:00-8:00pm at the church. This weekend, we will be focusing on a biblical understanding of the tribulation. We will specifically address why the seven year tribulation should be understood literally and why we teach that the rapture will occur before the tribulation. The last Bible study of the series will be on Sunday, April 17.
5. Premarital. For those involved in the premarital class, we will meet again this Tuesday evening at 7:30pm at Pastor Patrick’s home. Please come with your homework completed and discussed.
6. Members Meeting. Our next members meeting will be on Sunday, April 10 at 4:45pm. All members are encouraged to attend. As always, dinner will be provided.
7. Good Friday Service. On Friday, April 22, we will not be meeting in our regular Friday night Bible studies. Instead, we will have a joint service at the church to observe Good Friday. Service will begin at 6:30pm.
8. Resurrection Sunday. On Sunday, April 24, we will be celebrating Resurrection Sunday with a special breakfast fellowship at 7:30am. Service will begin at 9:00am as usual. This is a great opportunity to invite family and friends to church to hear the message of the gospel.
9. LBC Banquet. The annual All-Church Banquet will be on Sunday, May 22, at 4:45pm, at the church. The cost for tickets is only $35/adult (children 0-12 are free)! This is a wonderful time to reflect on the Lord’s kindness this past year to the church. Please mark your calendars!
10. Vacation Bible School. VBS will be from June 20-24 this year, from 9:00am-5:00pm each day. Please mark your calendars! You can talk to Josh Liu or Abram Kim for more details or for registration. Also, VBS staff applications are available from Josh Liu.
11. Argentina Missions Trip. This year’s Argentina Missions trip is tentatively scheduled for July 6-21. Each year we go to Tucuman, to work alongside Iglesia Biblica Misionera (Missionary Bible Church) for a weeklong evangelistic campaign. We will also be providing biblical training and teaching for the church in general and specialized meetings. For those who are interested in applying for the Argentina trip, applications will be available this Sunday, April 3 (due April 17). All applicants must have been members of Lighthouse in good standing for at least one year. You must also have a valid US passport that is good through at least November 2011. Whether or not you will be going to Argentina this summer, please prayerfully consider how you can help support the work we are doing down there.

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear LBC Family and Friends,

I hope you are doing well and walking in the Lord. March has been a tremendously busy month with the Mission Bowl tournament and singles retreat, but the month has also been a huge blessing. Much of ministry is a learn on the job kind of thing, and the Lord has been gracious to teach me more and more to depend on Him in all circumstances.

I wanted to let you know of a prayer request. As some of you are aware, Mike Chon, Cesar Vigil-Ruiz, John Kim, and I will be heading to Argentina this week to meet up with the church in Tucuman to talk through missions planning. We would appreciate your prayers for God’s grace to provide safe travel, good communication while we are there, and a profitable trip. We will be away from March 23-30, which means that we won’t be around this weekend. Pastor Wonbin Song will be preaching for us so please show him gracious hospitality and kindness, as I know you will.

In His grace,

Pastor Patrick

Here are some announcements for this week:

1. Sunday Services – For the Sunday School hour this week, GraceLife will not be meeting. You are welcome to sit in on the Peacemaker class in the sanctuary or in Fundamentals of the Faith in Room 107. All the children’s and youth classes will also be meeting.
2. Friday Night Bible Studies – The Friday night Bible studies will be meeting this week except for the UCSD Campus Fellowship. They will not be meeting due to spring break. Visit the church website for more details about the affinity groups.
3. Ultimate Frisbee – We will be participating in the Hope Harvest International Ultimate Frisbee tournament this Saturday. This will be at the Nobel Recreational Center. The tournament begins at 9:00am and will be running pretty much all day. If you are interested in coming out to cheer on our team, please contact Teddy Yu for details.
4. Men’s Breakfast – On Saturday, April 2, we will be having the first of several men’s breakfasts at the church. This will be a time of fellowship and prayer as well as an opportunity to examine the theme of biblical manhood. We will meet at the church from 7:00am to about 9:00am.
5. Members Meeting – Our next members meeting will be on Sunday, April 10, at 4:45pm, at the church. All members are highly encouraged to attend as the elders present some important matters. Please make an effort to be there. As always, dinner will be provided.
6. LBC Banquet – The annual all-church banquet will be on Sunday, May 22, at 4:45pm. This year, the banquet will be at the church. The cost for tickets is only $35/adult (children 0-12 are free)! This is a wonderful time to reflect on the Lord’s kindness this past year to the church. Please mark your calendars!
7. Vacation Bible School – VBS will be from June 20-24 this year, from 9:00am-5:00pm each day. Please mark your calendars! You can talk to Josh Liu or Abram Kim for more details or for registration.

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear LBC family and friends,

By now, I’m sure you’ve all been aware of the disastrous tsunami that hit Japan and the devastating effects of its aftermath. Please pray for our brothers and sisters who are there ministering to the needs of those who are suffering and representing the true gospel of Christ. It’s in times like these that the church is called to band together and pray as one. Please take some time to pray for Japan today.

As tragic as events like these are, they also serve as a sobering reminder of the frailty of this life and the curse of death in the world. Life is short and tomorrow certainly is not a guarantee. As I’ve preached recently from the pulpit, if you knew this day would be your last, how would you spend it? The person who has a clear understanding of the brevity of life, and who understands that an eternity of heaven or hell is to come, typically will not allow sin to go unchecked in his life. He’ll live in anticipation of his coming King. He’ll represent Christ in this lost and dying world.

As we consider the hardships of those in Japan and offer up our prayers for that nation, let’s pray that God would work to turn what is a generally atheistic nation to Him. Let’s also be reminded that this life is not the end. This earth is not our home, but our citizenship is in heaven if we truly are in Christ.

In His grace,

Patrick

Here are the announcements for this week:

1. Friday Night Bible Studies. The youth and SDSU college groups will be having their regularly scheduled Bible studies on Friday night. The UCSD Bible study will NOT be meeting this week due to finals. The college group meets on campus at UCSD and SDSU at 7:00pm. The youth will be meeting at the church, also at 7:00pm. Visit the church website for more information. The singles ministry will not meet for regular Bible study as we have our annual retreat this weekend at Pine Valley Bible Camp.
2. Sunday Service. Please pray for Peter Lim as he prepares to preach this Sunday while your pastor is away at the singles retreat.
3. Sunday School. Because of the number of people who are going to be away for the singles retreat, we will be cancelling our Sunday School classes this weekend for both adults and children.
4. End Times Bible Study. To coincide with our study in 1 Corinthians 15, Pastor Patrick will be continuing his Sunday evening series on end times. Come find out what the Bible says about eschatology through this helpful series. The remaining meetings will be at the church from 6:00-8:00pm on March 20 (this Sunday!), April 3, and April 17. For more information, please talk to Pastor Patrick.
5. Men’s Breakfast. On Saturday, April 2, at 7:00am, we will be having a men’s breakfast fellowship at the church. Come out as we discuss what it means to be a man of God and enjoy a time of prayer together. Bring a breakfast item to share. Coffee and juice will be provided.
6. Members Meeting. On Sunday, April 10, we will be having our next members meeting at 4:45pm at the church. Please mark your calendars. All members of LBC are highly encouraged to attend. As always, dinner will be served.
7. Prayer. Don’t forget to come to church a little early on Sunday for a time of corporate prayer in the sanctuary. The sanctuary will be open for prayer at 8:45am, and prayer requests will be projected on the wall. If you are out in the foyer talking with one another, I would encourage you to remind each other of this time and come in to pray for the church.