December 2020

Forty Years and a New Era

Forty years is a very special timespan associated with God’s handiwork. Consider Moses’ lifetime: forty years in Egypt, forty years in the wilderness being built up by God, and forty years leading the Israelites out of Egypt. King Saul, King David, and King Solomon were each king for forty years. The Bible says that David served the Lord according to God’s will; he had served his own generation and fell asleep (Acts 13:36). The purpose God gave him was completed.

My mentor Rev. Moses Yu was greatly used by God. He started serving God about 1940 in college ministry in Sichuan. All universities in Mainland China had retreated to Sichuan due to the war with Japan. After the war, he went to Berkeley, CA to continue college ministry. He emphasized the importance of discipleship training. After Rev. Yu served in college ministry forty years, he moved from CA to the midwest US and the discipleship training ministry. In 1980 he founded the Christian Witness Center to mobilize student discipleship training camps, and left a young Billy Ko in charge of CWC so he could focus on the seminary. He saw that discipleship training had touched a group of brothers and sisters to commit themselves to serve God fulltime. Rev. Yu started Christian Witness Theological Seminary to further equip these students who wish to serve the Lord all their lives.

(1981 Training Camp)

I not only did the CWC work, but also starting in 1980 served in our church in Columbia, MO. Initially it was a campus Bible study fellowship. In 1981 I started to preach in the fellowship monthly, then gradually weekly. Brothers and sisters of the Columbia Church asked me, “Pastor Ko, why don’t you move here from Kansas City so that you don’t need to travel back and forth?” So our family moved to Columbia in 1990.

During the recent pandemic, I have had more time to meditate. I have been thinking that God may be using the forty years to remind me that I must imitate God’s servant, the prophet Samuel and also Rev. Yu. If it is from the Lord, I believe that the Lord will also give me a new era and new ministry direction. I should no longer do so much myself, but I should focus more on nurturing new coworkers to raise them up to do the Lord’s work. I reflected that God does not want me as in the past to charge into battle at the front, but to assist and encourage others to stand up. After Rev. Yu put me in the Midwest, he usually came to the Midwest for only important occasions or camps. On those visits he also helped me, taught me, and frequently reminded me where I needed to pay attention. I am very grateful for the Lord for Rev. Yu. I pray that in the future days, the Lord will use more workers from the younger generation and allow them to be used by the Lord in bigger ways.

John the Baptist referred to Jesus when he said, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30) Today I also want to use John’s words to cast my burden from my heart to brothers and sisters, “Stand up, stand up for the Lord! Bear the Lord’s mission to firmly serve the Lord in this new era!” Post-pandemic in a new year, we 60- and 70-year-olds are no longer the core. God will use every brother and sister, each youthful minister to offer themselves for the ministry of God’s kingdom. Are you willing to respond to the Lord, “Lord, I am willing to stand up, to be built up again by you, to be the jars of clay after God’s own heart, to serve the Lord wholeheartedly”?

Thanksgiving Items for this Year

(1) Thanks to the Lord that he led Rev. Charles Huang to join CWC’s ministry. He will serve in Champaign, IL and Champaign Chinese Church to mobilize ministry to the biggest Chinese student population in North America. May the Lord use his family.

(Rev. Charles Huang and family saying goodbye at Grace Baptist Church in Taiwan)

(2) Thanks be to the Lord! The dining hall expansion was completed this summer. We have turned to the Children’s Activity Center. Our children’s coworkers have been expecting this for a long time. May the Lord help with the progress of the building and give us 10,000 dollar funding.

(Building of Children’s Activity Center)

(3) We are grateful for Pastor Ko completing all the chemo-therapy treatments and for his health! Please pray for his stomach cancer surgery in November. May the Lord heal him and let the operation go smoothly. Update: The 11/17 surgery completed successfully.

(Pastor Ko completed chemotherapy)

(4) Thank God! Despite the pandemic, all the camps went on. May camps were online. August camps were held in-person with appropriate distancing.

(Camp in August during pandemic)

Thanks be to the Lord that He used the camps to build up a group of brothers and sisters to come out of the pandemic bravely to serve the Lord!

(5) August and September short-term mission teams not only smoothly shared the Gospel in various campus in the Midwest; by their sharing the Gospel, they also touched many believers to with them to witness for the Lord. Thanks be to the Lord! Many churches and campus fellowships to begin in-person meetings.

Various Winter Camps

1. Midwest Winter Conference will be held December 23-27 at Westin Kansas City at Crown Center. Speakers are: Rev. Tsu Kun Chuang, Rev. Brian Lam, Elder Daniel Luan, Rev. Xiao Yuan, Rev. George Hsu, Rev. Puong Lau, and Pastor Janas Caruncho. Winter Conference is for both revival and evangelism. This year is the CWC fortieth anniversary thanksgiving meeting. May the Lord use this meeting to build up more brothers and sisters to stand up for the Lord boldly during the post-pandemic era. They will trust on the Lord, go against the current to move forward and come out of the pandemic to be the good soldiers of the Gospel in the new era. Please pray for the conference and invite others to come.
   (2019 Winter Conference)
2. December Disciple and Coworker Training Camp will be held December 27 to January 2 at CWC camp. Speakers are Rev. Brian Lam and Elder Daniel Luan. Please register ASAP.
   

   (Dec 2019 Camp)

3. January Bible Camp will be held January 3, 2021  to January 9, 2021 at CWC Camp. Speakers are Rev. Chihhao Shen and Mrs. Juanna Wu. We are studying Revelation. Please pray for the camp.

May the Lord bless you and use you more in the new era! Please always pray for CWC coworkers and the financial need of the CWC.

In Him,
Pastor Billy Ko