Dear brothers and sisters, peace to you in the Lord!

When you receive this letter, our cwc co-workers are on the way of evangelism  with the two California and one Texas short-term mission teams to share gospels across the Mid-west campuses.  We are reaching farther out this time to Alabama in the South and Minnesota border in the north.  Please pray for our ministry.

I Am with You

(Jer. 1:8, 1:19, Haggai 1: 13, 2:4)
By Cindy Chiang

In August Bible Camp we studied Books of Major Prophet, and the book I shared was Book of Jeremiah.  I am also assigned to study Book of Haggai for next January Bible Camp.  These two books were written in different times, but the same sentence has appeared to my eyes, that is, God said: “I am with you”.  Same promise in different times but with the same reminder.

There is no denying that since last year, the outbreak of Covid-19 has affected the whole world, and no country was spared.  Like the rolling tide, the pandemic has overwhelmed each one of us, as well as the church, and fear and death overshadowed us that we could hardly breathe.  In the middle of the pandemic, an even worse thing happened that Pastor Ko was diagnosed with stomach cancer, this is like disastrous snow storm one after another striking the ministry of Christian Witness Center and me.  Pastor Ko has always been the key executive to the ministry and all of a sudden, he could not come to the office, the overwhelmed load of decision making and administrative work, plus the concern of  Pastor Ko’s health was truly a heavy blow to me.  But God sustained me with His Word: “I am with you”.

Charles Dickens (AD 1812-1870), a famous 19th-century writer, wrote the novel “A Tale of Two Cities”, describing two great cities: the stories of Paris and London during the French Revolution of 1859, in which he said the following often quoted phrases:

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,
it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,
it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity,
it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness,
it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”

When we carefully study the Books of Major Prophet, every prophet had been through an extremely difficult time when the nation was under great turbulence and was about to be subjugated.  And some of them, Ezekiel, Daniel had even been exiled to foreign countries.  Jeremiah was called the weeping prophet, because he had seen first-hand the destruction of the Temple, the humiliation of kings, and the forced departure of people from their homeland, yet God had revealed a great mystery to him that, after seventy years, they would return to their homeland.  Sure enough, seventy years after being captured (606-70=536BC), God moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation allowing them to go back to their homeland.  This was the background of Book of Haggai.

Jeremiah (620-560 BC) was born to the house of High Priest Hilkiah (2 King 22:4), his father named him Jeremiah, meaning “exalted” and “God appoints”.  When he was born, the spiritual condition of the nation was in the best era when King Josiah repaired the temple of the Lord, Jeremiah’s father, Hilkiah, found the Book of the Law in the Temple (2 King 22:8), and brought a great spiritual revival to the nation.  Unfortunately, with the spiritual unfaithfulness and external turmoil, kings after Josiah led the nation to the bottom of a deep pit which led to the fall of Judah in the end.

A few years ago, we were very excited about a large number of scholars and students from China swarmed into church, preaching the gospel was quite easy at that time. But last year, because of the outbreak of Covid-19 as well as some political factors, they gradually left the United States. At the same time, churches in the U.S. were locked down behind Zoom and computers.  Not only brothers and sisters could not meet at church, most of us also become lazy and lax without in-person gatherings, fellowships. According to some reports, one-fifth of churches in the U.S. who shut-down during the pandemic have not been able to reopen again (no more existed).  We are truly in a bad of times, but it also could  be a time of sift sifting all of us.  Can this be the best of times for God to purify us?

When God called Jeremiah, we can tell that he was very timid which is reasonable because when God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, he was also afraid, “God! not me, send someone else!” The bad of times is moving on, yet God’s work has not been delayed. When God said to Jeremiah, “I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. ” Jeremiah said, “I do not know how to speak.” (Jeremiah 1:6).  I assumed what he was saying: “O God! I cannot accept it, but can I disobey your command?” Jeremiah went on, “I am only a child, ” as if we said to God, “Not me, send someone else”, but God said, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’!” (v. 7) God’s mission to him was to:

GO! – Go wherever I want you to go, “You must GO to everyone I send you to. ” (v. 7b).
SAY! – Go and say what I want you to say, “Say whatever I Command you.” (SAY IT) ” (v. 7c).

But at the same time God promised him, “Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you, “ declares the LORD (v. 8).

 “Now, gird up your loins and arise, and speak to them all which I command you. Do not be dismayed before them, or I will dismay you before them.  Now behold, I have made you today as a fortified city and as a pillar of iron and as walls of bronze against the whole land, to the kings of Judah, to its princes, to its priests and to the people of the land.  “They will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD. (vv. 17-19)

Twice, God said to him, “I am with you”, stepped out from the comfort zone which others did not see to carry out a mission that many would be against. From a human point of view, not willing to go is for sure, but if God is with us and will go with us, we should obey God’s voice and go boldly.

From February to August last year, fear and uncertainty hung over us, but God reminded me with 2 Timothy 1:7: ” For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”, and the word “timidity” is not a word which pleases God (See Revelation 21:8). One night, I was meditating on the story of Gideon’s call for the army, at first he might have recruited 32,000 men to help, but God said, ” Whoever is afraid and trembling, let him return and depart.” (Judges 7:3), and in the end only 300 people, or only 0.009 percent, were chosen by God.  Our “not being afraid” is not out of flesh, but “God with us”. When I was a little girl, I was afraid of dark, but when I heard my father’s voice: “I am here!” I was not scared anymore knowing someone who is bigger than me was with me.  God is our stronghold; we will not be afraid.  And even more, “God will save you”, that is: even if you fall into a big pit of distress, or the tide is nearly flooded over your neck, God says, “I will pull you up.”

As the wheel of time moved forward, God did fulfill his promise, and in 538 BC, under the leadership of Governor Zerubbabel and the High Priest Joshua, they returned to their homeland.  But what they saw was that the temple was no longer there, and desolation everywhere.  They were immediately determined to build the altar on the original foundation of the temple and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord and celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles. (Ezra 3:3-5), and began the construction of the temple the following year.  The historic moment was recorded in Ezra3:10-13: “Now when the builders had laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, …, to praise the LORD. …, the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard far away.”  This was a period of spiritual revival.  

But the good times did not last long, the enemies of Israel heard that the exiles were building a temple for the Lord, they came up together blocking the construction, and persuaded the new Persian king who summoned the stop of the construction, thus from 536 BC, the work on the house of God had come to a standstill for 16 years.  People may forget God’s work, yet God does not forget. In these 16 years, the excitement of returning home has diminished, the enthusiasm to build the temple has also faded, and people’s spirit dissipated with time, but in the second year of the King of Darius (Haggai 1:1), that is, 520 BC, God rebuked the exiles through the old prophet Haggai:  “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies desolate?” (1:4) God asked them to careful thought to their ways (vv. 5-7), and the people feared the LORD (1:12).  When man started responding to God’s call, we see that twice God said to them, “I am with you” (1:13, 2:4), and since God is with the people, within 24 days (1:15), they came and began to work on the house of the LORD Almighty, their God (1:14).

Unlike Jeremiah who before taking the mission, God said, “Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you“, God first promised that His presence will not diminish; and here in a distressful environment, God was calling a group of people who were willing to respond to His heart and to them He promised “I am with you.” As long as we walk in God’s will, He is taking full responsibility of our life.

Not only that, with the commitment of people, God’s comfort and encouragement poured in.  Haggai 2:3 God asked them, “Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing?  But three times God said, “Be strong. ” (2:4),  first to the political leader Zerubbabel, then to the religious leader Joshua, and then to the people, “Be strong, for I am with you” (v.4).

Besides Haggai, God also encouraged the people to rise up and build the Temple through a younger prophet, Zachariah, saying,  “What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain; and he will bring forth the top stone with shouts of “Grace, grace to it!”‘” (Zach. 4:7), “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the LORD Almighty. (4:6).  In people’s eyes, when the exiles returned, their financial situation was not as good as when the first temple built by Solomon that the nation was in its strongest time, but God has already seen the completion of the temple, saying, “The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former,” says the LORD of hosts, “and in this place I will give peace,” declares the LORD Almighty.” (Haggai 2:9).  Indeed, this Second Temple, later known as the Temple of Zerubbabel is the temple where Jesus walked, worked, and taught lessons to the people while he was on earth, and the latter glory of this temple was truly greater than the glory of The Temple of Solomon, where Jesus gave us the peace that the world could not take away from us (John 16:33).

God is with us, not only is God’s promise to us, but is also “who He is”, it is “His name” (Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:23). This year, I first thought that the vaccine has been developed, and after people got vaccinated our life would go back to normal as before without realizing that the ever-rougher waves are coming our way.  What should God’s children do?  Do we cover our head and being scared again?  or should we seize God’s promise and move on courageously? This is my meditation.   

(The ministry report below was written by Sister Cindy Chiang)

August Bible Camp and August Disciple Training Camp

Thank the Lord there are nearly 80 brothers, sisters, and co-workers who brought their 16 children to attend.  We studied ‘ The books of Major Prophets’ with enthusiasm.  Before the end of the bible camp, more than half of the brothers and sisters summitted the registration forms for the ‘Books of Minor Prophets’ camp in January and started preparing for it right after the camp. Praise the Lord to give brothers and sisters endless desire for God’s Words.

In the following Disciple Training, also more then 20 brothers and sisters bringing their more than a dozen children to participate. Through our two speakers’ sharing the Word of God and their many  touching testimonies, our brothers and sisters received not only learned a lot on the  Bible knowledge but many practical applications.  Praise the Lord!  although we experienced some difficulties, every participant and co-worker all deeply felt that God’s grace is sufficient.

August, September Short-term Mission Teams

Last year even with the difficult  pandemic situation, there were still short-term mission teams  came to help.  With more severe covid condition this year, it did not prevent the short-term mission teams from coming to share the gospel. Thank the Lord for the beautiful footprints left by the August short-term mission team in Missouri and Illinois. Also, thank the Lord for their tireless effort in sharing the gospels to the nonbelievers  and leading people to the Lord.  Pray that the Lord will let all the fruits they bore to continue grow in churches.

Continue to pray for 3 teams from California and Texas from September 10^th to 19^th.  They will go to “further” states, such as Oklahoma, Arkansas, Iowa, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, South Dakota, North Dakota and Minnesota. Pray for our own co-workers who will join them to co-work together.   Pray to the Lord to bless them to bring sheaves back joyfully.    

Pastor Ko’s update and on-line Sunday Bible Study and Prayer Meeting
(written by Pastor Ko)

Thank you all for lifting me up in your prayers that I have experienced God’s wonderful work in me.

In my last update, I mentioned that I began having breathing difficulties on Monday (8/16), and asked my wife to take me to Boones Hospital ER at Columbia, MO.  The COVID-19 test came back negative, and the doctor determined the breathing problem was caused by the classic pneumonia which is more alarming. The doctor ordered a CAT scan and think it could be a recurrence of cancer. Things didn’t get better over the next few days, so I asked to be transferred to St. Louis Barnes Jewish Hospital.   CAT scan was ordered that night. Thank and praise to God, in my distress, He put the hymn “It Is Well with My Soul” in my heart, and I was immediately comforted. The Lord reminded me that although my body seems to be surrounded by cancer with great pain, it is more important to put my trust in Him in the midst of cancer, for peace in my heart is more important than physical conditions, and as long as the Lord enthrones in our hearts, we have true peace. Thank the Lord, with the prayers of brothers and sisters, He reminded me through this hymn to face the future courageously by putting my trust in Him.

Because of my unstable health condition, doctors did not have any treatment plans until last Saturday (8/28) when the attending physician and oncologist decided to begin a preliminary chemotherapy session. The result of this chemotherapy is very critical because it will determine the future treatment plan. Please continue to pray for me.

The chemo session began at late Saturday night. Praise the Lord, after a night of treatment, I got up on Sunday (8/29) morning feeling much more comfortable, the pain level had decreased that I did not ask the nurse for pain medicine; I even ate a little more than before. The doctor said I had to keep my body well and have enough immunity to continue my treatment. Please pray for me that I can eat enough high-protein and high-calorie foods and absorb well to strengthen my immune system for future treatments.

Please also continue to pray for my wife.  It is quite difficult with such a heavy load for her taking care of me intensively everyday. Pray that the Lord watches over her and grants her strength and sufficient rest.

Thank the Lord for reminding me once again that if I will not allow my heart be troubled by the turbulent situations of illness, I must trust Him wholeheartedly, which is the key and most important thing for peace of mind.  It is well with my soul.

Brothers and Sisters, thank you again for praying for me. And God bless you all.

We will update Pastor Ko’s situation daily. You may visit https://rb.gy/2m3v1a this link. We also welcome you to join our 24 unceasingly prayer chain at this link.

Please also join the online Bible Study and prayer meeting at 6:30 pm on every Sunday. The Zoom ID is 8110999917, and the Passcode is 737903. Please join us.

Upcoming Meetings:

(1) December Midwest Winter Conference

This Conference will be held at Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center from December 22^nd to December 26^th, 2021.  The speakers are Rev. Caleb Huang, Rev. Tsu-Kung Chuang, Rev. Johann Lai, Mrs. Esther Lai, Rev. Peter Chin, Elder Eric Wu, and Albert Yip, etc.  Please start to reserve  the time and prepare yourself to attend.

(2) December Disciple and Coworker Training Camp:

This camp will take place at CWC from December 26^th, 2021, to January 1^st, 2022. The speakers are Rev Larry Wong, Mrs. Alice Chin. Partial contents will be “The Gospel shared by Jesus—the Book of Mark” and “God’s pleasing Worshiping life—the first 4 Commandments from the 10 Commandments”. Please start to save the time and prepare yourself to attend.  The application form has been posted online. Please click here  for more details.

(3) January Bible Camp:

The Bible camp will take place at CWC from January 2^nd to 8th, 2022. The speakers are Rev. Daniel Shen and the CWC coworkers.  We will study the Books of the Minor Prophets.  Please start to save the time and prepare yourself to attend. The application form and syllabus have  been posted online. Please click here for more details.

(4) Holy Land Study Trip – Theme: Exodus of Egypt to Canaan, The Footprint of Jesus (6/20 – 6/29/2022)

For so many years, brothers and sisters love to attend the Bible Camp to study the Word of God. If we can physically visit those places, it will give us deep impressions. For this reason, every other 3 years, we will hold the “The Holy Land Study Tour”. We will study the Pentateuch in our next August Bible Camp. So, the Holy Land Study Tour held in June will be very meaningful.  Let’s make an advance notice now. Please reserve time to join us. We will take the route of the Israelites out of Egypt, enter into the Kingdom of Jordan, cross the Jordan River into Jerusalem, travel the desert of Judia, then Samaria (very few tour groups will arrange this route), enter Galilee and fly back to the United States from Joppa (now Tel Aviv).

Prayer Requests

1. For September Short-term mission team:

• • Please Pray for the short-term mission team of more than 30 people from three churches in California and Texas.  May the Lord give them peace and strength to leave beautiful footprints every place they go and be fruitful for the Lord everywhere.

2. For CWC Coworkers

• • Pastor Ko and Mrs. Ko: Pray God  continue to show grace and power, through the hands of the doctor, Pastor Ko’s cancer cells can be controlled.  During this period of time, pray God to give him good physical strength and appetite and more importantly a lively spirit and a joyful heart in the Lord. Also, pray for Mrs. Ko who is by Pastor Ko’s side, not only to recover her own health but also has the strength and ability to take care of Pastor Ko. May the Lord continue to support her to thrive spiritually.  Continue to pray for Paster Ko’s eldest sister in Hongkong that she will experience God’s peace and healing thru chemotherapy for her lung cancer.
  • Sister Cindy Chiang: Pray for her to share the gospel with the co-workers of the short-term mission team in September. May the Lord give her mental and spiritual strength.  After this, she will start to prepare for the 3 winter meetings and resume the weekend services in various churches.
  • Brother Qing-Long Liang: Pray that he can balance his life among family, churches, and the CWC campus ministry.  Pray his wife has wisdom to care for 3 children and the children develop obedient hearts for the Lord.  Pray for his ministry in Columbia, MO, Kirksville, MO, and Fayetteville, AR.  May the Lord use him to preach the truth faithfully and lead people to follow God’s Words.  Pray for his evangelistic ministry with the September short-term mission team in Mid-west states.
  • Rev. Charles Huang: Pray for his ministry in Champaign, IL.  May the Lord give him wisdom to work with the local Chinese church in preaching, Sunday school, disciple training, and with effective strategies to share the gospel on campus.  It was estimated that a few hundred new Chinese students will come to Champaign. It is a great opportunity to know them, share the Gospel to them and lead them to be the Lord’s disciples. Also pray for his co-work with September short-term mission team. May he get the wisdom and physical strength from the Lord to complete the Lord’s work. Pray that God helps his children with their English learning and adaptation to the US culture and the schools in this new environment.
  • American coworker Scott Jerome: Pray for the maintenance coworker and his family. May the Lord bless his work.

3. For the expansion project

• • Pray for the construction of the children’s activity center.
  • May the Lord watch over Pastor Harold Shull’s safety at work, the progress of the project, and his health, and pray for all the required fund.  Also pray for the five retired American Couples (RVICS) who will come to the center to help in October. May the Lord use their hands to accomplish many tasks.

4. For financial need:

1. • Pray for the monthly financial need for CWC. May the Lord show His abundant provision and let more people experience the blessing of giving.

5. For CWC

1. • May the Lord touch and lead more new coworkers to join CWC’s ministry so that various ministries in the Midwest may thrive.

6. For churches in the Midwest during the pandemic

1. • More and more brothers and sisters have been vaccinated and we see more and more churches have started in-person meetings. May the Lord strengthen His flocks during the pandemic. Let them be brave and serve Him diligently in churches, resume the  fellowship, and share the Gospel with non-believers. May the Lord use the vaccines to effectively control this pandemic. Even now Delta Varient is severe, pray the Lord that the brothers and sisters can still bravely come out to serve the Lord without being afraid.  Ask the Lord to give the church co-workers wisdom to know God’s will and lead the churches in this time.   May the Lord heal those who are infected, not only physically, but also set free their heavy hearts. By the name of Jesus, let us walk the path of victory.

Emmanuel!

      In Him,

      Billy Ko (Director)