Dear Brothers and Sisters, Peace to you in the Lord!
Praise and thanks be to the Lord that He is enthrone and reigns. Even though Pastor Ko went to be with the Lord in March, I have seen more grains of wheat sprouting and more people have joined the service of CWC ministry in the past month, not only God’s work has not been delayed, but many also have been reminded to pick up the baton Pastor Ko passed down and continue the course that lies ahead of us. The focus in May will be on the two discipleship training, followed by the June Youth Camp. Please prepare your heart to attend these camps in order to be well equipped before God to face this chaotic, valueless generation. The deadline for both trainings is May 20.
The Imprint that Leads to Eternity—Remembering Pastor Billy Ko
(by Pastor Dennis Wong)
(Editor’s note: Pastor Dennis Wong is pastor at Ann Arbor Chinese Christian Church, Michigan. He wrote this article on March 15 and it was published in their church magazine. He mailed this article to the CWC too. When I told him I plan to publish this at the CWC newsletter, he said he also mailed “Behold Magazine” and it was published. However, Behold gave us permission to use it. It is published at “Behold” Magazine : https://behold.oc.org/?p=54989. I saved this for May’s newsletter so that more can be encouraged to attend the two Trainings in May).
Pastor Billy Ko was a very funny pastor.
When I was a college student, a week before the newly hired pastor started his ministry at our church in Omaha, Nebraska, Pastor Ko came and shared a message titled: “The Pastor is Coming.” A few years later, when that pastor left, Pastor Ko was invited to speak on Sunday again, and he gave another sermon: “The Pastor Has Gone.”
Looking back, Pastor Ko also came to my life, and now he is gone…
The Accidental Arriving to the Midwest
I used to wonder why God had led me to go halfway around the world to this part of the United States. Growing up in Malaysia, I came to Christ as a young man, and shortly after that I was called by God, and planned to be a full-time minister after finishing college and a few years of work. Unfortunately, I did not get a satisfactory result on the college entrance test and could not enter the local university, and instead had to come to the United States for further study.
At that time, my brother had a high school classmate who was also studying in the U.S., so he asked him to help me apply for several universities, but it turned out he only helped me apply to his own school in Oklahoma where I began my study and later transferred to Nebraska.
Now when I look back, I realize that it has always been God’s perfect will in bringing me to the Midwest that I might be trained under Pastor Ko in the Christian Witness Center. Although I later went to study in an accredited seminary, Pastor Ko and the CWC ministry had always been the invisible seminary that God had prepared for me.
Pastor Has Come • Leading Bible Study
When I was a college student, young and inexperienced, Pastor Ko encouraged me to lead Bible study in our small campus Bible study group in Lincoln where I served for seven years. Those seven years’ serving have stirred up my heart for the love of reading God’s Word. Even though the small Bible study group had only five to six people in the first year, God gave me the opportunity to learn how to lead others reading the Bible.
The Rightful Mindset in Serving
In addition to my spiritual growth in campus Bible study, the CWC training had instilled in me the right mindset to serve.
In my early years, as a student, I often participated in CWC’s various training camps. Every year at the Winter Conference in December, I usually served in the kitchen washing dishes, and no matter how tired I was when I finished my chores, I chose not to go back to my room to rest, but sat down to listen to God’s Word even if only for a few minutes. I learned to enjoy God’s Word with Mary’s quiet spirit in the midst of Martha’s busy ministry.
True Humility on Solid Foundation
Even after I graduated and started to work, I still tried to take time off to attend training camps, because the CWC’s Discipleship Training Camp and Bible Camp are very unique where they constantly challenge the brothers and sisters to be humble disciples by building them up with a firm spiritual foundation. And I could not find similar training anywhere else.
Indeed, how many Discipleship Training Camps now still require participants to do their homework in the camp? How many camps will challenge participants on the spot, not only standing up from their seats to recite scriptures, but also memorizing the names of people around them? How many camps will have you pray together after each message, and sometimes be called to the front praying out loud in front of everyone, especially after the last meeting in the evening when you have to kneel down and pray for a long time? And how many camps require participants to do daily chores, such as washing dishes, cleaning meeting places and their own rooms both during and after the camp?
With years of this kind of training, I have come to know that the importance of discipleship training is not being innovative, but to build a solid foundation in prayer, studying the Bible, and practical service.
Action of Evangelism
CWC ministry has taught me the importance of evangelism. Every year, Pastor Ko or a CWC co-worker would come to Lincoln with a short-term mission team. And I would go with them to knock on doors one by one, hand out leaflets to invite people to the evangelical meeting, and do personal evangelism.
A few years later, I also started helping short-term mission teams by driving them to other campuses in the Midwest. Over the years, we have been to Iowa City, IA; Manhattan, KS; Lawrence, KS; Columbia, MO; Memphis, TN; Oxford, MS; Starkville, MS; Jackson, MS and other city campuses.
The Pastor Has Gone
At 12:25 a.m. on March 13, 2022, Pastor Ko rested his earthly labors and entered into the glory of God.
As If Never Having Been Apart
Now I myself have been in ministry for more than 10 years. Amazingly, Pastor Ko and the CWC have always been in close contact with me, as if they had never left. Even during the four years when I lived in California on the West Coast, Pastor Ko had visited the church I was serving several times to share his ministry. Later, I returned to the Midwest.
All Should Be Challenged
In the past two years of the epidemic, I have been to the center helping out in the kitchen during the training camps thinking that I could be the extra pair of hands when Pastor Ko is not feeling well.
I mainly went to the two Bible camps. In the afternoon of the camps, each participant would present a Bible study report, and a Q&A session afterwards for everyone to ask questions. In the past, Pastor Ko would give some comments after each presentation. But in the past two years, Pastor Ko was rarely present, and the Q&A session had become quieter than before, so I decided to ask each of the students some more challenging questions after their presentation, such as, “Where is the biblical basis of your statement?” “Have you considered what the context of Scripture is saying?” …… There are more specific questions, such as, “Have you ever wondered why the book of Zechariah ended with a cooking pot?” And so on.
What is indispensable in the CWC camps is that every participant must be challenged. This is what Pastor Ko had been doing all his life: Through the Word of God, he constantly challenged everyone to rise up and preach the Gospel, to lead people to the Lord, to cultivate disciples, and to love to read God’s Word.
Pastor Ko has gone to be with the Lord into His glory. Let us follow the footsteps of Pastor Ko to follow Christ closely together, serve Him faithfully, and look forward to the glory of the Lord until the day we meet in heaven.
Remembering Pastor Ko
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- Graveyard Service: April 23, 11:00 a.m., Families and relatives of Pastor Ko, members of CWC board of directors, current and past CWC co-workers, two leading co-workers from Columbia Chinese Christian Church, and Chinese and American co-workers who have served in the CWC for a long time, a total of 47 adults attended the graveyard service of Pastor Ko. Praise the Lord! The weather was good with no rain as forecasted, but a breezy Spring day. Through hymns, Scripture reading, prayers, and messages, we have witnessed “the angels joyfully beckon the servant of the Lord from heaven’s open door”, and experienced worshiping and praising before the throne of God with the eternal hope of the day when the Lord Jesus’ return in glory. It truly was a God glorifying and heavenly beautiful service. We plan to make the burial ground into a garden with two parts: a garden for the burial site and a observation deck with a gazebo and benches for brothers and sisters who come for various meetings to go to the observation deck not only for devotions with a panoramic views of the camp ground and the Lake of Ozark, but also to be inspired by the legacy “the More I Serve Him, the Sweeter He Grows” and “God is the Capitan, I Am His Co-pilot” left by the servant of God. The location is on the hillside behind the Canaan Hall. We’re going to work on this project step by step, hoping to get it done by Fall. Video of the Grave-side Service has been posted on CWC website, please click here.
- Ways We Can Commemorate
We believe you have a lot to share to remember God’s servant and how he influenced your life:- You may write an article with photos if you have any, upload it on the CWC’s website, or send it to the Editor-in-Chief pastorkobook@gmail.com. Deadline is the end of June. We will publish a collection of essays in memory of Pastor Ko and distribute it to brothers and sisters in the Winter Conference.
- Or if you have photos taken with Pastor Ko, you may also upload them on the CWC’s website to share, please click here.
- A Memorial Service will be held on one of the afternoons during this year’s Winter Conference (Dec. 22-26), so please set aside a time to attend.
Take the baton and become a new force in the Kingdom of God
In the past, before every camp meeting, Pastor Ko and the CWC Co-workers would always sincerely invite you to come to the discipleship training and the Bible Camp. The response we got has often been, “Thank you for your invitation, I will see if I am free at that time, if I am, then I will come,” without feeling the urgency of being equipped that the church needs to have a group of brothers and sisters who are spiritually mature to lead and to serve according to God’s will. It is important for all of us to take the baton of God’s servant and become good soldiers of God. You can participate in the following training and the Bible Camp opportunities in May and August to be equipped for the Kingdom of God.
May Discipleship Training (5/22-27)
The speakers for this training camp are: Pastor Tsu-Kung Chuang, Pastor Jay Huang and CWC co-workers. Pastor Chuang has come to lead CWC’s meetings for many years, he is all-around knowledgeable and specializes in Bible study, apologetics, mission, and evangelism. This time he will talk about: The Ethics of Kingdom of Heaven, Marriage and Adultery, Words and Integrity, Abstinence and Simplicity; in the evening he will be teaching “How to Be the Saints of the End Time.” with Matthew 24-25.。Another speaker is Pastor Jay Huang. Pastor Huang graduated from the Department of Nuclear Engineering of National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan, got his M.S. and Ph.D. in Materials Science from UC Berkeley, and MIT, and later his M. Div. from Weston Theological Seminary. After 18 years working in industry and the National Laboratory, Pastor Huang has been pastoring the Tri-Valley Chinese Bible Church and Chinese for Christ Church of Hayward in California for 22 years. This time he will be sharing “the Christian Calling” from 1 Peter, and exploring “the Life of Wisdom” from the Book of Proverbs. He will also be teaching: “How did Jesus train His disciples”in the discipleship group. These topics were chosen in response to the needs of brothers and sisters in the Midwest at this period of time after discussing with the speakers. Do not miss this in-person meeting, and start preparing yourself and encouraging brothers and sisters to participate. The application form has been posted online, Please Click Here.
Lay-minister Discipleship Training (5/27-30)
The Midwest is short of full-time ministers and student numbers fluctuate greatly. Those who reside locally to work or teach become a stable force in Midwest campus fellowships and churches. They are more mature and have certain life experiences. If they can be well-equipped not only in biblical knowledge, but in character, life witness, and walking in the Words of the Lord, they can be good examples for the younger students. This camp is especially for the believers who are working full time. It is short, only taking up an extended long weekend. Even so, participants still need to attend full time with diligence. We suggest brothers and sisters consider taking Friday afternoon off so that you can arrive at the camp by 5:30 pm for the meetings. This camp is only held once a year. Please grab this opportunity to attend. If you work and want to attend Bible Camp (requiring attendance of disciple training camp within the past two years), this is a great opportunity for working people. Full Time students (TA, RA or PhD students are not counted as working full time) must first attend May Disciple Training Camp (May 22-27), then can have the bonus to stay over to attend this camp.
In addition to the above two speakers, we have also invited Elder Kaleung Lee of Austin Chinese Church (Austin, Texas), to share. Elder Lee has faithfully participated in the September Short-term Mission in the past few years. I often had the opportunity to be in the same team with him, and found him very humble, plain, and very diligent in preparing messages. Later, I learned more about him: Elder Lee came to the United States in 1990 to pursue a doctorate in civil engineering at the University of Texas. He believed in the Lord in 1991, baptized in the same year, and has been actively involved in church ministry, including: student fellowship, Sunday school, small group study, and deacon board. Elder Lee has 25 years of experience working as an engineering consultant and is still working full-time at the company, but on such a busy schedule he still equips himself with theological courses, and received a master’s degree in apologetics from Southern Evangelical Seminary. Those who work full time sometimes feel that we ministers do not know much about the multiple pressures of their families, children, work, church ministry, etc., but from Elder Lee, I was reminded of the saying “What kind of man was Shun? What kind of man am I? He who exerts himself will also become as he was.” Detailed training information is on the registration form. For the full-time working brothers and sisters, please do not miss this good opportunity, and set aside the time to come, and also encourage others to participate. Application form has been posted online. Please click Here.
June Youth Disciple Training (6/5-11)
Pastor Ko used to say that the Youth Camp is the only one in all the CWC camps that does not need to be much promoted, because young people are already looking forward to participating in the camp! I also noticed that the Youth Camp has the least number of people who cancel the camp at the last minute (almost none), and they are very eager to come, which is really a good reminder of the attitude of us adults. Our speakers this year are: Pastor Paul Sin (pastor of Crosspoint Church, Silicon Valley, California), Pastor Steve Tan and Berry Edwards. Please Click Here.
August Bible Camp (7/31-8/6)
This time we’re going to study the Pentateuch. As we all know, the CWC Bible Camp is a six-year study of the Bible. We are starting a new round this August. The Pentateuch is a very valuable scripture, with thorough teaching on the history of Israel, the beautiful footsteps left by the patriarchs, and God’s establishment of the priestly kingdom. There are also great lessons and reminders for us to walk on the spiritual path today. So far, more than fifty brothers and sisters have signed up. Reading schedule and registration form have been posted on CWC website. The speakers are Pastor William Sun and CWC co-workers. Born into a Christian family, Pastor Sun became a Christian at the age of 12 through his parents. He majored in architecture in college and later studied abroad and got his master’s degree. After 10 years of work, he responded to God’s calling to go to Singapore Theological Seminary with his wife and received M.Div., and then to the United States to continue his theology studies. In 2000, he pastored a church in California, and in 2005 began involvement in theological education, specializing in the Old Testament. He is currently the president and Old Testament professor at Christian Leadership Institute and is regularly traveling to Asia in training at different churches. This meeting is planned to be held at CWC campground, and the strict registration deadline is June 15. Please Click Here for details and registration form.
Sunday Online Bible Reading & Prayer Meeting
Please attend the online Bible reading and prayer meeting every Sunday at 6:30pm (Central Time) via Zoom so that we may be equipped for God’s kingdom, the account number is: 8110999917, password: 737903. In order to follow the progress of the Bible Camp, we are currently studying the Book of Genesis. We especially encourage those brothers and sisters who plan to attend August Camp to join this meeting every week.
Thanksgiving and Prayer Requests:
1. For Meetings:
- May Discipleship Training: Pray that the Lord prepares more people to be equipped to be disciples of the Lord.
- Lay-minister Discipleship Training: Pray that the Lord will call more hearts of full-time working brothers and sisters to come and be equipped to be disciples of the Lord
- June Youth Disciple Training: Pray that the Lord prepares the hearts of young people to receive training and vow not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind to follow and live for the Lord all the days of their lives.
- August Bible Camp: Pray for those who have registered for the August Bible Camp that they will prepare themselves for a good study in the coming months. Pray for those who have the desire in their heart to take root in God’s Word but have not yet registered that they will register as soon as possible and start preparing for homework. Please also pray for CWC co-workers in preparing messages, write the topics, and guide brothers and sisters to write reports for the Bible Camp.
2. For CWC Co-workers (written by each coworker):
- Mrs. Ko: Thank the Lord for blessing us with good weather on April 23 that Pastor Ko’s burial service went smoothly. In one Spirit, we worshiped in hymns, Scripture reading, prayers, and encouraging messages. May all glory be to God on the throne. Hallelujah! We still have to press on toward the goal to finish the course that is ahead of us. Pray that the Lord grant me wisdom to make good use of my time and strength to fulfill the mission He has entrusted me. Thank you for your prayers.
- Sister Cindy Chiang : This month I will be focusing on the two May discipleship training. Pray that the Lord draws more people to come and be equipped to be the good soldiers of God’s Kingdom. With the multiple work of CWC, please pray that the Lord gives me wisdom and strength by trusting Him whether it is dealing with office work during the weekdays or ministering on weekends, and regain new strength daily from Him.
- Brother Qinglong Liang: Ask the Lord to guide in my personal prayer life with a sensible heart towards Holy Spirit; have the wisdom to lead the whole family to pursue the Lord and serve Him; help brothers and sisters to establish a stable spiritual life; have the wisdom to work with brothers and sisters in sharing the gospel and cultivate disciples in the Midwest; increase fellowship with brothers and sisters everywhere; ask the Lord to give wisdom and ability to serve in May Discipleship Trainings; and ask the Lord to give wisdom to accurately handling and sharing the Word of Truth.
- Pastor Charles Huang: Pray for the student ministries in this semester that God will use the church fellowship to share the gospel effectively. Pray for pulpit and teaching ministry in the church that God will give the light of His Word in shepherding the flock. Pray that the three children have smooth adjustment in learning and have good relationships with teachers and classmates
- American coworker Scott Jerome: Pray for the spiritual life and ministry of his family. This month, in addition to continuing the construction of the Serving Garden, he will be preparing for the May training also. May the Lord give wisdom and strength to complete the tasks.
3. For Expansion Project: Pray for the construction of the children’s activity center. Pray for Pastor Harold Shull’s safety, construction progress. This month he will also be focusing on the construction of the Serving Garden. May the Lord bless him with wisdom, strength and good health.
4. For Financial needs: Pray for the monthly needs of the Center and ask the Lord to show His abundant supply and let more brothers and sisters experience the blessing of offering.
5. For CWC: Pray that the Lord will bring more co-workers to the Center for the furtherance of the gospel ministry in the Midwest.
Emmanuel
In the Lord,
Sister Cindy Chiang