弟兄姊妹主內平安!
| Thank the Lord! By mid-to-late February, I was finally able to lift my head above the surface from the heavy-load three winter meetings and the follow-up work afterward, followed by a month and a half of accumulated office tasks and the complicated year-end tax work, and finally to “slightly” catch my breath. Coincidentally, last week I noticed that the daffodils in front of the coworkers’ dorm had taken advantage of this week’s warmer weather after the bitter cold temperatures and snowstorms in January. One after another, they pushed up through the frozen ground, sprouting clusters of fresh green shoots. I look forward to when the brothers and sisters arrive for the March Spring Retreat—we will see beautiful daffodils swaying in the breeze at Pastor Ko’s memorial garden and the coworkers’ dorm, reminding us that spring has come.
Looking back on the past two-plus months, what God has given me to experience is: “He is Lord! He reigns over all the earth.” Everywhere we go, He has prepared people to help us. On the day when five thousand men gathered to hear Jesus preach, as the meeting ended Jesus said, “You give them something to eat.” The disciples wondered how they could possibly find food in such a desolate place. Yet God had prepared a child: “There is a lad with five barley loaves and two fish” (John 6:9). The day when Abraham did not know where the lamb for the burnt offering would come from, God had prepared a ram, for “In the mount of the Lord it will be provided” (Jehovah Jireh) (Genesis 22:14). The first group of people God prepared around us was the management team of the Marriott St. Louis Grand, where we had last year’s Winter Conference. Early last year, when we were searching for a venue, God worked in the heart of Marriott’s Senior Sales Executive (who does not even live in St. Louis, but in Kentucky). Through our conversation, I learned that he is a devout Christian, and is also very active in his church’s ministry. Because of this, he was incredibly accommodating of our many special requests. Not only did he offer us a better price, but also allowed us to use their kitchen based on religious reasons—a request that most hotels we’ve dealt with in recent years have been very reluctant to grant.” The day before the Winter Conference, we had our usual pre-event meeting with the hotel management team. Following Pastor Ko’s example, I introduced the CWC ministry and the purpose of our conference. When we finished, the Event Manager unexpectedly smiled and said, “Let’s close in prayer!” I was absolutely stunned—he turned out to be a Christian as well. While I know there are Christians in every company in the U.S., they rarely express their faith so openly in a professional setting. In all my decades of experience, I’ve never had a hotel manager say so directly, ‘Let’s pray!’ Throughout the entire conference, he was very supportive too. I realized then that God knows our worries and fears when in an unfamiliar place, and He has already prepared His children everywhere to help us. The second person God prepared around us is the Sales Representative from a large food supply company from which we order food. The year before last, when he first took on his role, he wanted to get to know his clients. Last summer, he said he would like to visit the Center, so I showed him around and the surrounding area. He told us that he too is a Christian, a graduate of a Christian university, and that his wife serves in youth ministry at their church. Later, whenever we placed orders, he extended us many courtesies. Estimating food needed for a regular Discipleship Training isn’t too difficult, as the margin for error is small. However, predicting the food needs for Winter Conference is a different story—especially since it falls during the Christmas holidays. If we run short and need to place additional orders, it can be very challenging. Yet, during the past two Winter Conferences, even when it was a weekend and he wasn’t supposed to be working, he would personally take our last-minute orders. He even arranged for his company’s truck to deliver the food to the hotel the very next morning so we wouldn’t run out. I was deeply moved by all of this; I knew it was the gracious hand of God sending someone to help us. This brings to my mind of Nehemiah of 444 BC. When he saw the ruined walls of Jerusalem, he asked King Artaxerxes for permission to return and rebuild the holy city. Silently praying to God, he found favor in the king’s sight. Not only was he granted “absence from his duty” to return home, but the king also issued “a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me (Nehemiah) timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress which is by the temple, for the wall of the city and for the house to which I will go. And the king granted them to me (Nehemiah) because the good hand of my God was on me (Nehemiah).”(Nehemiah 2:8). All things and all creatures belong to the Lord; when He commands, they become an unstoppable army. Spring has arrived, and all things are being renewed, and many schools are also on spring break. For many students, spring break is a time for mid-semester rest and recharging. Therefore, we have renamed our Gospel Camp the ‘Spring Retreat’ with the vision that brothers and sisters can take time to pursue the Lord during the mid-semester break. Spring also symbolizes new life, we encourage you to invite your gospel friends to hear the good news and experience the abundance of life. The theme for our prayer letter this year is ‘Rooted and Built up to a Mature Man’ (Colossians 2:7 and Ephesians 4:13). In coordination with our Spring Retreat, this issue features a sharing from Pastor Qinglong Liang: |
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How the Church Carry Out Gospel Ministry |
| The Gospel of John records that the crowds asked Jesus, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” Jesus told them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” meaning to believe in Jesus, whom God has sent, is to do God’s work. What, then, should those who believe in Jesus do? Jesus said that whoever believes in Him will also do the works He does. In the Gospel of Luke, the Lord Himself said that the Son of Man (that is, the Lord Jesus) has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” As Christians, we have already been saved through faith in Jesus Christ. Now the mission the Lord Jesus has given us is to seek the lost so that they too may believe in Jesus Christ and be saved. We can carry out gospel ministry in the following two areas:
1. Caring for Gospel Friends Who Come to Church We should treasure the gospel friends who come to church. Even if they are few in number, they are personally drawn and brought by God. We should love them with the same love the Lord Jesus has shown to us. We can care for and connect with them in the following ways:
2. Seeking Those Who Have Not Yet Come to Church As mentioned above, only a small number of gospel friends come to church on their own initiative. The vast majority are scattered throughout the neighborhoods where we live. May the Lord give us the heart of Jesus, who went about all the cities and villages seeking lost sheep, and may we go to various places to seek these gospel friends.
CWC’s March Gospel Camp is approaching soon. May the Lord move us not only to attend ourselves, but also to invite brothers, sisters, and gospel friends to come together as early as possible. |
March Spring Retreat (March 13 evening – March 16 noon) |
| This year’s Spring Retreat theme is “The Quest for Truth.” As intellectuals, we are constantly searching for truth—but where can truth be found? Only in Jesus can we find the answer, for Jesus said that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Thank God for sending two speakers Brother Zhimin Jian and Pastor George Hsu for this Retreat. Brother Jian graduated from Tsinghua University in Beijing and received his Ph.D. from the University of Southern California. While in California, he heard the gospel and believed in the Lord, which transformed his life. He now serves full-time at Bergen Christian Testimony Church in New Jersey. In addition to evangelistic messages, there are other edification messages for believers such as “Eternal Investment,” “The Meaning of Life,” and “New Life, New Living.” For gospel friends, there are workshops such as “Why Believe in Jesus?”, “The Reliability of the Bible,” and “The Hope of Humanity.” For believers, special workshop topics include “Spiritual Depth,” “How to Hear God’s Voice,”and “Spiritual Disciplines.” The Chinese Church in Christ-South Valley in California will again send a six-member short-term mission team to assist us. In addition to leading gospel groups in the mornings and evenings, they will share special afternoon workshops from a layperson’s perspective on practical life issues. Topics include: “With Man This Is Impossible, but with God All Things Are Possible,” “Turning Our Eyes to God,” and “The Struggles, Growth, and Victory of the Christian Life.” Please do not miss this opportunity. Not only come yourself, but also invite your gospel friends. Pastor Ko often said, “If Christians do not attend the Gospel Camp, how will gospel friends come?” Registration forms are available on the Center website. |
Future Meetings |
| (1) May Discipleship Training (May 17 evening – May 22 noon) and May Lay-minister Training (May 22 evening – May 25 noon) |
| Speakers for the May Discipleship Training include Pastor Allen Chi, Pastor Xiao Yuan, and CWC coworkers. Pastor Yuan currently serves at a church in Washington, D.C., and is well known to many of the brothers and sisters here. Pastor Chi completed his M.Div. and Master’s in New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Chicago, then returned to serve with Campus Evangelical Fellowship in Taiwan for ten years. He has both burden and experience in student ministry and now serves at a Chinese church in Atlanta.
The Lay-minister Training is specially designed for full-time working brothers and sisters and will be held over Memorial Day weekend. In addition to Pastor Xiao Yuan, speakers also include Pastor David Hsu and Elder Aron Fu. Pastor Hsu currently serves as senior pastor of West Houston Christian Church and has written several expository books; he will teach us how to study the Bible. Elder Fu, formerly a software engineer for many years, has faithfully served in the church and earned a master’s degree in Biblical Studies and Expository Preaching. He now serves as the elder at CCIC–Sunnyvale. His life of pursuit and service is a role model for working believers. Please reserve the dates early, prepare your hearts, encourage others to attend, and pray for the meetings, speakers, and coworkers. Registration forms are available on CWC website. |
| (2) June Holy Land Study Tour: Paul’s Missionary Journeys (June 15–27) |
| Following our 2023 Holy Land Study Tour on “Exodus to Canaan and the Life of Jesus,” this year we will continue with an on-site study of “Paul’s Missionary Journeys.” We will visit Turkey and Greece. In Turkey, we will primarily visit the seven churches of Revelation and also Patmos (a special arrangement not usually included in standard tours). From Troas (where Paul received the Macedonian vision), we will cross into Greece and follow Paul’s second missionary journey. We announced this trip last year, and it is now finally confirmed. The next time we organize a “Paul’s Missionary Journeys” study tour will be six years from now, so please seize this opportunity. Details will be posted on CWC website. |
| (3) August Bible Camp (July 26 evening – August 1 noon) |
| This year we will study the “Poetry and Wisdom Books”. If you desire to learn, the reading schedule and registration form are available on our website. The speaker will be Pastor Chih Hao Shen. The strict registration deadline is June 15. Please register early and begin preparing your assignments. Detailed information is available on the website. |
| (4) Winter Meetings Date Changes |
Last winter, we announced the dates for this year’s winter meetings. Later, coworkers felt the originally scheduled dates might require many working believers to take extra off days, which would not align with Pastor Ko’s intention of setting flexible dates around holidays to allow more working believers to attend and bring gospel friends. Therefore, we have adjusted the dates as follows:
Please reserve the time early. |
Past Meetings Review |
| (1) December Winter Conference (Dec 20 evening – Dec 24 noon) |
| Thank the Lord! After more than twenty years, we returned to St. Louis for the Winter Conference. We thank God for granting us favor with hotel staff, smoothing our transition into a new environment. St. Louis’ convenient transportation system and urban location were greatly helpful. Several local churches assisted with unloading and loading supplies and participated fervently. The speakers were greatly used by God, and nearly 1,000 adults and children attended. Praise the Lord! The hotel has extend their warm welcome to us for this year’s Winter Conference. |
| (2) December Discipleship Training (Dec 24 evening – Dec 28 noon) |
| Immediately after the Winter Conference, we began Discipleship Training that same evening. Over 140 adults and more than 60 children attended, filling the Center to capacity. Many drove more than ten hours from distant states such as Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Ohio (Texas counted as “nearby”!). There were also seminarians and full-time ministers among the participants. The teaching by Pastor Luke Tsai and Minister Rosie Hao was both deep and accessible, and many were greatly edified. |
| (3) January Bible Camp (Dec 28 – Jan 3, 2026) |
| We studied the General Epistles taught by Pastor Chihao Shen. Nearly 70 adults and over 20 children attended. Participants were enthusiastic, and more than 40 registered on the spot for the August camp to continue studying the Poetry Books. If you wish to join, please act quickly. Those who have not yet attended Discipleship Training (a prerequisite for Bible Camp) are encouraged to register for the May trainings. |
Sunday Online Bible Study & Prayer Meeting |
| Every month we post the prayer requests on our website. You can remember us in your personal prayers, or pray for us at your church’s prayer meetings. However, a great opportunity to pray together with the center’s coworkers is during the Bible reading and prayer meeting led by the coworkers every Sunday night at 7 PM. This prayer meeting also has the purpose of helping everyone to start preparing for the Bible Camp in advance, so that when the time comes, you won’t be caught unprepared and think about giving up. Of course, if you are not attending the Bible Camp, you can still systematically study the Bible with us. This semester, we will be studying the ‘General Epistles.’ In the first 30 minutes, the coworkers will lead everyone in studying the General Epistles chapter by chapter plus guidance on how to study, write outlines, and topical reports. In the second 30 minutes, we will pray in one accord for CWC ministry and coworkers according to the monthly prayer calendar. So if you are willing to pray for us, you can join our Bible reading and prayer meeting. In order not to affect the brothers and sisters’ work and school the next day, we have shortened it to one hour (7:00-8:00 PM Central Time). We will use Zoom, with the ID: 85888709271, and the password: 567482. We invite everyone to come and study the Bible together and pray for the center. |
Thanksgiving and Prayer Requests |
| 1. Thank God for abundantly blessing the three winter meetings. Pray that He continues to guide all meetings this year.
2. Pray for outreach and salvation at the March Spring Retreat, spiritual renewal for believers, and the service of the short-term mission team. May His Name be glorified. 3. Pray for coworkers: ○ Mrs. Sylvia Ko: Thank the Lord for granting me good health throughout this past winter. Now that early spring has arrived and allergy season has begun. I have already started to feel the discomfort of allergies, which has affected the quality of my sleep. Please pray that the Lord will lessen these physical discomforts so that they will not interfere with my serving in March Spring Retreat. ○ Sister Cindy Chiang: Thank the Lord for His abundant grace upon me through three busy camps and tax-related work in the past two-plus months. At times I truly felt that the strength was not enough to bear it, yet God’s grace is sufficient for me. Now we must press on to the preparations for this year’s meetings with the upcoming Spring Retreat in March and the Holy Land Study Tour in June. May the Lord grant not only abundant spiritual strength and physical stamina, but also wisdom and understanding, so that at every step we may clearly and obediently follow His leading. ○ Pastor Qinglong Liang: May God grant wisdom and strength from above to prepare for serving at the March Spring Retreat; give a humble and joyful heart to serve diligently at the center, in Columbia, and in the surrounding areas; help my wife and me lead our three homeschooled children to live according to God’s will; and grant a loving and willing spirit to accompany those we come into contact with, making them disciples of the Lord Jesus. ○ Pastor Charles Huang: Please pray for my shepherding and gospel ministries at the church in Champaign, Illinois asking the Lord to grant me His Word and wisdom. Pray for the Spring Retreat, that the Lord would move the hearts of gospel friends to attend. Pray that my parents, who have recently come to faith in Taiwan, may have a stable church life and grow firm in their faith. Pray for more effective outreach ministry and discipleship at UIUC. Pray for my wife’s health and sleep. Lastly, pray for our second son, Jeremy, as he enters college this year and seeks direction for his studies. ○ Coworker Scott Jerome: (1) Continued prayers for our foster boys and their mom. (2) Pray for children workers for the upcoming camp . 4. Financial Needs: Pray for the CWC monthly financial need (General fund, Building fund, Training fund, etc.) asking the Lord to manifest His abundant provision and allow more brothers and sisters to experience the blessings of giving. 5. For CWC: Pray that the Lord will bring more co-workers to the CWC ministry for the furtherance of the gospel ministry in the Midwest. Thank you for your faithful giving. All 2025 donation receipts have been mailed. If you have not received yours, it may have been returned due to an incorrect address. If you gave through Zelle without including your correct CWC ID or mailing address, we may not be able to identify you and send a receipt. Please contact the Center if you need assistance. |
Emmanuel
In the Lord,
Sister Cindy Chiang