BCC Reflections by Branda Lee

Towards the end of my senior year in high school Harvest Community Church was founded, which later became Berean Community Church. As one who grew up attending church with my parents, I thought it odd to form a church independent of the adult congregation both financially and communally. I was naïve to the array of logistical needs churches demanded and unaware of the greater and more significant spiritual needs, especially of those who habitually attended church. I found it odd at my young age to see individuals who were not many years my senior taking on leadership roles. I remember calling Pastor Peter by his first name and then our church deciding one year to add the title Pastor to his name, which took a little getting used to. I remember always being one of the youngest members of the group – now I’m considered old. Financial burdens were a constant but the congregation was reminded time and time again not to worry about numbers or finances but to be on our knees for and a focus on building a firm spiritual foundation for which, if God-willing, would be built upon.

Over the past ten years many memorable events took place. Over the next ten years many more memorable events will take place. If the statistics are correct, some that we worship with now will fall away from the faith for any number of reasons just as there will be new believers adding to our numbers. And as we get older there will be new lives brought into this world just as there will be lives taken from this world. But one thing will always remain constant just as our God is constant – the truth of His inerrant Word. There can be nothing more important than to make sure of what we believe and live by it because the next change could be our last.

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23

“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21

BCC Reflections by Mama Esther

As I reflect on Berean’s existence, God is truly worthy of all the glory for His faithfulness and provision. He has brought this church through much refinement and I know that He will continue to do so until we all reach unity in the faith (Eph 4:12-13). I have grown to really love this church as my family. I cannot deny the fact that it was difficult in the beginning of our existence with all the trials that He put us through, but one of the things that I am thankful for is the faithful members who persevered through it all from the beginning. There weren’t much or any reasons for them to stay if we look from human’s perspective-they really didn’t have their peers around, financially we were struggling being such a young church, etc. Despite all that, they continued to labor diligently to serve the church. They have been such a tremendous source of encouragement to Peter and me. One of the benefits though of being such a small church was we were able to meet EVERYONE after service, and we could celebrate EVERY birthday. That is quite the challenge now.
I am so thankful to God for all that He has and continues to do for our church. I am so blessed to see God building a church that is genuinely seeking to become more like Christ and abounding in His work so that we may be a church that will light the way for others to bring glory to Him who truly deserves it all.

“ Blessed are those who dwell in your house ; they are ever praising you.” Ps 84:4

BCC Reflections by Brian Lee

Summer of 2001. Everyone already knew who I was before I got here. Although, there weren’t that many people here. And well, they didn’t know my name. “Are you Pastor James’ brother?” were the first words I heard. “Hey guys, have you met Pastor James’ brother?” I always introduced myself by name but for some reason they all introduced me to each other as “Pastor James’ brother.”

When I was welcomed by Pastor Peter, Jeremy, only four years old at the time, walked up to me and looked me in the eye. In a very respectful and subdued manner he greeted me with, “Hi Pastor James.” I just smiled, kind of in shock.

His father patiently corrected him, “No, Jeremy, this is Pastor James’ brother.”

“Oh…,” said Jeremy in the same subdued tone, “Hi Pastor James’ brother.” He looked a little confused and I’m sure he was at least a little disappointed since I look a lot like my brother and I was sure I had just rocked his four-year-old world by not actually being my brother. Then he disappeared to go off and do whatever four-year-olds do on a Sunday morning… probably play with one of the Osako brothers. Zachary, believe it or not, was a very quiet little boy at the time.

I grew up in a large church where there were just a handful of people taking care of various needs. So when I arrived here at Berean I noticed the difference right away… that there were only a handful of people. We used to joke about how when the praise team got up to lead praise, half of the seats would empty to take the stage. Our church membership largely consisted of the extended Kim family and a covey of college students, but this young group served eagerly and gave their best every week not just because these things needed to be done, but because they were led by a desire to worship and honor God together as a church. To see young believers so willing to take ownership of their church was an incredible encouragement and blessing to me. I’m thankful to see that even as our numbers grow, the character of this church remains the same. We are still compelled to pray for one another, to celebrate and worship together, and to cheer each other on as we race for the prize.

“So highly does the Lord esteem the communion of His church…” -John Calvin

BCC Reflections by "Eslo" Kim

As I reflect upon the ten years of our church’s existence, I can’t help but to remember the people who have come and gone throughout these past 10 years. I started coming to this church after a year of its departure from Irvine Baptist. Did you know that Berean used to be called “Harvest Community Church?” After about a few Sundays, I noticed that suddenly the church renamed itself to “Berean,” taking its name from ACTS 17:11. This was the dawn of only, the beginning.
I started at Berean right before I hit my freshman year at UCI, ‘twas the end and onset of the Millennium (1999-2000). It was a small church, with young members who were still in school (high school/ college) with the exception of one married professionals (Philip and Marian). We were a struggling church with collegians tithing their financial aid, yet God remained faithful throughout the years. He always provided for us with a place of worship and a place to loiter (we have been infamously known as the Berean loiter’ers).
It was also at Berean, where the name “Es.Lo” began to take its course. The name deriving from “J.Lo,” was given to me by two older sisters (Becky Chang and Joanne Kim) who used to attend our church. For some reason, they associated my unequivocal, outlandish, urban (ghetto) way of speaking to that of this “Jennifer Lopez” person. From there it just stuck… they took the first two letters of my name and Lo and behold, Es.Lo. ‘datz da werd yo, ya herd!

Lunch Team by Jonny Wang

One thing that intrigues me about the early church was how they loved one another, from sharing possessions to eating together with gladdened hearts; they were filled with the Spirit & united as one body for Christ. Since then, things have changed a bit. People hear more about church splits instead of Christians displaying love for each other. When elder Philip announced the birth of lunch ministry, I was pumped and signed up for the first month. There was no easier way for me to show love towards my brothers & sisters other than serving them food. Plus I really liked the lunch team format, instead of choosing people who are filled the Spirit, it forces everyone to take turns & serve without question.

The Berean lunch team was founded by people like Helen Wong & the Pengs, their quiet dedication in preparing & serving food with love have enhanced the fellowship experience over the years. As the church grew in numbers, it became harder and harder for them to keep up with this increasing need. For example, I remember eating Bulgogi more frequently when the church was much smaller, ever since the church moved to UTT middle school; I’ve eaten Korean BBQ twice. Anyway, so the church decided to bless everyone with the opportunity to get on BLT and receive the joy of serving. I got on the October team and had the honor to serve with Joan, Christine, Sharon, Tony, Arnold, K-town Joe, and Kevin Osako. I still remember staying up late on Saturday nights trying to cook the ingredients. We were horrible at managing time because we were just fellowshipping and enjoying each other’s company. I never realized that preparing can be just as blissful as serving. Presenting and delivering the actual food on Sunday was quite an experience, too. We get to greet new & old comers all at once by handing them free lunch. You can usually tell whether or not they’re excited about the food from their facial expressions. Some people just get it because it’s free.

I do want to thank God for blessing our church over the years. I thank Him for allowing us to eat and fellowship right after service on Sundays; praise Him for allowing us to serve Him by serving one another. Let me end with this encouragement from the book of Acts so we may continue to love one another:

Acts 2:46-47
“46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

Couples Ministry by Brandon Wong

Imagine walking into a room filled with a dozen or so people wearing dark hooded jackets. Their faces are partially obscured, but you know they’re glaring at you. Some of them are throwing up gang signs, a few of them look like they’re straight out of K-Town. One guy looks like he probably carries a gun most of the time. You’d probably want to get out as soon as possible, but you keep looking around and you see something strange. Why is that guy smiling? Isn’t that Dr. Peng? He just isn’t capable of looking mean. And wait — isn’t that Mama Ester under that hood? A crazy scene like this could mean only one thing: another gathering of BCC (Berean Community Couples) taking their traditional group photo wearing their coveted BCC Jackets.

The Couples Fellowship is a ministry at Berean Community Church aimed at gathering the married couples together and giving them a chance to fellowship with one another. The meetings are very informal, and they start off like any good fellowship — with good food and lots of it. Every couple brings something to the table for the potluck and then we spend a good amount of time eating and fellowshipping. After everything is cleared, we all gather together and hold our next tradition: all new couples must tell the story of how they got together. Typically the husband tells the story, and then the wife sets things straight and tells what really happened, which makes for great laughs. After that we hold our more serious portion of our meeting. This could mean having a group discussion, or having small groups, or just praying together with our spouse. The fellowship time is sweet and sobering at the same moment. It is a time to remind ourselves to build and preserve a godly household, knowing that all of our spiritual endeavors start at the home and overflow from it.

I’ve been asked a lot about how married life is. I’d say it is great, but it is also quite difficult. Managing not only my own spiritual life, but also trying to help my wife (as she helps me) is a challenge. We are thankful to have a ministry like this at church for the encouragement and blessings we receive from it. We also love that sweet BCC jacket. With its fine Egyptian cotton construction and luscious flannel lining, how can you not love the Berean Community Couples fellowship?

“But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15

Campus Evangelism by Marian Kim

I have never considered myself to be especially bold or eloquent. But for some time now, I have been going out to UCI every other week to share the gospel with whomever I may come across. For me this has been just a small effort to be obedient to God’s command to “Go” and proclaim Him… Like with most people, God has placed some unsaved people in my personal life whom I can pray for and be a witness to, and it certainly has been my desire to “shine His light” and seize opportunities to plant seeds upon their hearts. However, in addition to challenging me to be a good “long-term” witness, God has also been prodding my heart to just GO and spread the good news as much as I’m able, to open up my mouth and freely declare what He has done, to spend time with people from all different walks of life who may never again be approached with the gospel message and just to discipline my weak flesh to get into the habit of proclaiming Him.

Apostle Paul has become “all things to all men, so that by all possible means he may save some.” These days I get to ask myself if I am really willing to do this. Am I willing to spend my precious time and effort to pour out myself to people who may never even come to know Christ? For the sake of mere some whose “fruitfulness” I may never come to witness, am I willing to give of myself? Apostle Paul did. Paul spent His entire life as a Christian declaring what God has done… All that he persevered through — sleepless nights, floggings, stoning, imprisonments, etc.– was for the purpose of the elect, that he “may save some.” (2 Tim2:10) God helps me to keep in perspective the reality of His kingdom: “…small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matt 7:14) Am I willing to go through minor discomforts for the sake of these few elect? How great are the examples of surrendered men in the Bible that motivate me to do my small part…

I am very thankful, however, that almost every time I have been on campus, God has allowed me to meet at least one person who is open to hearing the gospel message. I believe that God’s word does not return to Him empty. (Is 55:10, 11) Whatever it is that I have to share from His word, I believe that it will Accomplish Its Purpose. Am I speaking to a person whom God has predestined from eternity past? Then His word WILL serve as a seed that will work inside to draw him a step closer to knowing God. (This is such an encouraging thought to me.) Am I speaking to someone whose heart is hardened and will never confess Him as Lord? Then God’s word may simply serve to harden him more. As for myself who utters God’s message of hope, it repeatedly serves as a reminder of the unmerited grace bestowed upon me! There is also created within me feeling of burden and compassion – an undeserved peek into the heart of the Savior who rules over this fallen world. God’s Word, I am convinced, achieves the purposes of the One who sent it.

There are a couple things that God has brought upon my heart: First of all, it is ALL God. “The LORD opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message” (Acts 16:14) If He doesn’t open up a person’s heart, then no amount of heavenly preaching will open up the eyes of the blind. For this reason my heart is stirred to pray and plead with God for the salvation of the ones I share with. Secondly, although it is ALL God, I am not excused from trying to convince people to believe – not by force but by patient & careful explanation of His Word. In acknowledging God’s sovereignty, I am sometimes tempted to use it as an excuse to “let God do it all.” But for some reason, His Plan is to use the foolish and the unwise things of this world, such as myself, to make both His wrath and mercies known to mankind… “From morning till evening he [Paul] explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. Some were convinced by what he said but others would not believe…” (Acts 28:23,24)

Ultimately, I want to be a faithful witness – random or not, stranger or not. While I have the opportunity go on campus (as my son is in school for a little bit in the mornings), I would like to go there and share – not that it is the only means of sharing the gospel, but it is a way of keeping me active in sharing. (And there are SO many people there, SO near our church!) My prayer is to keep my eyes focused on Christ and be faithful to His leadings.

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9)