MORE BCC Reflections by David Rim

There are so many memories to share over the past 10 years, it’s hard to write them all down. But if one thing stands out, it’s the people who have come to Berean committed to God and to serve His church faithfully. When you’re a small church like we were for a long time, the church wouldn’t survive if the members were not willing to sacrifice their time, money, energy, etc… to make the church grow. Eight years ago, I was pretty much in the youngest group. What I learned from those older than me was it didn’t matter if you didn’t have the talents, didn’t matter if you didn’t know what you were doing, if you were willing and able, you did it. We all loved each other and wanted to help each other out whenever we could. It was really like a community.

I remember my freshman year welcome week. Berean wanted to create a club at UCI so we could do activities on campus. We created Berean Christian Fellowship (BCF) and I was president and Kevin Osako was VP. We were a two member club for 4 years. We were freshman and we had to set up a table on Ring Road and pass out flyers to promote Berean. Back then it was a first come first served basis, so we had to wake up at 6:00 am to go to Ring Road to reserve a good spot. Welcome Week is meant for freshmen like me and Kevin but we were out there sitting at our table even though we had absolutely no clue what we were supposed to do but we did it anyways.

What I consider rich is now Berean can afford to subsidize for snacks. But before that would have been unheard of. If you wanted snacks, someone would have to be willing to buy them with their own money. And such a person was Kevin Osako. You know Kevin does a lot of nice things, but when we were at Tustin Baptist, he would wake up early in the morning and go buy Krispy Crème donuts for the whole church. He did this every single week for over a year. He doesn’t do this anymore but I’m sure he’ll be glad to buy you one if you ask.

Korean bbq sales at UCI is another “fond” memory. Those were a lot of work. I remember one particular period towards the end of my senior year where we did 4 bbq sales four weeks straight. I remember it because I ended up getting a D+ in one of my classes because I was absent those four times and attendance was part of my grade. (although to this day I dispute that grade) But we needed to raise money for missions, and I was willing to “sacrifice” my grade to help my church J The hardest part of the bbq sale was the set up and clean up. Sometimes it would be just me and Kevin and our two small cars, my small Nissan Sentra and Kevin’s cool green Dodge, having to load and unload everything. It was hard work for those few hours but we were able to raise a lot of money for missions. Thankfully we don’t have to do them anymore and we can do something fun like play softball to raise money.

We can afford a nice place like Utt today but before we always worried about where we were going to have Sunday service especially in 2003. Our rent at Lakeside went up so much that we couldn’t afford to stay there any longer so we had to start looking elsewhere. At one point we the leaders were considering having service at a park. However, we found out we could apply for a facility in Irvine but it was on a first come first served basis. Pastor Peter heard that people waited real early in the morning to reserve a place so he was going to go out by himself, pull an all nighter and wait. But I told him I would go and wait because I didn’t want Pastor Peter to pull an all nighter. I could do it since I had nothing better to do my senior year and I just ended up dragging some freshmen and we hung out all night at City Hall. The surprising thing was we got there at 2 am and we were 5 th in line! But everything worked out and we ended up getting Harvard Park.

Pastor Peter and Esther constantly have a busy schedule with three kids, meeting up with people, preparing sermons, Bible studies, or for small group. Yet, in my first year in law school, they found the time to come visit me in San Diego 5 or 6 times. Basically every school holiday the whole family would come down to visit. They were worried that I was holed up in my apartment and being alone too much. So they brought everyone to visit me to keep my company and to make sure I wasn’t going insane. I know they haven’t done this for everyone and I’m grateful that every chance they could they came down to make sure I was ok.

And this is what I remember about those early years, the members really trying to create a community. As more and more people come to Berean, I still see the same love for God and for the church as people did in those early years. And I pray that it will continue in the next 10 years.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:24-25

BCC Reflections by Luke Kang

During the worship service at Berean, nowadays, we typically sing a hymn during praise time. However, in the earlier years of our church we used to only sing contemporary praise songs up until a certain point where Pastor Peter wanted the church to begin singing hymns. I remember he spoke of the need to sing praise songs to God not only in spirit but also in truth and making sure what we would sing is truthful about God or not too centered around man. He further explained that some hymns are rich with truths about God and how it would be beneficial for the church to know and sing some hymns. So each week before he would preach, he would introduce a newly selected hymn and sing it in front of the congregation while others would sing along…. occassionally. This was memorable because we didn’t always have transparency sheets for the congregation to see the lyrics, and sometimes there wouldn’t be any music to accompany him. Sometimes it was just Pastor Peter singing in the silence because some were having a hard time remembering the lyrics or hearing it for the first time, while the remaining people were singing very quietly or too ashamed to join in. It was heartwarming and awkward at the same time.

Even though this may just seem like a funny memory, it also shows just one example of why I have come to love Berean: not only because of fond memories, but moreso that the people in this church are committed and strive to worship God in the way He desires to be worshipped even if it requires a change of what “works.” It was also from the teaching at Berean and through the example of others in the church that I learned that I needed to know what God says in His word and obey it in order to know who He really is. Growing up in the church I knew it was good to read the Bible, but I didn’t realize how crucial it was in regards to my faith. In these ways and many other ways I’ve been blessed by God through Berean, so much so that it is always mentioned whenever I have the chance to share my testimony whether stated explicitly or just in reference. I don’t say this trying to exalt this church, as there are many other God-honoring churches and we have a long way to go in sanctification, but personally Berean has been a spiritual home or upbringing for me where I got my spiritual roots.

Over the past 10 years, God has carried Berean through many joys, trials and changes; some changes we can even notice visibly. However, I’m also encouraged by what hasn’t changed over the years… the pursuit of worshipping Him in spirit and in truth in every aspect of our lives and to do so by the guidelines given in His word.

“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” -John 17:17

BCC Reflections by Kevin Osako

For those of you who know me, you know that I have a terrible memory. But there are always those very unusual memories that always linger in my thoughts. Here are a few memories that I have about Berean Community Church.

- Only two people came to our first (and I think our only) Outreach Night at UCI.
- We have always had faithful members commuting from Los Angeles and San Diego every weekend to attend our Friday Night Bible Studies and Sunday Services.
- There is actually a club at UCI called Berean Christian Fellowship (which was created so that we could do ministry on campus).
- We used to drive 1 hour out to the mountains of Corona for our all-church prayer meetings. We would pray together, fellowship, sleep, and then drive home the next day.
- Our first baptism was held inside a jacuzzi at Elder Philip and Marian’s old apartment.
- During our first mission trip to China, one of the sisters aggressively witnessed to a girl and found out that the student actually reported to the Communist party. That night, everyone freaked out and started to burn or flush down their journals about what we were doing.
- Elder Vince would speak about the church finances during our members’ meetings. During the early years, he would always come up and say that our budge is in the red. I would always think in my head, “Why would our budget be the color red?”
- Pastor Aaron used to call the person who handled the worship lyric slides the “Minster of Lights” because we used to use the old-school over head projectors. For the first few years, we never bought a LCD projector because the members thought that it was too expensive to purchase.
- Pastor Peter once gave a sermon titled “The Reality of Hell,” which rebuked all of us for not living out the gospel and not sharing it to those around us. I remember that everyone’s head was bowed down in shame and in repentance.
- Once our Associate Pastor James Lee (Brian Lee’s brother) led praise and he sang the song with an “Elvis Presley” accent. In the middle of the song, people stopped clapping and singing, then just watched Pastor James. After the song, we were all just dumbfounded.
- Twice, the Berean members read through the Bible in one year. At the end of the year, we would have a “Beach Bible Bonanza.”

In retrospect, the Lord has blessed us in ways that I can’t imagine. When I look at our church 10 years ago, there are countless reasons why Berean shouldn’t exist today. Not enough leaders, not enough support, not enough members. But I believe our youth was a blessing because we didn’t know any better. We were too naïve to know that we should have given up. We kept learning, praying, evangelizing, giving, serving, encouraging, and sacrificing. The Holy Spirit kept working in us. Berean is what it is today only because God carried us this far.
Do I love Berean Community Church? I love God for being so faithful to this church.

April M Report

So things are getting busy and God seems to be giving us more and more opportunities in the final months of our stay here. Tanya and I have begun our weekly meetings with a group of 8-9 people. They all seem eager to at least hear about the Bible – and some seem more interested than others in really getting to know what it is about. There are 3 guys, and 6-7 girls — the guys all seem sincere in wanting to know the truth that lies in the Bible. I plan on beginning to meet up with them one-on-one starting this week – in hopes of seeing what their true intentions/plans/doubts may be. The hotel plan has resurfaced as we were recently introduced to someone who seems to have a lot of connections in that industry. Within the next 2-3 weeks, we will be planning out our first English training camp for hotel employees which will last around 4-6 weeks. My one-on-one meetings with Pen are going well – our friendship is progressing and although his interest level in God/Bible seem limited, I still feel that our time together is beneficial and may lead to better things down the road. We got a new English corner going on Friday’s, and although there aren’t many guys in the group – the opportunity seems promising.

Overall, things have been busier and I’ve been thankful for that. This past week has been a good reminder to me of why we are out here. We are so privileged in this city to even be able to go to a Good Friday meeting. Pretty crazy, huh? We’ve decided not to stay past a year for various reasons, so I am definitely looking at things with a lot more urgency. Sorry if the following is overwhelmingly long, but we haven’t written in awhile!
1. Our FOF group will soon reach the halfway point. We’ve been able to talk in detail about God’s character, our character, and briefly about the solution in Jesus Christ (today during our Easter party). One gal in particular, Esther, seems particularly interested, but we’ve been having some communication difficulties (not really language, just not thinking on the same levels). I’m going to talk to her one to one outside of the group in two weeks, so please keep that in mind.
2. Rita wanted to begin studying again, and we decided to switch things up a bit. I’ll be meeting up with her, and I feel privileged to be able to follow up on the work of so many others. She reads and prays everyday, but has yet to make a decision. She’s worried that she is too impressionable, and would like to study other ideas first. I encouraged her to do this alongside our studying, because I truly
believe that He will lead her to the right stuff. I’m planning on studying in sessions, and to use the end of each session as a way for her and for me to evaluate where she is in all of this. So, for the next 4 weeks, we’ll be studying through the OT/NT survey material prepared by Pastor Aaron in January. I pray that this will give her a good overview, as well as the chance to see the uniqueness of the Bible as a whole.
3. I’ve also been spending a good chunk of time doing … graphic design, of all things. Who would have thought that would follow me all the way out here? Our missionary friends here who have been such a great help to us have just started their own company, and needed a few basics. The best thing about helping them out is that I get to spend more time with them than I have in the past 6 months. They are really a great example of people who cover their projects with praying, and not just action. It’s also been a good opportunity to learn how/where to get something like business cards and brochures printed on our own, and the budget for such things (something we may need to do for our own camp very soon!!).
4. English Corner ~ Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to meet up with my JM University pals besides seeing them at the English corner. Hopefully, our schedules will work out over the next couple of weeks. We’ve recently committed to go to a very nearby third-tier school and host an English corner there on a weekly basis. The past couple weeks were a little unorganized, and there has been some poor communication. However, I’m supposed to meet with the class monitors this week to discuss how to improve the whole process, so please keep that in thought too. I personally like this group better because they all know each other and are in the same class, so it’s a little more like Urmqi style. I’m excited to see how things will develop here as well.
5. I’m sure I’ve said it already, but I’ve been so encouraged by the local Christians here. This past week, I was able to meet one of the gals who initially referred her friends to the group that led to our group. She’s just a grad student, but is simply being faithful to share about her Boss to those in her life. An awesome thing to note is that she is just one of a larger group of gals who have studied with our friend, Faith, for about 3 years. I’ve met about 4 people from that group (one is my 2nd lang. partner), and they are all similar in having a huge hart for evangelism. Also noteworthy is our hotel guy, who Rich talked about. We had just met him, but he was so willing to help us simply b/c we have the same God.

Sorry for the lack of updating you guys! I guess it might be an understatement to say that things have been busy, but that is just an excuse. Please forgive us for you guys are much needed in the work that is going on here. As for Jonathan, we have been constantly meeting up and going through in details, the important aspects of the gospel. Things were going well, but my biggest fear is the impact and perhaps even influence that his girlfriend will bring as she comes to visit him during the month of March. By the time you receive this update, she will have already left, but I just get the feeling that Jonathan wasn’t able to fully open up because of her presence at our studies. Nonetheless, he has been asking some very practical questions, and it seems like he is counting the cost before making his final decision. I was also given the privilege to take him to a native meeting where he was able to ask a friend of mine some real-life situation questions that I couldn’t help him in answering. So please pray that God will continually work in his heart and will bless him with the faith to accept the gospel. Also please pray that the influence of his girlfriend would not be destructive to the work of the Spirit.
On a sad note, my studies with Mike has stopped. Just talking to him more and more, I am beginning to realize that the exchange we have is not going well. The more we meet up, the more hardened I see his heart is to the gospel and at times during the studies about the gospel, he would often find certain facts to be humorous and would laugh. I think that really brought me at a crossroads with him and in the end, I decided to let this one go and accept the fact that perhaps I have been sent to harden his heart and nothing more than that. Continue to pray for God to show great mercy on him, and to allow him to see the great wrong he has committed.
Other than that, I have been meeting with a various bunch of people for lunch (since dinner is impossible due to a change in my work schedule) and have been trying my best to gauge their interest. Please continue to pray for much seeds to be planted in each of these meetings and that God will guide me to those who are most hungry to know about the gospel.

Wow, it’s already April, only 3½ months until the summer team comes. Within the following months we will be preparing for the team’s arrival and set up for the summer project. Since a few months ago this preparation had already begun and within the last few weeks we’ve been preparing more and more. Our original plan at a nearby university fell through so we are exploring other options. Though it’s unfortunate that we need to find a new project, there is no doubt that God’ fingerprints are all over this situation. It’s quite amazing to see how he’s been guiding us so purposefully in all that we’ve done and to the people that we’ve met. He’s opened the doors for us to meet large groups of people at several universities that we can invite to our summer project even if it takes place in a new location. We’re able to continue meeting these people every week until the summer so we can continue to build relationships and prepare the soil. Our plans are definitely in God’ master plan, so we are doing our best to listen and follow his lead wherever he takes us.
God has also been doing great things in our friend Rita’s life. She continues to display sincere hunger to know God. She’s been reading and praying everyday, and now she is meeting weekly with Tanya to study the Bible. Rita wanted to get another person’s perspective of the Bible, so Tanya has been meeting with her. It’s very encouraging and exciting to see R be softened more and more. It was also very humbling to give up my role of studying with her because this was something that I had thought long and hard for. But it’s opened my eyes wider to see what it means to be a humble servant… to do whatever God wants me to do… and to do it cheerfully and excellently. I see how true it is that God has intended for the body to function as a sum of its parts, and if it means that I am the toenail, then I want to humbly accept that as my role. I think there is still much pride in me that needs to be removed in order for me to serve with a pure heart.
This past weekend we had two separate Easter gatherings with various friends that we’ve made. This was probably our last of our holiday outreaches, which have proven to be great opportunities to share. We were able to briefly share the meaning of the holiday and hopefully plant seeds in those who came.

It’s already April, and now we’re in the process of finalizing everything and preparing for the summer. As for John, he has been maturing a lot. He has been reading the Bible quite often and I can sense a desire in him longing for the deeper things. He mentioned to me yesterday and couple times before that he is starting to develop a Christian conscience (meaning, he has a different standard of valuing things in life and his recognition of good and bad has been revived). As for now, his personal time has been good and his growth is going according to the usual process. However, there is a problem and it has to do with the issue of the local churches here. In the previous 3 weeks, he has been good about attending it (for he recognizes it not as simply a duty but a desire), but on Easter Sunday, he did not attend the same church that the team was going out to. Rather, he decided to just find a different church and attend there. He said there was no meeting at the time, but still he simply spent the time by himself, praying to Him for the first time in his life at the other local building, reflecting on the true meaning of Easter Sunday. He recognizes this issue with attending the church is a problem for him, and he wants to fix it. But at the same time, I don’t blame him because the church here has a bit of a social gathering type of atmosphere. Please pray for his future. There’s a possibility that he might move back to the States or he might just stay here. In either case, pray for him that he would find a solid church here. Also pray for him that he would not live a mediocre life, but he would be used greatly for His work. One encouraging aspect about him is his hunger for the Bible, pray that even that would increase and he will be satisfied every time he draws near. Another event that was encouraging was that he e-mailed all his family members letting them know about his decision. Afterwards, he pondered why he did that, but I think he did it because he really wants to do what is right. Pray that his boldness will grow and will spread outwardly towards those outside of his family.
For Tony, it has been quite a challenge for me to meet up with him. Last week, I tried to introduce him to a Christian here so I can transition him into the church here but that did not happen since he got sick on the day of the meeting. The previous week before that I was able to meet up with him to talk about the big investment of becoming a Christian. At first he was shocked by the nature of the Bible (I showed him the section about how it should be a priority over even family and oneself), but as I explain to him the reason why it must be so, he understood and agreed. I still believe that Tony, unlike John and his foreknowledge of the company, needs more time to understand the church more fully. A struggle with him has been balancing his work and his time with Him. Unlike the people in States, the people here work 6-7 days a week, usually 8-5 everyday. Pray for him that he would be able to mature more in the faith and knowledge, and he would manage his time well. My goal has been to connect him with the Christian here who is trustworthy so that Tony will be in good hands. Pray for him that he would find a good mentor.
As for me, I desire my love for Him to grow all the more and that I would be more diligent in His work. I would continue to learn of his Bible and that I would use it selflessly for others.

Our sister Jeni is in NK for a few weeks…please keep her in your prayers!

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BCC Reflections by David Rim

In light of Easter, I remember the first early morning Easter Service we had after we left Irvine Baptist. It was in 2000 and I was a senior in high school. We had the service at Tustin Baptist Church, the facility we were using at the time. I remember getting up real early and getting dressed in my only suit I had at the time. There were only about 10 of us that morning. As each person walked in, we each received a tulip to remember Christ, and the old style transparency machine had a transparency that read “He has risen”. It was a short but encouraging service to remember Christ’s resurrection. Afterwards we went to Denny’s for breakfast and I remember talking with Marian (this is actually my first memory of her) about where I wanted to go to college. Obviously things have changed over the past 7 years. I’ve graduated college and law school and now I’m actually an attorney. The size of the church has grown tremendously. We can’t have early morning Easter service indoors (yet) nor are we rich enough to give each person a tulip but we do have a projector machine. And we can’t invade Denny’s like we used to. But remembering the past, being here since the beginning and seeing how God has been so faithful to us through the growing pains, it makes me all the more willing to sacrifice, eager to do whatever is necessary to make this church as God desires it to be.

BCC Reflections by Tanya Lee

When I first came to Berean, it was a little over one years old and still a small group. According to Pastor Peter, who remembers my first day better than I do, I looked really lost and was wearing a yellow dress (I guess this is what made me stand out). The funny thing is I never owned a yellow dress, but I still feel special that Pastor Peter remembers my first day. At that time, I didn’t have much experience with churches, so I didn’t know what a good place God had brought me to. In fact, I complained a lot during the early years – about how I couldn’t connect with people, how people didn’t seem to really care, how we wasted so much time loitering, how I had to commute through horrible traffic from LA to OC each weekend … you get the point. It wasn’t until after college when I moved to New York for a year and was apart from the body for the first time that I realized what a precious gift God had given me in Berean, and how my dissatisfaction was a result of my own negative attitude and self-centeredness.

Every year since then, my appreciation for Berean has continued to grow. Now, I know how difficult it is to find a body that truly worships in spirit and in truth, and I cannot thank God enough for choosing Berean as the place where I became His child and where I continue to experience the blessings of spiritual growth and fellowship with like-minded believers. Not only that, but He also gave me the privilege of being part of this body from the beginning and being able to see it grow and mature. As I look back on the changes of our body over the past ten years, I see these changes as blessings from God directly linked to our ever-increasing individual and corporate obedience, and of course, prayer. He is indeed a great and faithful Father:
• In our individual spiritual lives, God’s taken us from infants and made us into His mature servants and leaders as we’ve obeyed His call to devote ourselves to studying, teaching and living out sound doctrine.
• In number, God’s taken us from steadily unchanging to steadily increasing on a weekly basis as we’ve obeyed His call to Evagnelize and bring our friends and family members to church.
• In the diversity of our body, God’s taken us from a “rut of Koreans” to a melting pot of people from different walks of life as we’ve obeyed His call to go outside of our comfort zones and love people very different from ourselves.
• In finances, God’s taken us from just scraping by each year to having excess funds for savings and projects as we’ve shown Him that we can be trusted with very little.

As Berean celebrates its 10th Anniversary, may all glory, honor and praise be given to our Lord!
(p.s. also, as someone who cannot currently enjoy all the blessings of being in the body, I encourage all of you to take full advantage of this body He’s placed you in!)

Easter Sunday

28:1   Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. 2 And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. 3 And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. 6 “He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. 7 “Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.”
8   And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.” –Matthew 28:1-10

Good Friday

27   They crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left. 28 [And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with transgressors.”] 29 Those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads, and saying, “Ha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save Yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were mocking Him among themselves and saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. 32 “Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.
33   When the sixth hour came, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” which is translated, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?” 35 When some of the bystanders heard it, they began saying, “Behold, He is calling for Elijah.” 36 Someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink, saying, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to take Him down.” 37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last. 38 And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” –Mark 15:27-39