Finding a Spiritual Home From Pastor Darwin Ng

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2 Welcome to Transformed Under the Pepper Tree. In this monthly magazine, you will read stories of how God is changing people s lives at PazNaz, transforming them into the image of Jesus Christ by the power of his Spirit! You might be asking, Where can I find information about a specific PazNaz event? Some information about specific events on campus is found within these pages, but each month Transformed is focused on relating stories about what PazNaz is really all about. Rather than programs or events, there are stories about changed lives, stories about people coming in contact with the Savior, and people exploring what it means to become a follower of him. It is exciting to hear what God is doing in the lives of people! Years ago, Pastor Earl Lee and a group of staff members gathered around a pepper tree located on the northern-most point of what was to become the site for First Church of the Nazarene of Pasadena and dreamed and prayed that God would provide a place where more people could find power for living through Jesus. What began then has been going on for over thirty years as men and women, boys and girls have come into relationship with Christ in significant ways under the shade of that old pepper tree. The mission of the church hasn t changed. May it continue to flourish as people experience the transforming power of Christ. Blessings, B. Scott Anderson Executive Pastor Finding a Spiritual Home From Pastor Darwin Ng Sojourning Towards Maturity From Pastor Marcos Canales ACOP s Nshavan Project From Vahram Tashijian Transformed is a magazine publication of First Church of the Nazarene of Pasadena (PazNaz). It is designed to highlight the Church s stories of personal transformation. For a complete overview of PazNaz, their beliefs, and ministries, please visit the website TRANSFORMED Issue #31 November 2013 The Magazine of PazNaz 3700 East Sierra Madre Boulevard Pasadena, California Fax: PazNaz

3 After college, he entered the military for his two years of compulsory service. Having learned to play the violin at a young age, he was drafted by the military orchestra as a violinist after boot camp. After he was honorably discharged, he landed a job in the first violin section of one of the best professional orchestras in Taiwan. When the government invited a guest violinist, professor Berl Senofsky, first prize winner of the Queen Elizabeth International Violin Competition and jury of the Tchaikovsky competition, to perform in Taiwan, that paved the way for the first major detour in his life. The professor invited him to study violin under him at Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Two significant things happened in Baltimore. First, he met his future wife, Ruby, in a Taiwanese church. Second, he confirmed God s calling to pastoral ministry. Victor entered Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, married Ruby, and the newly-weds enjoyed his last year of seminary life together. After Victor finished his Masters of Divinity from Fuller in 1989, he worked as an editor in a Chinese publishing house that edited translations of New Testament Greek Bible Commentaries. After five years as an editor, he joined the largest overseas Taiwanese church as a staff pastor. In those years, he did a lot of double duties. He served as music pastor, launched a Mandarin congregation, and became the first children s pastor. Later on as an assistant to the senior pastor, he carried out the pastoral responsibilities of the large church by himself when the senior pastor was frequently on tour. It was not hard to imagine that Victor was exhausted. After five years, he had enough of large church ministry. At the same time, the couple decided to home school their three young children, Phoebe, Nathan, and Bethany. So the Lais left the church and started a house church in their home. For ten years, Victor taught violin and pastored his own family and other home school families. When Phoebe entered graduate school, Nathan had started college, and Bethany had two more years in high school, Victor and Ruby decided to close up their home church and find a new church to call home. At the invitation of Pastor Darwin Ng, their friend from seminary, the Lais came to the English service of PazNaz in the beginning of Pastor Scott Daniels preaching captured Victor s imagination. There was a clear Biblical theology with an emphasis on the Kingdom of God that permeated each and every sermon. The numerous stories brought the message to life. The applications were relevant to contemporary life in a mega- 3

4 city like Los Angeles across the age and cultural spectrum. What impressed Victor the most was Pastor Scott s constant referral to the fact that the cultural and ethnic make up of the church should be like the food court of the Santa Anita Mall which serves a variety of international dishes. PazNaz is not meant to be the white, middle-class church that people perceive from the outside. The Lais decided to stay. After a few months, Victor met other Mandarin speakers in the English service. They also enjoyed Pastor Scott s sermons and wanted a platform to discuss them in their native language. Victor approached Pastor Ng, and the result was a Mandarin Sunday School class where they gather to discuss sermons from the previous Sunday. Every Sunday at 9:15 am, Victor, Ruby, and others meet in Room 149B, Reed Hall and learn to contextualize the message in their Asian American setting. When the Discipleship Ministries at PazNaz decided to start Home Groups, Victor and his Sunday School co-teacher, Christine Huang, decided to lead a group at Christine and Don s house. This time, the group would be in English and for everyone at church. That Home Group was hugely popular, and they continued to meet even during the hiatus of Home Groups. As Victor got more involved in the Sunday School class and the Home Group ministry, he decided to listen to Pastor Scott s old sermons on the church s website. Several things intrigued Victor. He grew up Anabaptist, a pacifist tradition. Victor was particularly drawn to Pastor Scott s perspective on nationalism, patriotism, the American flag, party affiliation, and the Kingdom priority over one s national identity. It was not only the Biblical truth that Pastor Scott highlighted, but it was his gentle spirit, humility, sensitivity, and humor that helped him and others to receive the message with a more open mind and heart. Paraphrasing Pastor Scott, There is no one political party that is more Christian than the other. All political parties eventually have to submit to the Kingdom of God. Our ultimate allegiance is to the King of Kings. Victor did a lot of reflection on the 4 PazNaz political scene in his home country where the two-party struggles can turn very ugly. Animosity between the two main sub-cultures with a history of persecution, discrimination, and hatred fractured the island nation for many decades. These Biblical insights shed new light on his political convictions. As Victor and Ruby got more involved in the church, their children were discipled and grew in their faith and ministry involvement. Nathan finished high school and went to the International House of Prayer in Kansas City for a six month internship. Before he came back, his parents met Pastor Wesley Hall, the former college pastor, at the New Friends Lunch. Wesley reached out to Nathan even before he came home, which resulted in a long term weekly mentoring relationship. In the summer of 2012, Nathan joined the InterVarsity chapter at Pasadena City College for a summer mission trip to Turkey. When church members heard of his trip, many generously supported his trip. They were very thankful for Pastor Wes and these church members. At the invitation of Pastor Ng, Victor s daughters, Phoebe and Bethany, participated in the first Church in the Park fundraising concert in September Fresh out of school with a master s degree in music management, Phoebe worked with the pastors to organize the concert. Bethany, a high school sophomore at the time, is an accomplished violist. She was principal violist at Claremont Young Musicians Orchestra. Justin Yew, another youth from church, and several of their very talented friends, brought down the house with their performance. The concert raised over six thousand dollars! The sister duo did it again in April 2013 with another successful concert. This time, they raised over four thousand dollars. Also, on a regular basis, Bethany sings in the choir and helps out the In His Image Sunday School classes. As Victor continues to reflect on the lessons he has learned at PazNaz, he has a deeper appreciation of Pastor Scott s messages that are Biblically and theologically grounded. As a result of applying Biblical theology from sermons that he heard, Victor improved his violin teaching and Tai Chi. Inspired by the creation narrative and theology taught by Pastor Scott, Victor tries something new to integrate Biblical messages and Tai Chi. Tai Chi is an integrated body movement involving the mind, members of the body, and breathing. To Victor, it becomes a gateway for him to understand the Trinity and the body life of church. As a result of these insights, he is inventing holistic body movements applying Tai Chi ergonomics while reciting verses from Genesis 1. As a pacifist, he is filtering out the combative elements. He coined the term New Creation Tai Chi and hopes that many will learn this way to promote health and sound biblical theology. As a pastor, Victor muses that, it takes four generations of pastoral ministries in the Daniels family to accumulate God s grace for such preaching to come alive! I m a blessed recipient. As the psalmist says, Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young a place near your altar, LORD Almighty, my King and my God (Psalms 84:3). In PazNaz, Victor and Ruby have found a spiritual home for their family. - Pastor Darwin Ng It was not only the B iblical truth that Pastor Scott highlighted,but it was his gentle spirit,hum ility, sensitivity,and hum or that helped him and others to receive the m essage with a m ore open m ind and heart.

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6 6 PazNaz For example, mi abuelita (my grandma), Ester, a public teacher in Peru who had to work three teaching shifts in order to provide for her four children, paved the way for my understanding of perseverance in la lucha (the struggle) as a single mom. Julia, a double amputee whose funeral I recently conducted, instructed me in the disciplines of contentment and thanksgiving since every breath es un regalo de nuestro Dios (is a gift from God). The Barragan family pointed me towards God s provision across borders as they sold tacos to neighbors and friends for the funeral of a family member in Mexico. For it is in the faces and the stories of those who taught me about God s persistent love,

7 where I cultivated a deep commitment to love and serve both God and neighbor. These are the stories that have formed a treasured memory bank that shapes the ways in which I understand what it means to follow Jesus. These people and the many others I have prayed, laughed, cried, read Scriptures, and worshipped with form an ever -growing community, which has formed me and has sent me into ministry. Interestingly enough, this evergrowing community was also forged in the midst of movement and migration. I was born in San Jose, Costa Rica, while my parents were completing their seminary studies at the Seminario Nazareno de Las Américas. My parents are from Lima, Peru, and we moved back to Peru when I was 11-months-old and they were both done with their respective studies. By the time I turned sixyears-old, my brother was born, and I began to experience a subtle out of place sentiment. My brother was going to grow up in the land that had witnessed his birth, and all I knew was that I was not Peruvian, but Peru was witnessing my childhood and early development. Costa Rica, my birthplace, was a remote land flowing with gallo pinto (white rice and black beans), corn tortillas, and exquisite coffee. But in 1992, my parents were some of the first Latin American Nazarene missionaries to be commissioned by the denomination. This resulted in a difficult move from Peru to Ecuador. This move further compounded my sense of separation from Costa Rica as well as an added loss of family ties. Although that move brought about the disconnection from my abuelitas/ abuelitos (grandparents), tias/tio (aunts and uncles), and primos/ primas (cousins), God s activity began to intersect my own sojourning experience. That relocation signified the start of God s provision of an extended family of hermanas and hermanos (sisters and brothers) in Christ throughout the various churches that my parents served. After being in Ecuador for five years, we moved to Costa Rica- finally! This third move deeply shaped my cultural identity and belongingness. Before I had only heard about Costa Rica, but now my eyes had seen Costa Rica! The Costa Rican people, culture, and lifestyle were formative during my teenage years, and for the first time, I felt as if I was not out of place. Yet, as the biblical narrative demonstrates, the people of God deepen their relationship and experiences with God when they are on the move. So, it was time to pack up and move again to Miami, Florida. Reluctantly, I questioned God s intentions as this new place seemed more like exile than the land of opportunity. I had everything I wanted in Costa Rica: an identity, a church family, friends, and a specific place of reference for all my existence. What had I done to deserve another dislocation? As a recently arrived Latin American immigrant, I began my freshman year in a predominantly Latino/a high school. With great disappointment, I encountered the exclusion from other Latino/a classmates who knew that I had just arrived since my jeans, my hairstyle, and my accent gave it away. It was the loneliest year of my life. Most of my Latino/a classmates preferred to communicate in English rather than in Spanish, and they preferred the World Series rather than the World Cup. I thought Miami was a Latina city! Nevertheless, that year of exile and loneliness became the rekindling of a vibrant relationship with God, since the Maker of heaven and earth sojourned with me (Psalms 121). It is perhaps this sojourning, this accompaniment, this presence that shaped my own maturity and growth as Jesus disciple. Loneliness became the source of a dynamic and fresh relationship with God and neighbor. This part of my journey taught me complete dependence in a God who travels and moves alongside his people. A year of loneliness was followed by subsequent moves and relocations, but this time as an adult. My undergraduate studies took place to San Diego, California, and my first pastorate involved relocating to the city of San Fernando, California. Each of these moves continued to contribute profoundly to my understanding of what it means to model faithfulness and obedience, commitment and service, hope and grace within a community of Jesus disciples. Ultimately, as a Latino Nazarene pastor who has been called to the various realities and complexities of the Latina community in the United States, I continue to sense God s redeeming work in the midst of our communities and alongside migratory patterns. Just as I have learned from others along the way to love and serve God and neighbor, it is my hope that as people in movement, the Latina Nazarene church will flourish as signposts of God s transformative work and Christ likeness. - Pastor Marcos Canales 7

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11 It all began when the Armenian Christian Outreach of PazNaz (ACOP) entered into ministry partnership with the Armenian Gospel Mission of Pasadena (AGM) in At that time, the specific focus was to minister to orphaned children in Armenia. AGM has a very broad mission field in the villages in Armenia. ACOP s interest was in supporting the Kindergarten School in Nshavan Armenia. In addition to the monthly financial support, ACOP raised funds to remodel the school s rooms and provide bedding for the children. The school cared for 56 children, providing them with 3 meals a day, which were fully sponsored by ACOP. Unfortunately, a water table under the building, coupled with earthquakes, caused the building to be condemned by the government due to extensive damage. The school closed in early A visit to Nshavan, Armenia, by Pastor Mano in 2009 gave birth to a new vision. While in Nshavan, he spent a lot of time with Pastor Arsen, Pastor of the Nshavan Church, and witnessed the enormous opportunity for evangelism among the youth. Pastor Mano spent his time preaching on the streets of Nshavan and neighboring villages with Pastor Arsen and noticed that the youth of Nshavan and the neighboring villages had nothing to keep them busy and out of the bondage of smoking and drugs. Pastor Arsen, an expert in Marshal Arts and a Physical Education teacher in the local high school, gave Pastor Mano the vision to raise funds to build a basketball court where the youth would have a place to meet every day and be ministered to through sports by Pastor Arsen and the church leaders. The fund raising campaign began and, in a short period, ACOP raised $20,000 for this project. A short time later, ACOP was introduced by AGM to an organization by the name of Lazarian World Homes. One of their visions is to partner with Armenian churches in the United States to build churches or community centers in the villages of Armenia. Lazarian World Homes contributed $40,000. ACOP s vision then changed from just a basketball court to a 2,624 square foot community center in Nshavan, Armenia. ACOP and AGM went through a lot of red tape to secure the ownership of the land, and gave the title to the Armenian Relief & Development Association( ARDA), an Armenian ministry arm of AGM. The plans are for the title to be transferred to the Church of the Nazarene in the near future. The building plans and the permits were obtained after overcoming more roadblocks and difficulties. The construction project was started by ARDA is licensed in Armenia to do humanitarian & development services in Armenia. AGM joined ACOP and Lazarian World Homes by contributing $6,000, bringing the total to $66,000, for the Nshavan project. ACOP began working to send two work and witness teams to Nshavan in the months of May and June of These plans did not materialize due to timing issues. While the construction projects were underway, Pastor Mano visited Nshavan in late 2011 to see first hand how the missions teams will be utilized. He personally arranged for accommodations and transportation through his friend, Pastor Garik, of Yerevan, Armenia. While in Nshavan he discovered that the Nshavan church leaders were busy evangelizing in the neighboring villages. With no available transportation, these church leaders walked to the neighboring villages to evangelize and hold services in homes on Sundays. Pastor Mano returned home with a burden to raise funds to purchase a van for the Nshavan church. In a short period of time, ACOP raised $13,980 for what he called the A-Team Van. Pastor Mano visited Nshavan again in late 2012 to secure the purchase of the van for the Nshavan Church. The 2010 Mercedes Mini Van is currently being used efficiently for ministry by Pastor Arsen. Winter and the snowy season in Armenia starts in the middle of September and continues to early March. The Community Center is nearly complete as of October Thankfully, the Nshavan church can already begin using the center while the final touches are still being made. A hope for the future is to create a full soccer field next to the community center using the remaining land that was purchased. Please join ACOP in prayer for the soccer field to become a reality for the Nshavan Church in the near future? It has been a long and difficult journey for ACOP, but we thank the Lord for Pastor Mano s vision, for ACOP, and for the ACOP partners who made it possible for the Nshavan Church to have a community center that can be used for God s glory. - Vahram Tashjian It has been a long and difficult journey for AC OP, but we thank the Lord for Pastor Mano s vision, for AC OP, and for the AC OP partners who made it possible for the Nshavan C hurch to have a community center that can be used for God s glory. 11

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