May 16, 2020
Letter to the SFCAC Family
“Waiting”
Dear SFCAC Family,
Since March 17th, we, along with the rest of the Bay Area, have been under a “shelter-in-place” (SIP) order. That’s two months! That’s a long time! And as many of you know, it has been extended to the end of May. We will have to wait for another two weeks to see if the SIP order will be lifted and “normal” activity can slowly and carefully resume.
Looking back at the past two months, there have been many heart-breaking incidents. As of May 14, the confirmed cases of COVID-19 around the world have reached 4.43 million with 1.41 million cases in the US alone. The global and US death tolls have reached 300,000 and 86,000 respectively. The high number of cases and death has worsened our fear and anxiety, awakening us to realize the fine line between life and death. Besides the tragic loss of life, unemployment has skyrocketed with more than 20 million number of Americans applying for the unemployment benefits. On average, 1 out of 5 working people in the US will lose their jobs. This is an astounding number with huge impact on all walks of life.
Despite our fears and worries, God is still sovereign and full of grace. God the Father continues to display wondrous acts, calling people to know, experience and draw near to Him. In the past two months, the SFCAC family has been continuing our weekly Sunday worship services online with an average of 600-700 people viewing every Sunday, which is double our usual attendance. Viewers have been from the Bay Area to Los Angeles, from the East Coast to Europe. Many are regular worshippers yet have also included not-so-often attendees, non-Christians friends and family members. Brothers and sisters from all over the Bay Area have joined the weekly Wednesday church-wide prayer meetings, praying as one voice and testifying how our gracious Heavenly Father has answered our prayers.
The Caring Committee has successfully completed many operations of love, delivering daily goodies such as dumplings, soup, dessert, cakes, Easter gifts for the children, and Mother’s day’s chime gift on behalf of the SFCAC family. A recipient shared that she and her family was so touched and encouraged by the dumplings made out of unmistakable love.
We have extended our love and care to people in the Bay Area by participating in “the One million masks distribution project” to medical, public service and the needy facilities in San Francisco. This morning, we have hosted the seminar on the pandemic and mental health, with the hope of building up our coping skills as well as the outside community’s. In addition, our Benevolence Fund has provided financial aid to those being impacted financially by the COVID-19 pandemic.
I am most encouraged to see many SFCAC family members with an enhanced desire to draw near to God. Three weeks ago, Poyi and I started “Operation SFCAC Draw Near to God” Bible Reading and Prayer times. Everyday, from 8:00-8:30am, we follow a Bible reading plan with the goal of completing the Bible in one year, while praying through the passages using with ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication) prayer model. Praise the Lord! The response has been very promising with 30 people taking part at the start. Now, more than 40 people participate. Although the waiting in the past two months have been tough and long, we as the SFCAC family are deeply convinced that when we are together in the presence of God, the difficult times will soon be gone. With the presence of the Lord, there are new opportunities for us to grow in Christ, renew and re-discover our calling in Christ. Our waiting is hopeful.
With the hope of the SIP order being lifted in June, we anticipate activities in SFCAC will slowly and surely resume in an orderly and responsible fashion. Due to the current “new normal,” SFCAC has set up a Task Force to prepare ourselves well for a seamless reopening of the church. We will be prudent, alert, and vigilant, seeking the Holy Spirit’s leading to understand and carry out the will of God with courage and wisdom. With the hope of re-kindling a new season of ministries, SFCAC will continue to be salt and light for Jesus Christ in San Francisco and regions beyond.
We have set up a “three-color” phased reopening system:
1. Red Phase: Currently under the Shelter-In-Place order until said order is lifted. We stay home to save lives. All SFCAC activities held online only and all physical gatherings cancelled.
2. Yellow Phase: The transient phase between the Red and Green phases to take place after the removal of the SIP order. Extreme caution and health measures will be implemented. There will be a gradual and slow resumption of different activities in person. Online worship services will continue while worship services at the SFCAC facilities will take place with limited attendance, strictly in accordance with government requirements and guidelines. The Yellow Phase will last tentatively from June to September 2020.
3. Green Phase: Most church activities resume, strictly in accordance with government requirements and guidelines, tentatively starting in September 2020.
Waiting is not always easy. Being the children of God, we have personally experienced our salvation realized through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We believe that God’s promise will be fulfilled according to His will and timing. Although we wait, we continue to hold on to faith and hope, trusting and following Him. We, the SFCAC family, are more than conquerors in Him through all circumstances. We have hope in our waiting and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. I would like to share with you Romans 8:18-25 and let us embrace His word to encourage and support each other in these trying times.
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” (Romans 8:18-25)
In Christ’s love,
Rev. Sam Y.S. Lai
Senior Pastor