This Sunday, the Asian American Donor Program is making a special presentation about Sandy, an Asian American mother of three suffering from a blood cancer and in need of a bone marrow transplant. See and click on the flyer below. If you are not a registered donor, please allow us to encourage you to register today!
A COVID-19 ReOpening Update from Pastor Sam (6/16/2020)
June 16, 2020
SFCAC Reopening Plan Update
Dear SFCAC family,
Yesterday, June 15th, the City and County government of San Francisco issued the following guidelines regarding religious gatherings and ceremonies as part of San Francisco’s Reopening Phase 2B plan:
“religious gatherings and ceremonies, outdoors only (up to 12 people), with face coverings and social distancing...” (https://sfmayor.org/article/san-francisco-moves-next-phase-reopening)
The above new guidelines are different from what was understood from the guidelines released earlier by the State government of California. It means that SFCAC indoor on-site worship services will not resume this Sunday, June 21st as planned. Please note that if you planned to physically attend on-site worship services at SFCAC for the next two Sundays (June 21 and June 28), all online or phone reservations have been cancelled until further notice.
We have not currently received any detailed plan from the City and County government regarding their reopening plan for religious gatherings and ceremonies. With deliberate prayers, I am in the process of discussing and collaborating with other pastors in San Francisco to express our concern and give suggestions to the relevant statutory authorities and local representatives to safely and prudently resume religious gatherings and ceremonies in a timely and orderly manner.
Your support and prayers are important and needed. They are indispensable in this matter as we discern the pleasing will of God in this time.
Together in Christ,
Rev. Sam YS Lai
Senior Pastor
San Francisco Chinese Alliance Church
Sunset Prayer Walk - This Saturday, 06.06.2020
Hey everyone!
We’re joining other Sunset churches to pray over our city and country. We pray because the task is bigger than us. We walk in solidarity with the hurting. We act to do justice in a hurting world.
Gather at Sloat + Great Highway this Saturday at 10am. Prayer Guide: http://bit.ly/sunsetpraywalkact.
Please do not participate if you have a fever, a cough, or shortness of breath. Please wear a mask. Sanitize your hands.
The New (ab)Normal - May 30, 2020
With so much uncertainty and fear during the current pandemic, what is life gonna be like when the shelter-in-place order is lifted?
It is SFCAC's pleasure to have Dr. Sam Leong with us for a conversation about dealing with our fears and anxiety during this time, especially in the upcoming season after shelter-in-place. You are invited and feel free to invite others. RSVP by contacting Pastor Jonathan.
Also there will be a question and answer time. If you have a question, please go ahead and include your question to your RSVP reply. Confidentiality will be respected and we will give the question to Dr. Leong anonymously.
The event will take place on Saturday, May 30 at 10am over Zoom. The Zoom link will be sent to everyone who RSVPs.
Waiting: A Letter from Pastor Sam
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
Check Out Our Live-Stream Page
Hey everyone! If you haven’t seen it, we have a live-stream page where you’ll find our online worship services, past services, and Children’s Sunday School videos.
SFCAC Kids! (04.19.2020)
Kids, join Elaine for an adventure of Jesus' last few days on Earth!
The Quick Version for Younger Children starts at 7:32 mark.
Craft materials-
K-5th: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1QU2...
2-4 years old: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1snc...
➤➤➤Credits➤➤➤
BibleStory Passage provided by D6 Curriculum Link: httpss://www.D6family.com
Introduction- Song: 샛별 - Apple Cinnamon / https://youtu.be/yhaiWuz4cKw
Quick Version- Song: 샛별 - Sugar Beach / https://youtu.be/lM8oDfybnvk
Arts & Craft- Song: 샛별 - SOSO / https://youtu.be/i-XtdTSC2fI
Ending- Song: 샛별 - Summer / https://youtu.be/QVTv7SOjWvc
Worship Online 04.19.2020
Join us this Sunday for Worship Services online!
Click on this link for our April 19 Worship services.
The Bridge (English) service streams at 9:15am.
The Cantonese + Mandarin services at 11am.
The Sunday bulletin is available at www.sfcac.org/bulletin.
If you need the password for the bulletin, contact any of the pastors or office staff.
SFCAC Kids! (Easter Edition, 04.12.2020)
Kids, join Elaine for an adventure in the resurrection of Jesus!
The Quick Version for Younger Children starts at the 7:57 mark.
Craft materials-
K-5th: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EmqR...
2-4 years old: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_f6U...
➤➤➤Credits➤➤➤
BibleStory Passage provided by D6 Curriculum Link: https://www.D6family.com
Introduction- Song: 샛별 - 우주별사탕 / https://youtu.be/BShYzU9WCPw
Story Time- Song: 샛별 - Cozy Place / https://youtu.be/9p2fkjcxEtY
Quick Version- Song: 샛별 - Lemon Cake / https://youtu.be/SYui4EhRLM8
Arts & Craft- Song: 샛별 - Love me! / https://youtu.be/iquF_LLIkFs
Ending- Song: 샛별 - 오후 햇살의 아지트 / https://youtu.be/qQgAfP8hegY
Celebrate With Us! For He is Risen!
Join us this Sunday for Easter Worship Services online!
Click on this link for our April 12 Easter Worship services.
The Bridge (English) service streams at 9:15am.
The Cantonese + Mandarin services at 11am.