活現簡訊
Newsletter 2016 Annual Summary Newsletter
2016 March
01
Presence 20651 Golden Spring Dr., #104 Walnut, CA 91789 (626) 810-5200
www.PresenceQuotient.org www.RenewTheResponse.org www.PPossibilities.org www.PresenceHK.org
新一代文化宣教
活現機構主辦活動 1/30 2/26 4/16
4/18
葉顏瑋茵博士其他講座
「精明理財、從小開始!」青少年理財講座
2/4
少年信仰研討會 – 怎樣捍衛您的信仰
撰寫履歷/求職面試工作坊
4/8
牧者同工 性騷擾預防訓練 –
4/15
大洛杉磯華人教會牧師聯會
5/14
10/2
10/16 11/15
4/23
「突破自己，提升軟實力」研討會
5/7
南加州募款餐會
6/5
北加州募款餐會
6/26
孩童的學習方式研討會
8/14
10/19-11/14 活現香港訓練
9/3–5
活現合辦活動
9/10
2/14
3/10–12 12月
®
加入我們在臉書的活現專頁，獲悉最新的活動情報。 www.Facebook.com/PresenceQuotient
10/15
第三屆國際婚姻家庭節歡慶會
10/16
智慧親子關係的基本心理概念 (靈糧教會兒童中心 – 幼兒園 (Torrance, CA)
年長父母愛的語言 ( 迦南團契 – SGVAC, CA)
如何與青少年溝通 ( 羅省粵語復臨團契 – Arcadia, CA) 鑽石崗羅省基督教會夫婦團契 (Walnut, CA) 洛杉磯靈糧教會家庭團契 (Torrance, CA)
青少年與憂鬱症 (CBMC Alhambra, CA)
羅省東區華人宣道會社區家庭講座 (Arcadia, CA)
羅省東區華人宣道會社區家庭講座 (Arcadia, CA)
羅省華人播道會家庭退修會
網絡成癮的原因與治療 (Temple City, CA)
網路和網上遊戲沉溺 (Milpitas, CA)
在美國文化培育中國孩子 (Milpitas, CA)
家庭事工策略及實務研討會 (El Monte, CA) 愛能改變一切聖誕音樂會
跨代「生命導師」的需要和裝備 葉顏瑋茵博士 // Agnes Ip, PhD, LMFT
「生命導師」的追尋
談到「生命導師」的課題，令我想起自己
少年時尋找「生命導師」的經歷。七零年 代初我家從中國大陸遷到香港，父母親 須努力適應新的環境，每天忙於賺錢為
生活打拼，全沒有時間和能力照顧我和
海中多次萌生自殺的念頭。感謝神，初中
難以照顧個別團友，而課上的教導不一
着對神認識的加深，我也找到生命中最
心靈困境。雖然這些非正式的「生命導
二那年我找到了耶穌，生命重拾盼望。隨 重要的導師 – 聖靈！祂幫助我用神的話 語面對各樣挑戰，也安慰和醫治我身心 靈的痛苦。
定能直接回應自己當下面對的挑戰和
師」 只能有限地給予關心，但我卻發現
他們對我的個人輔導，還是最能幫助我 的靈命成長。
弟妹們的心靈成長。他們常常吵架，把怨
除聖靈以外，我内心也很渴望得到「生命
場，我們必須幫忙幹活，沒時間做功課，
處事的智慧。可是教會內只有團契導師、
每個成熟的基督徒都有機會成為別人
導，對我的生命也有啓蒙和培育的作用，
生命中最早的生命導師。父母除了養育
氣發洩在兒女身上，家裏又是加工的工
也不能參加任何課外活動，被欺凌也不 敢告訴父母。在沒有健康成年人的支援
下，少年的我曾經一度因對生命絕望，腦
編輯總監 Dr. Agnes Ip 執行編輯 Lily Ma, Christine Shen
導師」的幫助，從他們的人生經驗中汲取 小組組長和主日學老師。當然他們的教
但一位團契導師需要關懷幾十人，實在
「生命導師」的足印
的生命導師，而我相信父母親就是子女 和供書教學外，更需負起屬靈培育的責
編輯部 Joanne Wong, Joanna Wu, Cindy Eng, Michelle Lam, Monica Chan 版面設計 Annette Lee 廣告設計 Carol Li
02
任。年輕人處於人生的十字路口時，特別
目前每年教會流失不少青年人和他們
能在2016年的秋季推出，作為家庭小
在充滿罪惡、私慾和競爭的社會文化中，
況，在2015年初我們曾約見一些青年
化的衝突。課程分為兩部份，第一部份
需要父母有智慧地支持和帶領，使他們 做好人生各種重要的選擇。倘若父母和 孩子之間的信任不足，一些年輕人或會
轉向教會中較成熟的人或青少年牧師尋 求指導，性格內向的也會默默地觀察長 輩如何處事。這些行徑正好反映青年一
的牧者。活現的團隊十分關注這個情
牧師， 了解他們服事的困難，也準備在
2016年秋季，為牧者和神學生提供「教 牧支援」服務，在保密和安全的前提下 給予實際和心靈的支持。
組的討論材料，學習處理人際和不同文 幫助家長或個人在社交和公衆場合，以 合情理的表達方式，來維護自己的價值 觀。第二部份幫助父母了解自己和配偶
文化價值觀的差異，化解家庭內部的衝 突，同時培育年幼子女的心性發展和明
代心底裏渴望能有「生命導師」的帶領，
跨代「生命導師」
白青少年子女的身份認同、並學習與他
的需要。
不同屬靈長輩的榜樣和合一對青少年
到您和更多教會的支持。請為我們禱
雖然我從沒有正式進入過師徒關係，但
年信徒和青少年工作者該跨代攜手合
十分需要成熟的信徒來服事和回應他們
在不同的人生階段中，我的老師、導師
(主日學、團契、營會)、曾與我共事的人、 祈禱伴侶和家人、甚至曾被我服事過的
人…他們雖然沒有「生命導師」的稱號， 卻曾成為我學習的榜樣，也是真正影響
過我生命成長的人。他們對主的順服和
對他人的付出，觸動我的心靈，感染和推 動我繼續過以神為中心的生活。我很感
激這些在我生命留下痕跡的人，也衷心
希望更多弟兄姊妹願意成為祝福別人的
「生命導師」。
的成長很重要，因此家長、教會領袖、成 作。可惜，現時在教會中，家長和青少年
工作者的期望普遍存在矛盾: 家長認為 屬靈培育主要是教會的責任，而青少年 工作者則指家長只顧學術栽培，不夠注 重兒女的屬靈培育。常見的例子是: 考
試前家長要求子女温習功課，以專心學 業為理由，而缺席團契或主日祟拜。
為了信仰的傳承，我們必須促進教會和 家庭的友善溝通， 了解彼此的困難。活
現計劃在不久的將來再次主辦生命導
師研討會將以「跨代生命導師」為題，邀
裝備「生命導師」成為兩代橋樑
得有多年「生命導師」經驗的Gil Tam弟
「生命導師」必須具備一些素質: 除了
與年輕人有效溝通之外，亦須能以聖經 真理回應敏感的議題，以開放的態度用
心聆聽，支持和帶領下一代。這些特質可 透過訓練來裝備。活現出版了Campus
Representatives Initiative (CRI) 生命 ®
導師」課程，教會和小組可用來建立師徒 關係，適用於帶領高中和大專生。我們正 將2015年3月份裝備青少年牧者和領袖
的訓練內容，製成合共四課的DVD系列。
兄和他的成年子女，現場接受我們的訪 問，進行跨代的對話，請留意我們的活
動訊息。針對教會兩代的需要，我們會 邀請不同教會牧者分享，有關培育「生
命導師」的經驗和困難，盼望為家長和 青年工作者，提供安全的環境，一同跨 代溝通和學習，為今日年輕人造就「生 命導師」。
為了裝備父母能更有效回應潮流文化
衝擊，我正在著作一套家庭課程，希望
們溝通的技巧。盼望我們的努力，能得 告，使我們所做的工，能被主使用。
Annual Summary Newsletter
活現簡訊
活現商數 事工簡報 Joanne Wong
2016 March
03
活現分支
活現(南加)
活現(北加)
活現潛能
新心行動
活現香港
總數
訓練活動
32
4
6
3
11
56
參加人次
6197
710
218
311
901
8337
個別指導
11
11
®
2015年對活現來說是主恩豐盛的一年! 我們的足跡遍佈南北加州、內華達州、芝
加哥、 中國、澳門及香港。就像聖經中水變
我們感恩許多信徒透過此活動衝破了一 些捆綁，在靈裡重獲自由。
劃和實行。為此我們感謝同工團隊和義
工盡心盡力的付出。活現於2015年的總
結收入是$279,994，支出$271,148，剩餘
酒和五餅二魚的神蹟 — 從無變有，由少
葉博士曾兩度前往北加州提供夫婦和親
$8,846。我們謙恭地懇請您能在經濟上
公室，一個可容納一百人以上的訓練場
在匯點教會舉辦了三場訓練 – (一) 認識
訓，願神透過活現繼續幫助教會、家庭及
變多! 感恩我們年初時搬進更寬敞的辦
地，開啟了我們與社區接連的大門。活現 南北加州和活現香港共舉辦和協辦了五
十六場大大小小的訓練、大型會議和工作 坊- 包括新移民在學子女的適應、就職擇 業的工作坊和個人指導，並與大使命中
子的訓練，並有幸與數間教會合作，其中 性別迷思，如何面對同性戀文化﹔ (二)與
孩子水火共存﹔ (三)16種性格分析與夫妻 相處之道，看見會眾追隨至不同會址參加 我們的聚會，實在非常感恩。
心協辦洛杉磯站的「同性婚姻研討會」，討
活現香港跟天道書樓及環球聖經公會合
共服務了8337人次。因應訓練的需
訓練；又與澳門宣道堂社區服務中心舉辦
支持活現，讓我們可以在社區不斷提供培 年輕一代。
願主恩滿載！
論同性婚姻合法後對教會的影響和應對， 作提供了 「親子大翻身」及「夫妻大翻身」 求，我們也增添了同工和義工的人數，以 應付事工發展的迫切需要 。
「網路成癮」講座，均吸引了多人前來參 加。
10月份是活現12週年的感恩餐會，主題為
去年亦出版了以男性成長季節為題的
牧師深信生命導航的重要性，他分享了如
能」簡訊，及以「基督的新娘」為題的英語
「生命導師的裝備與培育」，講員鍾嘉輝
何去帶領、培育和關心信徒，幫助他們活
出信仰，在靈命中成長。
雙語活現家庭雜誌、活現簡訊、 「活現潛
RE﹕NEW 輕攜版雜誌。為求給讀者帶來
精益求精的內容和配套，每每從籌備、定
向、撰稿、校對、翻譯、編輯、設計、排版至
年初時與 「活現潛能」 及 「新心行動」 合辦的
出版，至少要花上四至六個月的時間。
英靈修資料，鼓勵參與者每天靈修，特別
回顧過去一年，每個訓練和活動的背後，
與神立約，鼓勵參與者在此期間作出三個
事的對象、擬定主題、選擇講員、地點、以
「40天信仰衝擊挑戰」，連續40天提供中
用四十天時間更多思索生命，當中加插了
幫助新移民學生融入美國校園生活
我們靠著主的帶領商議策劃、從確定服
立志，如更新禱告生活、定意好好讀經等。 至當日的流程和人手安排，都用心地籌
認識孩子不同學習風格
04
新心行動 事工簡報 Joanna Wu
「新心行動」是活現旗下的事工之一，特
色是啟發、挑戰青少年及青成年，用信心 活出每一天。
「新心行動」在去年推出一個大型項目，
Phoebe 的歡送會
Dr. Benjamen Shin 是青少年生命導 師訓練大會其中一名講員
教牧同工們舉行為期一天訓練。主題是:
葉博士見証 Phoebe 從起初至今一直對
這一次是新心有史以來最大規模服事
團隊一起付出時間精力建立新心。 「新心
「乘風破浪」焦點集中在「生命導師」上, 年青教牧同工的會議。
義工、實習同工們無私的愛和關懷，維繫 行動」事工過渡由 Joanna Wu 暫代，現
已聘請了 Amy Sechang 姊妹,她將正
與「活現商數」和「活現潛能」合作，推出
十一月份我們依依不捨地歡送「新心行
主有更親密的靈修生活。靈修系列用中
在 2011年開始協助葉顏瑋茵博士推展
如欲取得相關資料或有意加活現義工團
誌的總編輯，也推出校園領袖訓練 (CRI)
網站。
40日衝擊挑戰，讓個人、小組及家庭中與 英文雙語寫作，也有不同內容適合不同
年齡層人士。此40日衝擊挑戰在二月二
十七日在聖迦谷長老會以敬拜讚美形式 作結。
三月份在洛杉磯台福基督教會為年輕的
活現潛能 事工簡報 Christine Shen
動」的項目經理 Phoebe Ng。Phoebe
新心事工，她的工作很多元化，是新心雜 的栽培項目，並把事工推廣至不同教會
式負責事工統籌工作。
隊，請查閱 www.renewtheresponse.org
和社區。歡送會上葉博士、同工和義工們 一起懷念和肯定Phoebe 幾年以來在新 心的付出和努力。
開拓潛能、邁向豐盛人生 「活現潛能」的成立是為個人及家庭提供
專業評估和服務，確定個性、獨特天份、文 化、學習模式、理想大學選科和職業。這是 著重信仰和家庭價值的活現機構其中的
a Presence movement
參加人次共218，整體上我們得到許多正 面的回應，並表示很有興趣參與我們未 來的活動。例如其中一位參加者指出， 「 這講座 (職場溝通二) 對我開始第一份 工作很有幫助。」
亠個部門。
我們製作了兩條宣傳片，也出版了第一
2015年「活現潛能」新增了兩位同工 —
展計劃，幫助低收入家庭的青少年及兒
Christine Shen 為事工及市場統籌；而
期的通訊。我們推出了活現潛能教育外
童為學業和未來就業作好準備，同時就
Tom Tui是我們的發展顧問。
該計劃在社區進行了一次發佈會。
我們的團隊過去一年曾為十一位顧客提
如欲了解更多關於評估和諮商服務，
班，包括履歷撰寫、兩個針對父母和子女
626.810.5200 或發電郵至
供評估及諮商服務。我們主辦了幾個研習 的學習、以及四次職場溝通技巧的講座。
或我們的職場教練輔導，歡迎致電 info@ppossibilities.org。
Annual Summary Newsletter
活現簡訊
2016 March
05
從服事再思 青少年事工 Joanna Wu & Phoebe Ng
青少年生命導師訓練大會
青成年每天都在和抑鬱與孤單搏鬥。青年
們大多過度投入，完全沒有停下來休息
要面對很多存在社交障礙的學生，他們大
境地事奉，直至筋疲力竭。很多青年工作
工作者不獨面對少年精神病患的挑戰，還 多缺乏社交能力，在人際交往中的敏感度
Phoebe 的分享 在2015年10月，RE:NEW前企劃經理 Phoebe跟我們分享在過去幾年來所觀 察到今曰年輕一代的需要，特別是在教
會年輕人的需要。Phoebe與同工彙報了 RE:NEW的事工，也分享有關現代少年 人和青成年的概況， 目的是希望藉此評
估，讓我們就過去的服事體驗，探討如何
能更切實去滿足這些需要，並了解活現可
怎樣對這年輕一代發揮作用。以下總結了 現今青少年、青成年、和青年工作者的重 點需要：
者本身已經過勞，卻仍需與其他疲憊的
極低，嚴重缺乏社交意識和認知。
同工並肩作戰，為少年人提供理想的事
年輕一代忙於追逐成就
奉者和那些對事奉裹足不前的人之間的
現代的學生參與越來越多教會以外的活
奉環境和領袖訓練。這導致富經驗的事 距離越發擴大。
動，這不只是因為學校的鼓勵，更是因著
年輕一代需要生命導師和屬靈的榜樣
歷的機會。家長仍鼓勵孩子上教會，卻只
很多父母期望青年工作者能像父母一樣
輕人成長後重視成就和成功過於關係，對
起屬靈領袖或管教的責任。於是，作為
家長們看重任何能夠增進孩子技能或簡 視之為其中一項課外活動。於是，很多年
教會也往往抱著消費者的心態。青年工作 者面對很大的挑戰，一方面要逆流而上， 鼓勵學生去追求和參與一些父母不亠定
認同的活動，另方面他們個人也忙於應付
生活，特別是當他們在進入人生新階段的 時候（例如結婚、生子）。
年輕一代高度連結卻與生活脫軌
年輕一代太少或過度委身
科技和網上社交媒體使人類經歷有史以
年輕人其實渴望參與，事實上，他們都期
與現實和實際生活經驗疏離和脫軌。不少
導。那些在教會裏高度委身的青成年，他
來最緊密的社交連結，但年輕人卻越來越
或反思的時候， 只長期出於責任和無止
望能在所參與的事情中投入、甚至可以領
去糾正他們孩子的問題，使他們不用擔
青年工作者的青成年往往須負起這個責 任，但他們自己大多缺乏生命導師或屬
靈的榜樣，去引導他們如何活出基督的
樣式。由於缺乏生命導師，和受生命導師 理想化思想的影響，使信徒失去機會運
用神賦予的能力和智慧，來活出基督門 徒的樣式。
年輕一代的童年更長 看見現今不少年輕人表現幼稚或不能獨
立，其實一點也不稀奇，因為家長傾向過
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分保護和過度參與，更會用盡所有方法
*本文集結編者從事教會青少年事工
式導致一些年輕人覺得一切都是理所當
究：David Kinnaman 的「你失去了我: 為 「堅定信心」。
避免孩子經歷生命的挑戰。這些教養模
然，也沒有能力去面對現實。他們可能到
了某個生命階段需要獨立自主和作出重
多年的經驗以及對於下列三本書的研
什麼年輕基督徒離開教堂.....與信仰的反
要決擇時，才發現自己未曾受過裝備。因
此，青年工作者也感受到，家長需要不斷 調整他們的教養模式來切合孩子不同的 生命季節。
我們如何回應這些需要呢？我們要考慮
甚麼可做、那些價值觀值得高舉、教會的
角色、家長的角色、甚至青少年工作者的 角色等。在RE:NEW, 我們的使命是與教 會合作，去推動年輕一代和青成年活出
有目標的人生，追求靈命的成長成熟，運
用神賜予的恩賜，以及消除兩代文化的
差異和鴻溝。你願意加入我們的行列嗎？
撰寫履歷工作坊
思」; Alex & Brett HarrisKinnaman 的
「信心極限活動」; 和富勒青年研究所的
®
20651 Golden Springs Dr., #104 Walnut, CA 91769 www.PresenceQuotient.org
NON-PROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID DMS
A Generation for the Cultural Mission
Presence upcoming events 1/30 Money Matters (Rowland Heights, CA) 2/26 Faith Seminar (Alhambra, CA) 4/16 Resume Writing / Interview Skills Workshop (Industry, CA) 4/18 Sexual Harassment Prevention Training for Church Pastors and Staff Mastering Soft Skills Seminar Hosted by GLACMA (Industry, CA) 5/14 Soft Skills Mastering Seminar (Industry, CA) 10/2 Fundraising Dinner S.CA (Alhambra, CA) 10/16 Fundraising Dinner N.CA (TBD) 11/5 Children’s Learning Styles Seminar (Industry, CA) 10/19-11/14 Training Series in Hong Kong
Partnership Community events 2/14 3/10–12 Dec
3rd International Marriage and Family Festival with Family Keepers Family Ministry Conference Love Changes Everything Concert
Intergenerational Mentorship: The Value and Available Tools // Agnes Ip, PhD, LMFT In Search of a Mentor Talking about mentorship reminds me of my searching for mentors when I was young. My family moved from Mainland China to Hong Kong in the 70’s. My parents worked so hard to make a living in the new environment and society that they hardly had time to care for me and my siblings and, unfortunately, neglected our emotional growth. They constantly fought and projected their anger and bitterness on us. Our home also served as an assembly line, and we always were required to help out. We barely had enough time to complete our school work and were never allowed to participate in any after school activities. We had no one to turn to when we were bullied in school and felt very helpless. I felt so desperate in those days, to the
point of seriously contemplating taking my own life. I thank God led me to Him early in my life when I was in junior high school. I found hope in Him and the most precious mentor in my life – the Holy Spirit, who has helped me face life’s challenges with the Word of God and granted me comfort and healing when I was in pain.
youth, and it was hard for them to care for each individual in the group. Their teaching did not always directly address my current spiritual struggles or life challenges. However, through limited individual care, I discovered that I grew the most through these informal oneon-one coaching sessions that these spiritual mentors offered.
Besides the Holy Spirit, I was also longing for a spiritual mentor who could help me grow in wisdom and manage my affairs. There were Sunday School teachers, fellowship counselors and small group leaders at church, but somehow they did not fulfill the role of a mentor. Of course, their teaching still inspired and helped me, but each Sunday school teacher or fellowship counselor had to care for dozens of
The Footprints of a “Mentor” Every mature Christian has opportunities to become someone’s spiritual mentor. I believe parents are the earliest mentors in children’s lives. Besides providing for their physical needs and education, parents should also prioritize nurturing their children spiritually. Parents play an important role in guiding the youth, especially continue to page 11
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Presence Quotient ® Ministry Update
®
Joanne Wong Presence (S.CA)
Presence (N.CA)
Presence Possibilities
RE:NEW
Presence (Hong Kong)
Total
Training
32
4
6
3
11
56
Attendance
6,197
710
218
311
901
8,337
Personal
For Presence, 2015 was a year full of God’s grace and abundance! We have left footprints all over Southern and Northern California, Nevada, Chicago, China, Macau and Hong Kong. Just like the miracles of changing water to wine and the five loaves and the two fishes, we have experienced what it means to go from nothing to something, from few to plenty! We are thankful that in the beginning of the year, we moved into a more spacious office with a training center that can hold more than 100 people, thus opening the door to connect with our community. Throughout the year, Presence’s Southern California and Northern California offices, together with Presence Hong Kong, have conducted and co-hosted 56 trainings in a variety of topics and ranging from big conferences to smaller workshops. These events included trainings to help school-aged children in new immigrant families adjust to American culture, workshops and personal coaching on employment and career choice, and co-hosting a “Same Sex Marriage Conference” in the Los Angeles area with the Great Commission Church International to discuss the impact of the legalization of same sex marriage and how can churches respond to it. All these activities had a total attendance of 8337. In response to the demand for our training services, we also increased the number of staff and volunteers to
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meet the urgent needs of an expanding ministry. In October we held Presence’s 12th Anniversary Dinner, with the theme of “Equipping Ministry Workers for Mentorship with Coaching and Caring Skills”. Rev. Dr. Richard Chung, the special speaker, emphasized the importance of mentorship and shared about how to lead, coach and care for believers so that they can live out their faith and grow spiritually. In the beginning of the year, together with Presence Possibilities and RE:NEW, Presence launched the “Forty-Day Impact Challenge.” We provided bilingual devotional material in English and Chinese for 40 days straight to encourage participants to reflect more about their lives through the special 40-day devotionals. We also added a session for the participants to make a commitment to God during this period to take on three challenges, such as renewed time of prayer, Bible reading, etc. We are thankful that, through this exercise, many participants were able to renew their faith and grow spiritually. Dr. Agnes Ip also provided parenting and couple workshops in Northern California. We were glad to have worked with different churches, especially Crosspoint church. Topics include “Understanding
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Sexual Identity,” “Parenting Without Scolding,” “16 personalities and Couple Relationships.” We feel grateful that many people were very interested and attended our workshops in different locations. Presence Hong Kong partnered with Tien Dao Christian Media Association and Worldwide Bible Society to provide parenting and couples relationship workshops. Partnering with Christian Sheun Tao Church Hong Kong and Macau District, Dr. Agnes Ip provided her first training in Macau. It attracted many people to join as well. Last year, we also published a bilingual Presence Family Magazine, which focused on the “Seasons of men’s lives”, Presence’s Newsletter, Presence Possibilities’ Newsletter, and RE:NEW’s English magazine titled “The Bride of Christ.” In order to give our readers the best, from content to aesthetic layout, it took at least four to six months to plan, research, create a theme, write, edit, design and compose before each issue was published. Reminiscing the past year, in every training or activity we did, we relied on the guidance of our Lord in every aspect of discussion and planning, from deciding our target audience, creating the theme, deciding speakers and
Annual Summary Newsletter
活現簡訊
venues, to the logistics and workers arrangement on the day of the event. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our staff and volunteers for putting in all their best to make it happen. As for 2015, the total revenue for Presence
2016 March
was $279,994, with an expenditure at $271,148 and a surplus of $8,846. We would like to humbly ask for your financial support for our ministry, so that we can continue to provide high-quality training services to our community.
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May God use Presence to continue our support services to churches, families and the younger generations. God’s blessings!
continue to page 12 when they are facing challenges in this sinful world or when they are making decisions at crossroads. However, when there is insufficient trust between parent and child, some youth will instead turn to more mature individuals or youth pastors in their church for guidance, while some introverts will silently observe how older adults handle life’s situations. These behaviors show that the youth generation deeply desires and longs to have spiritual mentors in their lives and that there is a need for mature believers to serve the youth in this capacity. Although I have never had an official mentor in my life, I have had teachers, counselors (from Sunday School, fellowships and retreats), coworkers, prayer partners, my family, and even people I have ministered to, etc. I’ve never labeled these people as mentors, but they have been my role models in many different ways. They have impacted me in my life’s journey. Their submission to the Lord and their sacrificial love has touched my heart and has motivated me to live for Christ. I am really thankful for those who have left their footprints in my life. I sincerely hope that more believers are willing to be someone else’s “mentors.” Equipping “Mentors” to Bridge the Generation Gap Some necessary qualities that mentors should possess are the ability to communicate effectively with young people, biblical competency to respond to sensitive issues, openmindedness and a listening heart to
support and lead the next generation. These qualities can be developed over time, as mentors are trained and equipped. Presence has developed a Campus Representatives Initiative (CRI) curriculum for churches and small groups to use in building mentorship relationships with their high-schoolers and collegians. We are also repackaging our youth mentorship training material from our March 2015 conference into a four-topic DVD series. Somehow churches nowadays are losing youth pastors and young Christians. Presence has been aware of this situation. In the beginning of 2015, we met with youth pastors to try and understand the difficulties of their ministries. We plan to create a “pastoral support” service for pastors and seminary students, offering emotional and practical support for their ministry journeys. Intergenerational Mentorship Consistency and unity among spiritual leaders is of utmost importance to the growth of young believers. Therefore, parents, church leaders, adult believers and youth workers have to work hand in hand. Unfortunately, parents and youth workers sometimes have very different or even conflicting views or expectations. Parents may think that discipleship and spiritual nurturing is mainly the church’s responsibility. Youth workers may blame parents for placing academic achievement above the spiritual growth of their children. A common scenario is that parents would encourage their children to skip church in order to prepare for examinations.
In order to preserve the faith of our next generation, we have to promote a sincere and friendly dialogue between families and churches to better understand one another’s struggles. Presence will be hosting a conference in the near future focusing on “intergenerational mentorship.” We have invited a very experienced mentor, our brother Gil Tam, and his adult children for an interview, presenting a true intergenerational dialogue, stay tune for more details. We will also invite different pastors to share about their experience and difficulties in developing mentors. We hope to create a safe platform for parents and youth workers to grow in intergenerational communication and eventually become mentors for the younger generation. In order to better equip parents to respond to cultural issues, I’m currently working on a family curriculum to be used for small group discussions, which will hopefully be released in fall of 2016. There are two parts of this curriculum. The first part aims to help parents and individuals practice assertive communication while standing firm in their values in a social and interpersonal context. The second part aims to help parents understand themselves and their spouses in a familial context, especially with regard to conflict resolution, and to nurture their child’s sexual development, understand youth identity, and practice effective communication skills. We hope to have support from you and from churches. Please pray for us so that the Lord can use our work to bless many.
Annual Summary Newsletter
活現簡訊
RE:NEW Ministry Update Joanna Wu
a Presence movement
Impact Praise Night RE:NEW a Presence movement is a ministry of Presence Quotient, with a mission to inspire and challenge youth and young adults to live out their faith in their everyday lives.
Presence Possibilities Ministry Update Christine Shen Expanding your potential, Enriching your life Presence Possibilities aims to help individuals and families succeed through professional assessments and consultations identifying their personality, unique talents, culture, learning style, ideal college major and career. It is an initiative of Presence Quotient®.
2016 March
RE:NEW began last year with one of its biggest annual training initiatives. In partnership with Presence Quotient and Presence Possibilities, RE:NEW launched the 40-Day Impact Challenge, a devotional series that cultivated a time of renewed spiritual intimacy for families, small groups, and individuals seeking clarity for their unique life purpose. Devotionals were in English and Chinese with separate tracks for different age groups. The Impact Challenge concluded with a Praise Night at San Gabriel Presbyterian Church on February 27. In March, we held a one-day training conference at Evangelical Formosan Church of Los Angeles for youth pastors and lay leaders. Focused on the topic of mentorship, the “Riding the Waves” Conference was the first large-scale event we hosted specifically geared towards youth and young adult ministry leaders. In November, we said farewell to RE:NEW’s program manager Phoebe
This year, two new members joined Presence Possibilities: Christine Shen as Events & Marketing Coordinator and Tom Tui as Development Consultant. Our team worked with 11 new clients in our assessment and consultation service. We held various workshops at our office training center that included a Resume Writing Workshop, two workshops geared towards parents and children’s learning, and four communication workshops. Overall, we received positive feedback and high interest in future workshops from a total attendance of 218. For example, one person even commented, “This [workplace communication workshop #2] is a good workshop for me to start my first job.” We filmed two promotional videos and published our first newsletter. We
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Ng. Phoebe was an integral team member at Presence since her start in 2011 as she helped Dr. Agnes develop RE:NEW as a ministry, served as the Editor-in-Chief of the magazine, launched the Campus Representatives Initiative (CRI) mentorship program, and expanded the ministry’s reach to local churches and the community. Dr. Agnes and the Presence staff, along with volunteers, celebrated Phoebe’s years in the ministry with a gathering in November. “I have seen her extend love and care to the interns and volunteers who have come into Presence and dedicated their time and energy to work alongside her to build up RE:NEW,” said Dr. Agnes. During the interim, Joanna Wu served as the interim ministry coordinator. In early January, Presence hired Amy Sechang to serve as the new ministry coordinator. To learn more about our events and joining our team of volunteers, please visit www.renewtheresponse.org.
also launched Presence Possibilities’ Education Outreach Project (PPEOP) to help children and youth from low-income families prepare for academic success and hosted a press conference to announce this event to the community. To sign up or learn more about our assessment and consultation service, as well as our career coaching sessions, call us at 626-810-5200 or email info@ppossibilities.org.
Career Assessment Tools for Today’s Youth at Chinatown Service Center
Annual Summary Newsletter
活現簡訊
2016 March
07
Youth Ministry Insight Joanna Wu & Phoebe Ng
Riding the Waves Youth Conference In October 2015, Phoebe Ng, RE:NEW’s former project manager, shared with Presence’s staff what she has learned over the years about the needs of today’s younger generation, especially those within the church. Phoebe provided a report on RE:NEW’s ministry, including an overview on today’s youth and young adults. Her goal was to assess the community’s current needs, how to best meet these needs, and how Presence fits in the picture. Here is a summary of major needs among today’s youth, young adults, and youth workers.*
The younger generation is highly connected, but actually disengaged.
The younger generation is busy and driven by achievements.
Technology and social media have allowed people to have the greatest “social connection” in the history of mankind, yet youth are increasingly disconnected and disengaged with their present, physical experiences. Many young adults are now combatting depression and loneliness. Youth workers are not only challenged with young people dealing with mental issues, but students who have developed little to no legitimate social skills, resulting in little sensitivity or awareness of social cues and norms.
Students are increasingly engaged in more activities outside of church, and similarly encouraged not just by their schools, but by their parents, who value any and all opportunities for their child to improve their skills or resume. Church participation may be encouraged, but is viewed as another extracurricular activity. Many young adults have grown to value achievement and success over relationships, which has led to a consumerist attitude towards church. Youth workers are challenged by
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12th Anniversary Thanksgiving Dinner
encouraging students to pursue and participate in activities that are counter to what parents may encourage; they are also busy with life and oftentimes, transitioning into new life stages (i.e. marriage, becoming parents). The younger generation is underand over-committed. Youth students want to be involved. In fact, they want to take ownership in the ministries they are part of. Young adults, especially those who are highly involved in serving in the church, are experiencing burn-out, are overcommitted, and without a moment to pause or reflect, continue serving out of obligation. Youth workers, who may be overworked themselves, are now met with the need to create safe spaces for youth to serve and practice leadership, while working with tired co-workers. There is a growing disparity between experienced leaders and those who are scared and or unwilling to serve. The younger generation needs mentors and discipleship models. Many parents expect youth workers to operate as parents, to “fix” their kids, releasing them of the primary responsibility of being spiritual leaders
for their children or disciplinarians. Young adults serving as youth workers often take up this responsibility, yet many of them lack mentors or models of how to live as Christ followers. Because of the lack of mentors and forced ideals of what a mentor should be, believers are missing opportunities to experience the call every believer has received to give and receive wisdom in how to live as disciples of Christ. The younger generation is living a prolonged childhood. It is no surprise that many young people today appear juvenile or less ready to be on their own two feet. Parents tend to be overly protective and involved, trying their darndest to keep their children from experiencing certain challenges. Some of this parenting style has led to young adults who feel entitled to get everything they want and unable to cope with reality. They may find themselves in a season of life in which they should be independent and making wise decisions but are unequipped to do so. Youth workers are thus finding parents who are struggling to adjust their parenting style as their child reach different seasons of life.
How can we respond to these needs? We need to consider what can be done, what values to promote, the church’s role, the parent’s role, and the youth workers’ role. At RE:NEW, our mission is to partner with churches to mobilize a generation of youth and young adults to live with purpose, to pursue spiritual maturity, to realize their God-given gifts, and to bridge the cultural and generational gap. Will you join us? *Thoughts here are gathered from years of experience in church youth ministry and research from You Lost Me: Why Young Christians Are Leaving Church…and Rethinking Faith by David Kinnaman; Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations, by Alex & Brett Harris; and Fuller Youth Institute’s “Sticky Faith” research and resources.
Presence Open House