活現簡訊
Newsletter 2017 Presence Annual Newsletter
2017 February
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
®
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新一代文化宣教
2017 訓練活動 1/22 2/25
3 – 12月
3/17 3/18
5/20-21 5/26-29
6/22-7/17 7/18-29
新心行動五週年餐會 跨代導師研討會
活現2017父母心中文祈禱月會 (每月第二個星期五) 教會衝突處理 - 北加州天道書楼 (合辦) 北加州豐盛生命教會親子訓練
北加州Pleasanton匯點教會家庭研討訓練大會 中橙縣華人浸信會以諾團契退修會 香港培訓
暑期青少年和成人軟實力訓練 —
管理壓力、人際關係、情緒、和建立職場自我形象
9/10
9/22-23 11/3
活現14週年餐會
從聖經看女性在家庭及教會事奉的角色 信仰大會
活現「新心行動」 ：青少年事工動向 葉顏瑋茵博士 // Agnes Ip, PhD, LMFT 在2011年1月的某一天，我在禱告中聽
到神的呼召，要我開展一項服事美國土
生青少年的事工。當時我心存疑慮向神
活現同工和無數的義工們，多年來為「新心 辦關於捍衛信仰的特會。 比如針對多元 行動」擺上無私的奉獻！
的性文化衝擊，早在2009年就舉辦了
「愛與希望 - 用心貼近與同性戀挣扎
說： 「這有可能嗎？我是從香港來的，英
活現「新心行動」鼓勵年輕人尋找自己的人 的朋友」。為回應年輕信徒的流失和信
神回答說： 「我會使他們聽而受教的, 你
活中活出主耶穌門徒的特質。過去五年多
與答」。在「新心行動」成立後，2013年籌
信徒在生活和屬靈生命上的需要:
2012年「了解穆斯林」、2013年「基督徒
語又不好，土生的年輕人會聽我的嗎？」 去做吧！」我存着戰兢的心，向在美國長
大的朋友 Katy求助，又到處招募土生土
長的年輕義工和同工；就這樣，活現在同
生目標，看重傳福音和宣教的使命，並在生 仰疑難，於2011年舉行「對非信徒的問 一直以不同的方式和活動，來回應下一代
世界觀」、2014年「工作神學觀」和2016
年的6月，開展了 「新心行動」青少年事工
捍衛和活出信仰
主，在2017年1月22日，我們為慶祝「新心
活現多年來除了為教會青少年團契提供
(RE:NEW a Presence movement)。感謝 行動」五週年舉辦了感恩餐會，特意感謝
創辦人和總裁 / Founder & CEO
編輯總監 / Publications Director 執行編輯 / Executive Editor 翻譯 / Translation
年「捍衛我們的信仰」等等。每次出席人
「性的聖潔」和情緒管理訓練外，也著重舉
Dr. Agnes Ip, Ph.D., LMFT Dr. Agnes Ip Maggie Hui Judd Hu, Maggie Hui, Michelle Lam
辦「約會工作坊」和多次的信仰大會: 如
數從150到250人不等。2017年的信仰
大會將於11月3日在Monterey Park市 的羅省華人播道會舉行。
編輯部 / Editing Team
Dr. Agnes Ip, Mary Greene, Judd Hu, Maggie Hui,
Natalie Kwan, Lily Ma, Christine Shen, Joanne Wong, Joanna Wu
版面設計 / Designer
Annette Lee
廣告設計 / Ad Designers
Ada Tran, Carol Li
02
敬拜和創意服事 「新心行動」是一個給年輕人用自己
的恩賜和創意來事奉的平台。許多由
年輕人組成的敬拜和舞蹈團隊都曾與 我們在「影響生命讚美之夜」(Impact
Praise Night) 和「咖啡館募捐之夜」
(Café Night Fundraiser)一同服事。此
外，大家亦很懷念2014年的「無懼之旅」 (Fearless Tour) 音樂會中與基督徒音樂 人AMP, GOWE, Mickey Cho, NAK, 和 MC Jin一起敬拜和服事。當時二十多位
開拓年輕人文字創作的平台和生命交
社會正處於經濟下滑、學業和職業競爭
六期青少年雜誌、持續性的博客文章，
期望過高，失望就會更大，若缺乏適應
流的空間。截至2017年初，一共出版了 和三次40天生命挑戰靈修系列(2013-
2015)；也透過不同形式的退修會，讓同 工義工們在靈裡一同成長。我們計劃在 2017年加强專題博客專區，若您有意
在文字方面服事，歡迎與出版部同工聯 絡。
專業的職業輔導和軟實力訓練
加劇的狀態，年輕人若對工作或成就的 和處理壓力的能力，他們的身心靈健康
容易受損。活現正計劃一套整合各部門 事工(其中包括「新心行動」)、以基督教
信仰為本的人生和職業規劃課程，幫助 家長和青少年拆解社會多元文化價值
觀帶來的矛盾，為年輕人進入社會和面 對職業生涯作出更好準備，並倚靠主好 好管理人生。
「新心行動」的義工擔任場務，合力搬動
「新心行動」成立初期所服事的對象，
「新心行動」的發展見證了主的大能和
他們卻沒有半句怨言，展示了主裡謙卑
作，面臨另一階段的人生挑戰。有見及
在禱告、才幹、或金錢上成爲我們的事
幾百張椅子，雖然體力受到空前的挑戰， 的態度和團隊的精神。 生命導師課程 我們相信家長和青少年工作者，是成為 年輕人生命導師的最佳人選，在這黑暗 的時代為他們引路。在2012, 2013 和
現在不少已進入大學，甚至投身社會工 此，我們在2013年9月成立了 「活現潛
能」，提供職業與信仰結合的服事。我們 履歷審閲、面試輔導。2016年更增加了
高中生軟實力技巧訓練，包括關係、情
緒、壓力、時間和金錢的管理。2017年「 活現潛能」計劃進一步為成人提供軟實
力訓練。
巧。我們也出版了 「人生導師課程」，適合
未來動向:人生和職業規劃
用，歡迎網上訂購。2017年2月25日，在
活現一向的宗旨在於幫助家庭，在現今
跨代生命導師大會」，為家長和青年事工
下一代。我們看到移民家庭的掙扎，家
大專和中學生在一對一或小組指導時使 Alhambra 市的羅省華人宣道會，舉辦「 者提供健康對話的機會，探討家庭與教 會實際面對的困難，為共同服事下一代 找出路。
文字服事和靈命塑造 「新心行動」透過出版青少年雜誌來回 應年輕人所面對的各種挑戰，並同時
工夥伴。
的服務有專業的選科和職業傾向測試、
2015年我們主辦過不同形式的「人生導 師訓練」來提升青少年工作者的服事技
信實。感謝您過去的參與；盼望您繼續
文化的衝擊中，培養能活出基督信仰的
感謝活現同工和無數的義工們，多年來為 「新心行動」擺上無私的奉獻！
長常處於矛盾：一方面渴望孩子健康快 樂地成長，另方面又要維持他們學術和 成就上的競爭力，在壓力下反而忽略溝
通和親密關係的建立。加上多元文化差 異的社會造成兩代的隔閡，不少青少年 學業成績雖然不錯，卻因為文化身份、 性傾向、親密關係、信仰生活上種種的
障礙，心靈長期面對困擾。此外，我們的 「新心行動」五週年感恩餐會
Presence Annual Newsletter
活現簡訊
2017 February
03
師徒關係 - 創建人生「共贏」的旅程
訪跨文化導師 Alan Amavisca 採訪：胡嘉林
®
艾倫 (Alan Amavisca) 剛掛上電話，是他
「有些師徒關係只發生在某個人生階段，
解釋了艾倫為何會尋找附近大學和語言
來，他向我表達歉意，然後用鈷藍色的杯
同的導師，當中有他渴望經常相伴相隨
元文化和師徒關係的特殊洞見： 「喜歡接
危地馬拉、印尼、柬埔寨的宣教生涯教曉
院教授和作家） ；也有是流芳百世的著名
一位前學徒的緊急來電。從房間急步出
子為我沏了一杯熱騰騰的綠茶。二十年在 他如何熱情又自信地接待來自五湖四海
的朋友。一年半前，他回應神的呼召，毅然
辭去一個宗派的宣教植堂主任一職，委身
接觸在加州北橙縣的未信群體。艾倫和他 團隊的核心策略，是以師徒關係裝備新一 代的教會領袖。
有的則延續一生。」艾倫自己一生有過不 的，如J. Robert Clinton博士（富勒神學
作家，如潘霍華、約翰衛斯理……他們的
操守和思想都深深影響艾倫。 「儘管我喜
歡使用書籍或電影等工具，但師徒關係中 最不可少的仍是共同活動。」艾倫經常邀
約書亞之間，一直在孕育著奇妙的師徒關
位弟兄。弟兄是當時橙縣一間著名建築公
許地的那天。類似的情形也發生在以利亞
不去排斥。每當我們能跨越文化、性別、經 濟、階級、語言、或是種族界限時，知識的
寶庫就為我們雙方打開了。」說到底，艾倫 師徒關係的理念是個雙向的學習過程。
的聚會。
談到師徒關係，艾倫總有說不完的故事。
係，直到交棒讓約書亞領以色列人進入應
觸人群的人總會尋找機會去肯定別人，而
請學徒們一起祈禱行、或參與一些造就性
每次談到師徒關係，艾倫就會想起聖經中 的摩西和約書亞。他輕鬆地說： 「摩西和
學校的國際留學生來輔導，這也是他對多
他憶述自己擔任宣教牧者時，曾帶領過一 司的副總裁。他告訴艾倫，發現團隊中一
名年輕的女下屬，無論品格、能力、潛質都
和以利沙身上；巴拿巴和約翰馬可、保羅、 非同凡響，是可塑造的領袖。可是這位女 以及所有跟巴拿巴接觸過的人中間！」艾
職員卻不敢妄想，認為該行業裏面少有女
遞，最終該凝聚在關係和品格的建立上。
提供不少工作機會。最終，一份工作變成
倫說： 「師徒關係遠超過資訊和知識的傳
導師的目標是透過共同人生的探索，讓學 徒深刻地觸摸到自己，見自己的所見，想
自己的所想。」他舉了個例子：如果一個人
性領袖。後來弟兄決心栽培這女職員，並
了她的事業，也造就她成為該公司一位舉 足輕重的人。
要向某位既成功又敬虔的基督徒商人學
接著艾倫提到他近期的聖地之旅。一天他
研討會，倒不如學習如何塑造自己，成為
們遊覽伯利恒，並請他講解有關以巴之間
習，與其去參加類似「輕鬆致富五步曲」的 與這成功商人想法一致、心意相通的人。 艾倫認為導師的品格為人最為重要。
跨文化導師 Alan Amavisca
和團友們雇了一輛計程車，要求司機帶他 的圍牆。遊覽結束後，計程車司機感動不
已，感謝他們對他的世界感興趣。這也許
艾倫與筆者
04
作為一名事工領袖和植堂者，艾倫非常看
重師徒關係對教會的貢獻。 他指出了兩點：
「第一，師徒關係使知識和品格一代一代
Alan Amavisca是North County Project (NCP)事工主任。NCP旨在接觸北橙縣 一百萬未得之民。他畢業於富勒神學院，
傳承下去；第二，師徒關係將人連結起來。 多年在墨西哥、危地馬拉、柬埔寨、印尼 千禧代總有一種被機會拒諸門外的感覺， 宣教和植堂，1999年回美後曾在Yorba 認為自己可有的機會遠不及父輩。打個比
Linda公誼會 (Evangelical Friends
70萬。因此透過師徒關係，令他們明白到
艾倫的四個兒女中，女兒Andrea一家仍
方，從前可以17萬買一棟房子，如今則要
Church Southwest) 擔任宣教植堂主任。
有人在乎並願意投資在他們的生命上，可
在柬埔寨宣教。他平時酷愛滑浪，與太太
使他們感受到自己的價值。」
廣東人有句話： 「教會徒弟，餓死師傅。」當 艾倫第一次聽到這句話時，他興奮得跑進 房間取出筆記本，仔細記錄下來。他對中
國人這種處世態度覺得十分有趣，但同時
他卻相信師徒關係絕不是個「你贏我輸」 的局面。相反，透過師徒關係中的學習，
當中的熱誠、無私和投入，艾倫的人生變 得更為燦爛，並給許多年輕信徒帶來無 限祝福。
Barbara現居於Placentia。 艾倫推介書籍: Connecting: The Mentoring Relationships You Need to Succeed in Life by Paul D. Stanley and J. Robert Clinton (NavPress, 1992).
Presence Annual Newsletter
活現簡訊
2017 February
活現北加之旅 恩典之旅 馬王藹麗
首次在北加州舉辦異象分享餐會，雖然當天滂沱大雨，但無減弟兄姊妹前來一同 參與的決心。 2016年十月中旬活現機構首次在北加舉 行異象分享籌款聚餐，對於我們來說，這 是活現的一個里程碑。我們一行五位同
工，浩浩蕩蕩，帶著器材、 用具、刊物和產 品，也帶著夾雜了戰兢的興奮，開始這個 旅程。
我們得到一位熱心弟兄的接待，入住他在
到達會場時正下著傾盤大雨，令人非常擔 心，我們只好向上帝呼求，期望聚會前雨
可以停，結果聚會開始前半小時，不但雨 停了下來，還陽光普照。這見證了在我們
需要時，主聽禱告，總會及時供應。其實活 現過去十三載中，豈不也是常常因為主及 時的供應而不至缺乏哩！
Daly City的家。家中的處處都充滿了弟兄
其實這個旅程早在2014年已經開始了。
愛、以及弟兄對神國事工的支持。這個家
為一家庭營的講員，認識了一些當地的弟
細心的安排和照顧，很體驗到基督裡的
不但為我們的同工團隊提供了很溫暖舒
適的居處，也成為我們一個開會、團契和 禱告的好地方，儼然是一邊工作、一邊退 修，為我們這恩典之旅揭開了序幕。
這個旅程中，我們認識了一些北加的牧者 和義工，他們的支持和具體的幫助，不但
令我們十分感動，也使各聚會的安排變得 妥善和美滿。這是一個下雨的周末，有時
葉顏瑋茵博士被邀請至北加 Redding 市 兄姊妹，也慢慢掌握到信徒家庭事工方
面的需要。感恩遇上司徒能亮博士夫婦， 願意與我們一起服事，成為活現在北加
的開路先鋒。這兩年來藉著上帝的帶領， 使活現和當地的教會和信徒逐步連繫起
來。這次活現北加的聚會，再次得到他們
的支持，這份一同服事一同勞苦的情誼， 十分珍貴。
雨勢還頗大的，但不論是葉博士主領的講
活現的北加之旅絕對是個恩典之旅，求主
攔阻， 出席率也超過我們的所想所求。看
於北加、南加，甚至香港或各地的家庭和
座，還是籌款聚餐當天，天氣都沒有成為 見弟兄姊妹熱烈的反應、甚至慷慨的奉
獻支持，真令我們感恩不已。其實聚餐當
天同工們也學了一個寶貴功課，我們下午
活現同工與司徒博士夫婦
未來繼續使用我們，靠主恩讓更多無論處 信徒，因著我們的服事，更能在生活和家 庭中，活出基督的信仰。
北加州異象分享籌款餐會
05
06
2016 事工分享 您的捐獻用在以下事工：
活現南加
活現潛能
活現香港
今年除了自己舉辦多個訓練，亦與眾教會及 各機構如正道福音神學院、國際真愛家庭協 會、大洛杉磯華人教會牧師聯會、大洛杉磯 教會網路等合作。我們也遠赴芝加哥和北卡 羅萊納州提供訓練。
為了針對個人在職場的成長，我們開發了新 的評估工具、幫助公司招聘人才和求職者尋 找合適崗位。我們亦為年輕人和在職人士提 供職業輔導。其他事工：
在追求個人生命成長或服侍他人時，教牧同 工或關懷事工領袖常被自己或對方的恐懼、 羞恥和罪疚感困擾，阻礙了服侍的果效。有 見及此，葉博士特別為牧者和教會領袖設計 了一個訓練課程，内容包括﹕
給牧者同工的預防性騷擾訓練 智能電話基礎工作坊101 (給予年輕人服務長者的機會) 出版並發行活現雙語家庭雜誌 (主題 「 - 女性的不同季節」）
出版了活現潛能簡訊 「心連心」親子對話講座 青少年理財講座 首次推出高中生軟實力夏令營, 訓練包括﹕ 情緒管理, 人際關係, 時間管理, 壓力處理
了解恐懼、羞恥和罪疚感三者間的互動關係 個人身份建立的理論和分析 健康個人角色和身份的實行方案 葉博士亦主講了其他講座： + 認識孩童憂鬱症 + 壓力處理
訓練講座: 40 (親子15, 婚姻3, 家庭8, 社區合作夥伴5, 文化和法律1, 精神健康7，籌款1) 出席人次: 10,336
訓練講座: 12 出席人次: 113
活現北加
RE：NEW新心行動
我們的未來願景...
RE:NEW與Stand to Reason、National School Project和亞市真光長老會合作， 舉辦了信仰研討會，主題是﹕「捍衛自己的信 仰!」
+ 為青少年制定人生導師計劃 + 繼續為成人和青年提供軟實力培訓 + 為青少年牧師、同工及家長提供跨代 導師研討會 + 制定增強自信的溝通培訓，幫助處理社 會中多元文化的人際關係 （給小組使用）
首次於北加舉辦13週年感恩餐會，主題是﹕ 「軟實力與信徒生命成長」。為表示對活現 的支持，許多牧者和基督徒均蒞臨慶祝。譚 克城博士也特別到場祝賀並分享了勉勵的 說話。此外，我們亦與基督教義興教育中心 和信實谷宣道會合作提供了以下訓練﹕ 孩子自尊心和生活能力的建立 無『憂』無『慮』- 青少年情緒問題 網路和網上遊戲沉溺 訓練講座: 5 出席人次: 312
出版及發行第五期英文雜誌，主題 -「親密 關係」 人生導師計劃是一個為幫助青少年牧者同 工來牧養青少年而設的項目。我們設計並發 行了指導手冊予小組或一對一使用；修改工 程進行中，務求內容更精簡，方便使用。 RE:NEW於2017年1月22日慶祝事工五 週年! 訓練講座: 1 出席人次: 200
訓練講座: 8 出席人次: 238
活現財務報告 由2016年1月1日至11月30日 總收入： $221,962 支出： $254,894 赤字： -$32,932 我們誠意邀請您參與每月的認獻來支持 活現，讓我們可以在社區不斷提供培訓 和各種服務資源。我們希望活現能成為教 會、家庭、特別是新一代適時的幫助。願神 賜福予您! 祝主恩滿載！
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20651 Golden Springs Dr., #104 Walnut, CA 91789 www.PresenceQuotient.org
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A Generation for the Cultural Mission
2017 Training events 1/22 2/25 Mar – Dec 3/17 3/18 5/20-21 5/26-29 6/22-7/17 7/18-29 9/10 9/22-23 11/3
RE:NEW 5th Year Anniversary Banquet Intergenerational Mentorship Conference @ LACAC Monthly prayer meeting for parents (Second Friday Monthly) Conflicts resolution in church - NorCal Tien Dao (Co-host) Parenting Training in Full Life Christian Center (NorCal) Family Conference training @ Crosspoint Pleasanton (NorCal) CBCCOC Enoch Fellowship Retreat @ Tahquitz Pine Conference Center, Idyllwild, CA Hong Kong training Summer Soft Skills training for youth and adults — Managing Stress, Relationships, Emotions, and Self-image Enhancement for Career Success 14th Anniversary Fundraising Dinner Biblical Perspectives of Women’s Roles: in family and in church ministries Faith Seminar
RE:NEW a Presence movement: A Vision for Youth Ministry // Agnes Ip, PhD, LMFT One day in January 2011, I heard God calling me to start a youth ministry. I doubtfully asked God, “Is this possible? I grew up in Hong Kong, and my English is not good. Will American-born youth listen to me?” God replied, “I will make them listen to and accept you. Go ahead and do it!” My heart trembled. I immediately asked my Chinese-American friend Katy for help, and I started to recruit young American-born volunteers and staff. In June 2011, I founded “RE:NEW a Presence movement.” Thank the Lord for His faithfulness—on January 22, 2017, we hosted RE:NEW’s fifth anniversary banquet. I would like to give thanks to all Presence staff and countless volunteers for their dedication to RE:NEW ministry over the years! RE:NEW encourages youth to search for
their life purpose, to spread the Gospel, and to live out their identities as Christ’s disciples. For the past five years, RE:NEW has responded to the needs of this generation’s youth as they face different challenges in their faith through various means: Training in Apologetics Presence has provided trainings on topics such as the sanctity of sex and emotional management to youth fellowships for many years. We also organized special meetings focused on defending the Christian faith. In response to the LGBT movement, we hosted “Love and Hope: Understanding Those Who Struggle with Same Sex Attraction” in 2009. In 2011, we responded to young believers’
movement away from the church by hosting a seminar called “Answering the Atheist.” Additionally, we organized a “Dating Seminar” in 2013 and several faith seminars throughout the years: “Understand Islam” in 2012, “Christian Worldview” in 2013, “Theology of Work” in 2014, and “Defending Your Faith” in 2016. Attendance ranged from 150 to 250 people at each event. Faith Seminar 2017 will be held on November 3 at Chinese Evangelical Free Church in Monterey Park. Worship and Creative Ministry RE:NEW provides a platform for youth to serve the Lord in creative ways using their God-given talents. Many worship and dance teams consisting of young people served alongside us continue to page 11
Presence Annual Newsletter
活現簡訊
at events such as the “Impact Praise Night” and “Café Night Fundraiser.” The “Fearless Tour” in 2014—featuring Christian musicians AMP, GOWE, Mickey Cho, NAK, and MC Jin—was also memorable. About 20 RE:NEW volunteers participated in helping to set up these venues. Though certain tasks were challenging, these youth committed their efforts without complaining. What a display of teamwork and humility in the Lord! Mentorship Program We believe that parents, along with church leaders and youth workers, are the best mentors to young people to guide them along the way in this dark day and age. In 2012, 2013, and 2015, we hosted different mentorship training programs to equip youth workers with mentoring skills. We also published a handbook for high school and college students to be used in small group and one-on-one mentorship settings. This handbook can be ordered online at RE:NEW’s website. A conference on intergenerational mentorship will be held on February 25 at LA Chinese Alliance Church in Alhambra. It will provide an opportunity for parents and youth workers to discuss the challenges faced by families and churches and to find possible solutions. Creative Writing Ministry and Spiritual Formation RE:NEW provides young people with a platform to engage in creative writing and life sharing. We have published magazines in response to the different challenges faced by youth today. To date, we have published six issues of RE:NEW youth magazines. Additionally, RE:NEW has a blogging ministry and has also hosted the “Forty-Day Impact Challenge” three times since 2013.
2017 February
We have also held various retreats throughout the years for volunteers and interns to grow together in the Lord. In 2017, we plan to strengthen our blogging ministry. If you are interested in serving the Lord in this way, please contact our Publication Department. Professional Career Counseling and Soft Skills Training Many of the young people whom RE:NEW served in the ministry’s early years are now in college or have entered the workforce, and they are facing new challenges in life. In order to minister to them, we started “Presence Possibilities” in September 2013 to provide services to integrate career and faith. Our ministry areas include professional college major and career exploration and consulting, resume review, and interview coaching. In 2016, we added soft skills training for high schoolers, including managing relationships, emotions, stress, time, and money. We plan to extend our soft skills training to adults in 2017.
For those young people with higher expectations for their career paths, they are more likely to experience stress and disappointment. If these youth lack the ability to handle stress, their spiritual lives and overall well-being could be harmed. Presence and its ministry initiatives, including RE:NEW, are planning to develop an integrated life and career planning curriculum based on the Christian faith. This curriculum aims to help both youth and their parents navigate through challenges in today’s multicultural society so that young people can be better prepared for work as well as better manage their lives according to God’s will. RE:NEW’s development over the years is a witness to the power and faithfulness of the Lord. Thank you for your contributions in the past. We hope you continue to partner with us through prayers, volunteering, or financial support.
Future Plan: Life and Career Planning Part of Presence’s overall mission is to build healthy families to live out Christ’s calling in today’s cultural context. Notably, we see and have a heart for the struggles of immigrant parents who are facing this dilemma. On the one hand, they wish to see their children grow up happily; on the other hand, they focus more on academic achievement, causing them to overlook communication issues and relationship building with their children. Many youth with immigrant parents perform well academically but still face many stresses in life, such as problems with cultural identity, sexual identity, intimate relationships, and spirituality. In addition, our economy is declining, causing more competition at school and work.
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Thanks to all Presence staff and countless volunteers for your dedication to RE:NEW ministry over the years
RE:NEW’s 5th Anniversary Banquet
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Mentorship: Creating A New World Where Everyone Wins
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An Interview with Intercultural Mentor Alan Amavisca By Judd Hu After finishing an urgent phone call from a mentee in a troubling situation, Alan Amavisca walked into the living room, expressed his apologies and served me some green tea in a cobalt blue cup set. Two decades of missionary service in Guatemala, Indonesia and Cambodia has taught him how to serve intercultural clients with confidence and hospitality. About a year and a half ago, he stepped down from his position as the Director of Missions and Church Planting for his denomination in response to God’s calling to reach out to unchurched people in North Orange County. Equipping a new generation of church leaders through mentorship is the core strategy for Alan and his team. The remarkable image of mentorship imprinted in Alan’s mind is the relationship between Moses and Joshua in the Pentateuch. Alan halfjokingly said as he pondered the Scriptures, “It is amazing that their mentoring relationship actually grew until the day Moses handed over the ring to Joshua to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land. A similar thing happens to Elijah and Elisha, Barnabas and John Mark, Paul, and almost everyone Barnabas touched.” He continued, “Mentorship is more than transferring information and knowledge. It is ultimately saturated in relationship and character building. The goal – as a mentor – is, through a joint discovery exercise, to let the mentee ‘tap into you.’ The mentee can engage and learn what is intrinsic in the mentor, seeing what the mentor sees.”
He gave this example: if someone wanted to learn from a successful, God-honoring businessperson, the last thing he or she would do is attend a seminar on “5 Easy Steps to Succeed in the Stock Market.” Instead, it would be better to spend time with a successful Christian investor to learn how to transform oneself to become a person who makes business and life decisions in a like-minded fashion as the respected businessperson does. In other words, forming a deep mentoring relationship with someone of godly character is a top priority. Alan has had numerous mentors throughout his life. “Mentorship can happen for a specific period of time or a whole life,” he said. He has had mentors with whom he simply wants to hang out with all the time, like author and professor, Dr. J. Robert Clinton, and mentors who are long-deceased writers, such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer and John Wesley, whose lifestyles and thoughts continue to impact him. “Although I love to use books – occasionally films – as tools in mentorship, joint activities are indispensable,” he added. It is very normal for Alan to invite his mentees on a prayer walk or to attend a meeting that may edify them.
his leadership who had great character, was competent and had potential for a higher position, but she could never envision herself in that role because of the scarcity of female leaders in the industry. Alan’s mentee, who was in a leadership position, was determined to equip this woman for every available opportunity by encouraging and mentoring her. Eventually, she turned a job into a flourishing career. She is now a person of influence in the company. Another story was related to his recent visit to Israel, the Holy Land, where Alan and his fellow travelers invited a taxi driver to show them Bethlehem and help them understand the wall that stands between Israel and Palestine. After the tour, the taxi driver was very moved and thanked them for being interested in his world. This experience reflects Alan’s motivation to reach out to international students from universities and local language schools for mentorship, realizing the power of
Intercultural Mentor Alan Amavisca
Alan has many powerful stories of mentorship. When he was a missions pastor, he used to mentor a brother in Christ who was formerly the vice president of a well-known construction firm in Orange County. He told Alan that he found a young woman under Alan and Writer
Presence Annual Newsletter
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2017 February
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diversity in a mentoring relationship. “People who enjoy people seek an opportunity to affirm the other rather than marginalize the other,” Alan said. “Whenever we step across boundaries in mentorship – it can be a boundary of culture, generation, gender, economic status, class, language or ethnicity – we actually open ourselves up to a great wealth or ‘hidden treasure’ of learning on both sides.” Above all, Alan understands mentorship to be a twoway learning relationship. As a ministry leader and church planter, Alan cares about the role of mentorship in churches. He noted two benefits: “First, transferring information and character from one generation to the next generation; and second, connecting people with one another.” For instance, Alan has observed that millennials often have a sense of being restricted from many opportunities their parents and grandparents had, such as
buying a home, which is much more expensive today than a generation or two ago. This has left many young adults feeling alone or like they are struggling. Mentorship – having someone caring for and investing in them – offers them perspective and encouragement and makes them feel valued. A Cantonese proverb says, “When the apprentice is raised up, the teacher will starve.” When Alan heard this for the first time during our interview, he stood up, ran to another room for a pen and paper, and carefully wrote it down. He was amazed at how accurately Chinese wisdom captures a myth about mentorship. To him, mentorship is not a situation in which one person’s gain must be matched by another person’s loss. To the contrary, his curiosity, passion, selflessness and devotion to mentorship continues to strengthen him and overflow and bless many young believers.
Alan Amavisca is the director of North County Project, which aims to reach out to the one million unchurched people in North Orange County. A graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary, he spent most of his life as a missionary and church planter outside the U.S. in Guatemala, Mexico, Indonesia and Cambodia. After coming back to the U.S. in 1999, he served as Director of Missions and Church Planting at Evangelical Friends Church Southwest in Yorba Linda. One of his four children, Andrea, and her family, continue ministering in Cambodia today. He loves surfing and lives in Placentia with his wife, Barbara.
Alan recommends reading Connecting: The Mentoring Relationships You Need to Succeed in Life by Paul D. Stanley and J. Robert Clinton (NavPress, 1992).
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Presence’s Visit to Northern California: A Journey of Blessings Lily Ma
Our first vision sharing fundraising dinner in NorCal. The big rainstorm did not deter brothers and sisters from coming to show us their support. In mid-October of 2016, Presence Quotient held its first vision sharing fundraising banquet in Northern California. It was a milestone in Presence’s ministry. Five members of our team packed up all the equipment, supplies, publications and products, and embarked on this journey with anxiousness and excitement. Thanks to a fellow brother’s hospitality, we stayed at his home in Daly City during our visit. As he took care of our requests, down to the smallest details, we experienced the love of Christ through this brother’s support for the work of God’s kingdom. Not only was this brother’s home a cozy living space for us, but it was also a perfect place for our meeting, fellowship and prayer time. It was as though we were working and going on a retreat at the same time. What a start to our journey of blessings! During this visit, we further developed relationships with Northern California pastors and volunteers. We were touched by their support and practical help, which made all of our meetings smooth and productive. Despite the rainy weekend with occasional torrential downpours, the weather did
not prevent people from attending Dr. Agnes Ip’s workshop or the fundraising banquet. The attendance rate was far greater than we had imagined. We were grateful for the enthusiastic response and the generous financial support we received. We also learned a valuable lesson on the day of the fundraising banquet. When we arrived at the venue that afternoon, it was raining really hard. We were so worried that we cried out to God to stop the rain before the meeting. About 30 minutes before the meeting started, the rain stopped and the sun came out. What a testimony that God answers prayers and provides for our needs! Indeed, Presence has continually experienced God’s timely provisions for the past 13 years. This journey to Northern California actually began in 2014 when Dr. Agnes Ip was invited to speak at a family camp in Redding. She became acquainted with some local brothers and sisters and learned about the need for family ministry among the believers there. We are thankful she got to know Dr. Ning and Mrs. Rosa Sizto, who were willing to partner with Presence and be pioneers of
our ministry in Northern California. Thanks to the Lord’s leading, Presence gradually connected with and served various Northern California churches and believers in the past two years. The Siztos supported us again at this year’s event. It’s a precious experience to serve and labor together. Presence’s event and visit to Northern California was truly a journey of blessings. Our prayer is that God will continue to use Presence to serve the families and brothers and sisters throughout California, Hong Kong and other places so that believers can live out their faith in Christ in their personal, professional and family lives.
Presence Staff with Dr. and Mrs. Sizto
Presence Annual Newsletter
活現簡訊
2017 February
2016 Ministry Report Your financial contributions go towards:
Presence Quotient® (SoCal)
Presence Possibilities
Presence Hong Kong
In addition to hosting our own training workshops, we partnered with various organizations including Logos Evangelical Seminary, Family Keepers, Greater Los Angeles Chinese Ministerial Association (GLACMA) and Da L.A. Church Network. We have also offered out-of-state trainings in Chicago and North Carolina.
One of our goals is to help people grow in their careers. Thus we developed new assessment tools to help HR recruiters find the right job candidates and help jobseekers find the right workplace. We also provide career coaching for young adults and working professionals. Other ministry areas include:
Pastors and church leaders, in pursuit of personal growth or when serving others, often feel troubled by their own or the other person’s fear, shame and guilt. These unresolved issues can negatively impact ministry results. In response to this, Dr. Ip has designed a series of three workshops for pastors and church leaders:
Sexual Harassment Prevention Training for local pastors Smartphone 101 Workshop (younger generation serving the older generation) Published and distributed bilingual family magazine (Theme: “Seasons of Women’s Lives”)
Presence Possibilities Newsletter Parenting class: “Heart to Heart Talk” (How to communicate with your children) Money Management Workshop for Youth Hosted our first “Soft Skills Summer Camp” for high-schoolers. Topics included: Managing Emotions, Managing Relationships, Managing Time, Managing Stress
Understanding the Relationship between Fear, Shame, and Guilt Theory and Analysis of Building Up Personal Identities Ways to Achieve Healthy Personal Roles and Identities Other trainings provided by Dr. Ip: Understanding Depression in Children, Managing Stress in Adults
Training Workshops: 12 Attendance: 113
Training Workshops: 8 Attendance: 238
Presence Quotient® (NorCal)
RE:NEW a Presence movement
Our future vision…
We held our 13th Anniversary Fundraising Dinner in NorCal for the first time, and the theme was “Soft Skills and Spiritual Growth.” Many pastors and Christians, including Dr. Bill Tam, who graciously gave a speech of encouragement, came and supported us. We also partnered with Christian Righteousness Education Center and Silicon Valley Alliance Church to provide the following trainings:
RE:NEW partnered with Stand to Reason, National School Project and Alhambra True Light Presbyterian Church in hosting Faith Seminar 2016: “Defending Our Faith.”
Training Workshops: 40 (15 Parenting, 3 Marriage, 8 Family, 5 Community Partnerships, 1 Cultural and Legal, 7 Mental Health, 1 Fundraising) Attendance: 10,336
Building up a Child’s Self-Esteem and Self-Care Ability Emotional Problems in Teenagers Internet and Online Gaming Addiction Training Workshops: 5 Attendance: 312
We published and distributed the fifth issue of RE:NEW magazine on the theme of intimacy. We developed a mentorship program for youth workers to mentor youth, and are currently updating a handbook for small groups and one-on-one mentorships. RE:NEW celebrated its 5th Anniversary on January 22, 2017! Training Workshops: 1 Attendance: 200
+ Continue developing a mentorship program for youth + Continue providing soft skills training for youth and adults + Organize Intergenerational Mentorship Conference for youth pastors, youth workers and parents + Develop assertive communication training for small groups to handle interpersonal relationships in a multicultural society
2016 Financial Report For the period Jan 1 – Nov 30, 2016 Total Income﹕ $221,962 Expenses﹕ $254,894 Deficit﹕ -$32,932 We invite you to pledge your support on a monthly basis to help Presence continue providing training and services to the community. We seek to support and equip churches, families and the next generation. May God bless you abundantly!
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