JULY 2014
RE:NEW
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NEWSLETTER 速
INTRODUCTION & MISSION
- Presence - A Generation for the Cultural Mission - Presence Quotient | RE:NEW a Presence movement | Presence Possibilities | Presence Hong Kong -
Agnes Ip, the President of Presence, saw the need to reach youth and young adults and to equip them with the knowledge and power to stand up for their faith. Taking a leap of faith, Agnes gathered together a team of four volunteers and hired Phoebe Ng to lead them. Without any formal training or experience, Phoebe and her team of volunteers initially struggled to meet their goals, but as their faith and their skills grew, the Lord blessed their ministry work and has since used them to reach hundreds of teenagers and young adults across the nations. RE:NEW aims to partner with churches to challenge youth and young adults to re:new their faith by equipping them with the resources to know more of Christ, providing a venue for them to use their gifts to the full extent of their Kingdom purpose, and ultimately, encourage them to live with purpose.
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RE:NEW was launched in June 2011 by Presence Quotient, a non-profit, 501C(3) organization dedicated to equipping parents and children with the skills to integrate Christian values into their everyday lives and to contribute to their communities through service and leadership.
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626.600.6391 info@renewtheresponse.org
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“God, My Employer”
Working for the Lord and the Theology Behind One Man’s Work by Alex Liu
Alex Liu went to UCLA intending on pursuing what his parents suggested for him - a career in medicine. But after hitting a wall with organic chemistry and attending pre-med seminars, he found that he had no excitement and motivation for the medical field and realized that he pursued it just for the money and the prestige. “I don’t think most young people going to college end up doing what they think they’re going to do,” said Alex. Unsure of what to do, Alex received some advice from a mentor who told him to major in something practical like business. After trying out some business classes, Alex loved what he was studying, and ended up graduating with a degree in international economics at UCLA. After graduating, he was hired by a financial company in downtown Los Angeles. Although the transition from school to this company was not too difficult due to his prior experience interning with them, the spiritual transition was a huge leap for him. His college years were filled with rich Christian fellowship and spiritual growth, but now he was thrown into what he called a, “den of sin.” His everyday team consisted of a group of young, smart and talented peers in an industry offering complex, cuttingedge financial products for their customers. It was an aggressive culture in a competitive industry. “I was a little bit insecure about how open I should be about my faith. I was a little bit afraid of standing up for God. There was definitely that tension when I first entered the workplace. It wasn’t easy.” He knew that his trust was in God, but it became clear that trusting in God and following Jesus could easily be replaced with trusting in his own way and following the world. Honoring God in the workplace was certainly not easy. Alex shared how the beginning of his career was marked by difficulty and failure. It’s natural to want to fit in, do what everyone else is doing, and follow their road for success. “When you’re really living for the Lord and trying to do things His way, sometimes people won’t accept you. I wasn’t advancing as fast as other people were,” said Alex, “but I trusted that God was good enough to carry me through.” Yet Alex experienced plenty of setbacks. In the workplace, it’s easy to be intimidated by others – those who are more talented or who will do whatever it takes to get ahead. At one point in his career, one of his friends and someone he helped mentor took advantage of him and nearly derailed his career. Another time, his boss pressured him to do something that would compromise his integrity. “Sometimes, its through these situations that appear to be failures, that God is showing you just how much He is in control and how much you can experience Him if you trust in His ways,” said Alex.
This realization began to sink deeply into the way he saw his place at work. He resolved to do business in a way that God would be pleased – to do things honestly, to work hard, to treat every person with respect and care. Alex said, “When you resolve to live for the Lord, you must have the courage to not worry about success or failure. You have to trust God with the results and know that He will lead you.”
DEAR FAMILY & FRIENDS, On June 17, we celebrated RE:NEW’s third birthday. It was a momentous occasion. We gave each other a silent wink from across the room and continued working. Looking back on the past three years, I’m surprised to find myself where I am today. If you had asked me three years ago whether I would still be here leading this ministry, I wouldn’t have been able to give you a straight answer. Truth be told, six months into launching RE:NEW, my heart was still set on returning to the gaming industry as soon as an opportunity presented itself. Little did I know that my call to full-time ministry would come just days later, forever changing the course of my life and my heart for the youth.
Today, I find myself leading a small ragtag team of 20 odd volunteers. It’s tough, This confidence in working for everyday is tough, but it’s also exhilarating at times. I think if you asked any of the Lord instead of man allowed them how they ended up here and how long they planned to stay, I’m not sure Alex to do business with boldness and conviction. It wasn’t they could give you an answer either. But one thing is clear: our hearts beat to about his own ambition or persee youth and young adults burn for Jesus. No matter what comes our way, sonal success, but about doing great good or bad, trial or joy, in this ministry or in another, our hearts are for things for God. As a result, manythe of rising generation and our Jesus can’t be stopped. Even now he fights for the things he managed showed great us and we invite you to do the same. success. This caught the attention of many senior executives in the company. WILL YOU HELP REACH A GENERATION OF YOUNG With great ease and courage, he found PEOPLE? himself sharing his convictions for building businesses. He recalls early on in his career Join the movement. Pray. Donate. Volunteer. Let having an in-depth conversation with the CEO about young people everywhere know that Jesus is his concerns and ideas to help build the business.
“I would just talk to him like anyone else,” said Alex about the CEO. “If my employer is God Almighty, why do I need to be afraid?”
fighting for them, and so are we.
-- Phoebe Ng, Project Manager
Throughout his career Alex enjoyed working in the financial marketplace – he loved building the business, creating solutions for customers, and leading others. He took pride in forging relationships with everyone from the assistants to the CEO. Whether he experienced failures or successes, Alex recognized that God had placed him there for a reason. Alex eventually found himself running a half a billion-dollar organization in a global Fortune 500 company. He was one of the youngest executives at that level in the company. But even so, he didn’t see it as a big deal. “God reminded me and showed me throughout the process that He wasn’t giving me success so that I could have success. It wasn’t for the ultimate dreams of this world, or the American dream. It wasn’t about money for me. It wasn’t about prestige. It wasn’t about the promotion or the title. He showed me that it was an opportunity for me to live out my faith.” Ultimately, Alex’s resolve to work for God and not for man brought him to where God wanted him to be. He entrusted his career, his future and his work unto the Lord, who chose to lift him up to a place of power at a time when God saw fit for His purposes. Alex saw that whether he was at the bottom or the top of the company, there was an opportunity to glorify God and be a witness for Him. He was working for Jesus. “God is my ultimate employer…if He is my Lord and my Savior and my master, then He is ultimately my employer, not the company, not my manager or the CEO, but Jesus.”
Touched by Alex’s story? Hear him speak LIVE at this year’s Faith Seminar on October 17, 2014! Go here for more info: renewtheresponse.org/event/faith-seminar-2014
UPCOMING EVENTS IMPACT PRAISE NIGHT
August 2 @ 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM // impact.renewtheresponse.org Rally together with friends, family, and other believers in the community for a night of worship, dance, spoken word, and an inspirational message! All are welcome at this annual event and are encouraged to participate in the Forty Day Impact Challenge as well. The Forty Day Impact Challenge (June 24 - Aug 2) is a call for young people to set aside a period of 40 days to press into the Lord and seek His will for their lives. Supported by friends and family, young people throughout the nations will dedicate themselves to prayer, fasting, and the reading of scripture in order to discover their kingdom purpose and equip themselves for this labor.
FAITH SEMINAR 2014: THEOLOGY OF WORK October 17 @ 7 PM - 9 PM // Speaker Alex Liu
Founder and President
A practical exploration of the theology of work and how to do missions in the workplace. Complimentary drinks (boba milk tea!) and refreshments will be provided with proof of valid registration.
Agnes Ip
Advisor
Katy Lee Mandy Cheung
Project Manager Phoebe Ng
Design Coordinator Katherine Yao
PR & Events Coordinator Leslie Tam
Design Team
Calvin Yao Camille Fairbanks Christine Hwang Christy Tang Ian Li Phoebe Shen Shirley Lu Tammi Yu
Claire Hellar Elizabeth Mak Joanna Wu
Film Team
Web Team
Calvin Chong Jack Zhong
Location at Alhambra True Light Presbyterian Church, 20 W. Commonwealth Avenue Alhambra, CA 91801
PR & Events Team Eunice Tin Grace Woo Gregory Wong Johan Wong Xiao Peng
Communications Team
Sign up @ http://www.renewtheresponse.org/event/ faith-seminar-2014
Joshua Gok Raymond Yu Zachary Woo
RE:NEW
TEAM ROSTER
SHARE YOUR STORY! Got a story, song, artwork, video, poem that you want to share? Head to www.renewtheresponse. org/stories/submit for more details and share your story for a chance to be published!