The Church Isn't the Answer
..and other important truths we are learning through the book of Amos!
We hope to share regular newsletters with our GAF community to keep everyone updated with our events and activities, what we’re meditating on, and how you can join into creating relational communities wherever you are. Learn more about us here, and feel free to send any feedback to us by emailing us!
Join us for our upcoming virtual events
JOG (Journey of Grace) Small Group
Sunday, November 22, 29; December 6, 13, 20, 27 • 11AM - 1PM
ZOOM Link | Meeting ID: 327 601 274 | Password: 429125
December Celebration Service
Friday, December 11 • 7PM - 8:30PM
ZOOM Link | Meeting ID: 375 203 749 | Password: 895281
Monthly Friday Activities
Friday, November 20, 27, December 4, 11, 18 • 7PM - 8:30PM
ZOOM Link | Meeting ID: 375 203 749 | Password: 895281
CHURCH IS NOT THE ANSWER
Written by Pastor May Lee
At this month’s November celebration service, Manni Lee helped us to ponder a deeper image of what a church without walls looks like through the book of Habakkuk. The faith of the church is not fully lived out inside the church through activities and events. Faith is the fruit expressed and seen in the way people live out acts of kindness and justice outside the church’s walls. Faith is God’s inward transformation of our hearts and minds that inspires others to seek hope in Christ.
GAF BIBLE STUDY UPDATES
Amos 3: Hoarding and Not Knowing How to Do What is Right
Confrontation is not an easy or delightful task. That’s what God is doing through the prophet Amos. God has a perspective we do not have. God sees the larger picture of our lives and the deeper spiritual inner life we all carry. God knows our blind spots. Blind spots could be dangerous. That’s exactly what was happening to the nation of Israel. God is putting into words and identifying behaviors of hoarding, abusing authority, and exercising unbalanced power dynamics . God bluntly tells the people of Israel that they have forgotten how to do what is right.
How do you feel about confronting or being confronted?
What do you think is the value behind God’s confrontation?
How can this story in Amos 3 help you receive confrontation gracefully?
Amos 4: Prepare to Meet Your God
God now confronts the Israelites about their temple rituals, or to translate for modern times‒church activities. In this chapter. God is identifying their church life as being a show place to show off their riches, boasting about themselves and worshipping other gods. God warns them that this will come to an end. They will be at the head again, the head of the line marching off into exile. Interestingly, God also tells them to ‘prepare to meet their God.”
In your own assessment, what motivates you to attend church? What is your purpose?
What do you think is the significance of these leaders being told that they will be at the head of the line into exile?
If God were to invite you for a meet up, how would you feel (nervous/excited…)? How would you envision that meeting to be like? Go and have that conversation with Jesus.
Amos 5: To Seek God is to Seek Justice and Righteousness
Enough about the Israelites, Amos chapter 5 reveals how all this is affecting God’s heart. God is going through sorrow, a time of grief and lament. God points out how the nation will fall and won’t be able to rise up, and the military power they’ve built up will become useless. Yet in this moment of sorrow, God counsels them to seek God and live. To seek good and not evil, because he wants to see an outpour of justice and steady stream of righteousness. If we would align with God’s desire to see formation of healthy relationships exercising true justice, life will flourish with life-giving energy.
What are your thoughts about God pointing out that one day their military power will be useless, and that they won’t be able to rise up?
How do you make sense of God’s sorrow regarding the Israelites behavior that has been described?
How can we seek good and not evil and allow God’s dream river to flow through us and out of us?
Announcements
GAF is now legal! We have just received confirmation that we are now officially registered as a religious organization. While this is not 5013(c) status, this is a huge step for establishing our presence in the community.
Donations: We are now accepting tithes / donations virtually via Venmo (@may-chin-5). During this time as we are not meeting in person, we will allocate 90% of tithes towards our staff stipend and 10% towards an organization supporting our community during this time.
October: We donated $100 to Heart of Dinner’s on-going work to “continue to offset the isolation and depression caused by the pandemic with handwritten notes of encouragement in Chinese and Korean, paired with nourishing meals that fill the gap in food insecurity while supporting local small businesses during their COVID-19 related recovery process.” Learn more about this non-profit here.
November: We will be supporting Light Up Chinatown, an initiative spearheaded by a coalition of Chinatown organizations to bring outdoor lighting to our Chinatown streets as we head into the cold winter months.
GAF Prayer Board: We have created an ongoing google form for you to write up your prayers and your concerns; as well as any good news you are seeing at work. Please join us in filling out this form with more of God's narrative during this unprecedented time. May the grace and mercy we long to see take place with daily miracles.
Ways to Support our Community & Additional Resources
Support: Welcome to Chinatown’s Longevity Fund, a small business relief fund with the goal of $200,000 for Manhattan Chinatown businesses
Read: What is happening with the small businesses in Chinatown? Read this piece in Grubstreet to learn more: Two Chinatown Closings Are Signs of a Bigger Problem
Pray: If you are finding it difficult to pray these days in these stressful pandemic times—try reading and contemplating on these liturgies from Cole Arthur Riley and Sacred Ordinary Days.