TFPC EM NEWSLETTER - SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

Have Mercy on Me

Today is September 30, 2020

Welcome to your mid-week!

This past Sunday Pastor Diana preached on the cry of the tax collector to Jesus, aka 'the Jesus prayer' found in Luke 18. The prayer, put simply, is this:

"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner."

Here, the tax collector cries our in desperation to Jesus. The tax collector is not proud or boastful but acknowledges his sinfulness and his immense need for Jesus to show him mercy. 

So often on Sunday we focus on the love of God or the faithfulness of God or the goodness of God. However, God is also a God of mercy. And, to really experience this characteristic of God, we need to be like this tax collector.

Our posture, our minds, our attitude needs to be the same as when the tax collector utters that cry to Jesus:

"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner."

Now, this is hard to do but, spiritually, it is amazingly rewarding. As pastor Diana said:

"...to be like the tax collector requires us to be brutally honest with ourselves and with God, to confess the worst of ourselves...but when we cry out to God and when we come before the Lord, when we approach the throne of God that knows us completely, the best and worst of us and still loves us regardless, we come before the God of mercy who forgives us of our sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness."

When we are first honest and desperate, then we can experience God's great mercy and understand what true forgiveness is.

God's protection and blessing over you as you cry out to the Lord and I look forward to worshiping with you all via our joint worship this Sunday.

- Rev. Frank Kim

Youtube Link from last Sunday's Worship: HERE
Cell Group Discussion for your mid-week: HERE

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Announcements

• THIS SUNDAY - Oct 4 (Sun) - World Communion Sunday. Joint worship with KM. No 9:45am service.
  • ​Communion Options:
    1. ​Prepare the elements (bread & grape juice) in advance and the head of household distributes the elements during the online worship when instructed by Head Pastor Ko. - OR - 
    2. Come to church for drive-thru communion that Sunday. 1pm-4pm in the Church parking lot. Please sign-up HERE. When you come, please enter from Oak Street.
• VBS will be a held on October 29-31 (Thu-Sat; Thu & Fri 6pm-8pm, Sat 10:30am-12:30pm). Early registration (NOW-9/27): $20 per child. Regular registration (9/27-10/17): $40 per child. Late registration (10/17-Event): $40 per child and you must pick up supplies from the church. Registration can be done HERE. Supplies will be mailed to houses. Video of this information can be found HERE. Question? Please contact Pastor Haein at tfpc.children@gmail.com.
• Youth Ministry is asking for 3 Youth Teachers (2 boys, 1 girls) for the upcoming academic year. If interested, please contact Pastor Edward Kim at shin.e.kim88@gmail.com
• YMF Cell Group is now meeting Wednesdays bi-weekly via zoom at 7:30pm.
• College Cell Group is now meeting Thursdays weekly via zoom at 7pm.
• Due to California's order, there will be no on-site worship until further notice. There will still be online worship for 9:45am and the 11:30am service. It will be offered only via Youtube for the time being.
• Cell-Groups will continue to meet virtually. Please contact Pastor Frank at frankkim1@gmail.com if you have any questions or nee further information.
• The '5 Loaves & 2 Fish' Ministry continues. If you are able, please donate dry goods, cleaning supplies, and paper products to the main lobby during church office hours. If you are in need, please stop by the church lobby and take whatever is available for you and your family.
• KM is encouraging all families to pray together for those effected by the coronavirus at 9pm daily.
• Offering can still be done via online HERE or via mail: P.O. Box 622, Torrance, CA 90508
  • For online offering, please select English Ministry (EM), write your EM Member number in the Member ID section, & place details in the memo section. Example: whether the offering is for tithe, thanksgiving, Sunday offering, designated offering, mission offering, etc.
  • If you need your members ID# please contact Pastor Frank at frankkim1@gmail.com
• Please continue to pray for all those affected by the coronavirus, especially those on the frontline of the disease who are putting themselves at risk in the service of us all.

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