c t u s n a p s h o t

by Natalie Ong

Baptism, Sisters’ & Brothers’ Appreciation

a p r i l 2 0 1 3

Baptism is always a miraculous event to experience. This time, baptism was held on Good Friday, further adding sym-bolism to that special day. Baptism symbolize dying and ris-ing again with God and what better time to get baptized than

on Good Friday, the day Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross? This time around, we had three very awesome youth get baptized along with many very awesome adults. The three youth were Cynthia Shen, Jason Shen, and Austin Zhang.

On March 9th, the high school boys prepared Sisters Appreciation Night filled with lots of confetti. The night was based off of Hollywood, with a red carpet, photos, food, and even awards for every sister who came to the event. We played games and had food cooked and served to us by the boys.

A group of Junior and Senior girls planned a fun-filled picnic for Broth-er’s appreciation with games and a lit-tle bit of worship. The classical game of Capture the Flag was played, but with a twist! We used water balloons to get people out of the game instead of just tagging people. Afterwards, awards were given to the boys and we began eating. A volleyball net was also set up for more fun and merriment.

How did you meet your wife, Auntie Grace?

I’ve known Grace for many years be-cause her church in Oakland and my church in Sacramento use to do join camps and musicals.

I got to know Grace when we both were on the same mission team. She was the only person that could keep up with me while on the mission field. I walked very fast and cut through crowds like it was nothing in Asia and she kept up with me.

As I got to know her more and see her heart for Christ, I realized that she could be the ONE. Her passion for God and love for the lost was so attrac-tive that I wanted to get to know her more. I am so blessed that we will be celebrating our 20 years of marriage this coming August.

How did you decide to become a pastor?

In 1991 after, my first short term mis-sion trip to Macau, I decided I wanted to serve God full time. Instead of in-vesting in my personal financial gain in my career, I wanted to invest in things that were going to have an eternal value, which was saving lives for Jesus Christ.

My desire was to become a mission-ary, but while I was getting my master’s degree in seminary, God redirected me to become a pastor that was very mis-sion minded.

What is your favorite Bible verse?

Acts 1:8 & Proverbs 3:5-6 These verses help me know that it is about my relationship with God and reaching out to the lost and encourag-ing the believers.

What is a weirdhabit of yours?

I like to be clean and not sticky. I think one day I took like 5 showers. At home, I take at least 2 showers a day. To me that is just normal, to other that is weird.

What do you love most about your kids?

They both love Jesus and are not afraid to let people know about it. Faith is a little missionary at school. I have nev-er seen anyone invite so many people to church. Hope, my little music box, will sing Christian songs while Grace is pushing her in a shopping cart. She can sing very loud for Jesus.

Sweet, spicy, or sour?That is a hard decision. I guess I would say sour. I love sour candy. That is my weakness. My favorite sour candy is Toxic Waste-green apple!!!

Are you more extroverted or introverted?

I am totally extroverted. I get so much energy when I am with people. I hate being stuck in an office and rather be with people any day.

What is your favorite thing about CCIC CTU so far?

I have a great supportive elders & staff, an awesome counselors and very fun loving group of youth.

Getting to know the youth hear their story has been great. If any youth in-vites me to lunch at their school, I will take you to lunch.

by Adeline Zheng

Get to know Pastor Owen

What is the meaning of service? I’m a Christian, so does that mean I have to serve? These, and many more, are

common questions we ask ourselves regarding service. We serve to worship and glorify God. Service means to show

God’s and love through helping others. These are the biblical, or “Sunday School”, answers, answers that we know by heart. But what does service mean to us as individuals?

To some, service is a way for people to express themselves. To others, service means going to faraway places and be missionar-ies of the Gospel. Or service is simply something our parents or friends forced us to do.

To me, service is something I enjoy. It makes me feel close to

God, but also close to the youth group. Service is also a way for me to learn more about myself. I learn how much I love to help others and to lead and help fellow youth.

Service may not necessarily be something you want to do, but I suggest trying to embrace it. A lot can be learned from service. You might even find that you actually like to take part in service. Of course, service is not just being part of a team and helping out in church. Other forms of service can be actions as simple as caring for a fellow youth or donating.

Whatever the form, service provides special opportunities to everyone as individuals. So let me ask you this: What is your meaning of service?

The meaning of serving God

by Alyssa Zhang

-Adeline Zhang