Getting Involved
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
- I Peter 4:10-11 (ESV)
As members of a body of believers, we are all called to serve God and serve one another. No matter what gifts you have been given or where you are in your walk, we hope that you are able to serve with what you have, be it in a church or in a fellowship. There are many ways in which you can serve the body, regardless of whether or not you are in a formal position. However, there are indeed many opportunities to serve in ACF. You can view them here below, with each ministry or team being explained by its leaders or coordinators. As an overall note, we would really appreciate it if you have any feedback for any particular ministry! Whether its questions, thoughts, suggestions, or comments, feel free to let these people know. If there are any questions or comments about ACF as a whole, you can direct your questions to Alex Tsai.
Contact: Christian Manaog and Shirley Zhou
Welcome Team seeks to welcome newcomers and oldcomers alike to the body of Christ, as well as the ACF family. We want to embrace all who are interested and foster and nurture the body of Christ so that they may feel welcomed and feel comfortable enough to open their hearts and focus their minds solely on Christ. Ultimately, we want to encourage a welcoming culture in ACF, so that the both newcomers and oldcomers are not just welcomed by the team, but by the family as a whole.
We typically serve the welcome table on Friday nights to welcome people and give them name tags. However, we hope to broaden the role of Welcome Team this coming year. Some ideas for this would be to have members of Welcome Team stay inside the large group room to welcome people, having pre-large group eatups, and focusing on following up with newcomers. If you are looking to serve in this capacity, or if you have any suggestions or thoughts on how we can do better, please contact us! For more information about Welcome Team, take a look at this document.
Contact: Mitchell Lee and Priscilla Tai
We are called by God to spur our brothers and sisters in Christ towards love and good deeds. Spur team seeks to cultivate that culture and spirit of encouragement throughout the members of ACF. As a body of Christ, we will be able to see the importance of spurring one another on during the seasons of everyone's different lives.
This year, Spur Team is planning and preparing various projects which include: Spur Note writing (year-round/Winter Retreat), birthday cards, a spur box, and other projects. Spur Team also hopes to incorporate more ACFers from Pitt, ACF sports meetups, and other activities that will help us spur one another physically, mentally/emotionally, and spiritually upward. If you have any ideas, or would like to help out in any capacity, please contact us!
Contact: Paul Chun
Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
- Colossians 1:28 (ESV)
Empower is a ministry that is concerned with empowering and equipping members of ACF to be Christians. What does this mean?
From Col 1:28, consider the following three questions: who does "we" refer to, what is "all wisdom", and what does it mean to be "mature in Christ"? To answer the first question, realize that Paul did not work alone. "We" refers to Paul and the ones who labor with him (e.g. see Col 1:7). To answer the second and third question, look back to verses 21 to 23. Paul writes that God has reconciled us to Himself through Christ. This reconciliation is contingent on us continuing in the faith and not shifting from the hope of the gospel. That unwavering perseverance to the end is essentially being presented as mature in Christ. How does Paul accomplish that? By teaching and preaching and living the gospel (i.e. all wisdom), centered on the preeminence of Christ (see Col 1:15-23).
The discussion group leaders and Empower I/C are part of the "we" that Paul writes of. And likewise, we teach from the Bible, centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ, in the hope that members of ACF will mature in Christ.
Contact: Wing Tung Wong
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
- Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)
The ministry of Extend is based on the above verses and the clear call that Jesus left to all those who would follow him: to go out and make disciples of all nations. The application of this command can look different in different contexts, from personal conversations to fellowship-wide events. Whether you have ideas for reaching out, opportunities in which the fellowship can reach out, whether you want to be challenged to share the Gospel, or whether you are prepared to reach out and don't know how, please talk to me! Let's work together.
Contact: Kevin Zhou
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
- Romans 12:1 (NIV)
Exalt is the worship ministry of Asian Christian Fellowship. What, then, is worship? One brief definition would be such: Worship is "giving glory to that which deserves glory". For us at ACF, the subject that we believe deserves this glory is God. So put simply, worship is giving glory to God. There are four main ways the Exalt ministry serves ACF:
- Worship Team: responsible for leading times of musical worship during Large Group and other ACF gatherings.
- Audio/Visual Team: responsible for the setup/breakdown and transportation of sound equipment, and other technical details, at ACF gatherings.
- Slides Person: responsible for running slides during ACF events and in most cases, creating the slides as well.
- PCC Worship Team: responsible for leading times of musical worship the PCC English Service, about once a month.
If you are interested in getting involved with Exalt, have ideas for other ways that ACF can express worship to our God, or are simply just interested in learning more about worship and what it is, send an email to me!
Contact: Julia Wong and Russell Lee
The cell ministry is about fostering a place for Christian brethren to come together in a comfortable setting to share, pray, be vulnerable and accountable, study the Word together, and grow together — in essence, a place to be a family together chasing after the one goal of pointing upwards toward Christ. If you feel a burden to care for your Christian brethren in an intentional and focused manner, consider becoming a cell leader! (If explicit leadership isn't your thing, you can also sign up to assist cell leaders in implementing this vision of family.)