QUICK SUMMARY: After much prayer and seeking the Lord for his guidance and leading in church planting, the pastoral staff and church leaders decided to plant a new church in Arcadia. FEC Arcadia was therefore born and planted in 2001 to serve the needs of the Chinese population in the North San Gabriel Valley area.
The Vision for a New Church Plant
First Evangelical Church, Arcadia (FEC Arcadia) started as part of the vision for church planting at First Evangelical Church Glendale (FEC Glendale) the mother church. After much prayer and seeking the Lord for his guidance and leading in church planting, the pastoral staff and church leaders decided to plant a new church in Arcadia. First Evangelical Church Arcadia was therefore born and planted in 2001 to serve the needs of the Chinese population in the North San Gabriel Valley area, with the majority of the Cantonese congregation members and a good number from the English congregation, the Mandarin congregation and the youth congregation from FEC Glendale. Church services at FEC Arcadia officially began on Sunday, January 28, 2001 at First Avenue Middle School in Arcadia and the Women’s Club of Arcadia which were rented. I served as the founding senior pastor for the first year.
FEC Arcadia’s Church Opening Celebration Service was held on Sunday, March 4, 2001, with the then mayor of Arcadia, Mr. Gary Kovacic in attendance. The church continued to rent office space and meeting facilities until the Lord miraculously and wonderfully provided a church building for us. FEC Arcadia therefore relocated to formerly St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Monrovia next to Arcadia in 2008, and held our first joint church service in the newly acquired church building on July 20, 2008, PTL!! This is the current location and home of FEC Arcadia.
Over the past twenty years since FEC Arcadia was planted, the church has gone through many ups and downs and changes in pastoral staff and senior pastors. FEC Arcadia also recently planted Grace Covenant Disciples Church in Monterey Park. The Lord has been faithful in keeping us by His grace and He is leading FEC Arcadia into a new season of renewal and blessings. He has recently provided some new pastoral staff including a new Cantonese and Coordinating Pastor, Rev. Eric Lam, and a new youth minister, Mr. Andrew Wong. I preached at the virtual 20th anniversary service of FEC Arcadia on Sunday, January 24, 2021 on Zoom because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that has been very challenging to all of us and to many churches. But, praise the Lord that He has continued to faithfully be with us and bless us, and provide for us and protect us!
I believe that the Lord has even more blessings ahead for FEC Arcadia. A prophetic word that He gave me and FEC Glendale a few years ago is also for FEC Arcadia. It is from Haggai 2: 9 : “‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty.” Let us continue to prayerfully and humbly depend on Him and His Grace, and by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit serve Him and bless others through FEC Arcadia, as He reveals more of His glory to us in this present house.
I wish all of you at FEC Arcadia the Lord’s Best and Richest Blessings as you celebrate this 20th anniversary of your church and give all the glory and honor to Him! Walk by faith into the greater glory and beauty of the Lord in the year and years ahead in His present house at FEC Arcadia. Take care and keep well and keep up the good work, and the Lord bless you and keep you all in His grace and Shalom!
新的植堂異象
亞凱迪亞羅省基督教會是由母會格蘭岱爾羅省基督教會的植堂異象而開始。經過許多的禱告和尋求神的指引植堂方向，教會的牧師長執們決定在亞凱迪亞植堂。因此，亞凱迪亞羅省基督教會在2001年成立，爲要服事居住在聖迦谷地區華人的需要，教會中大部分是格蘭岱爾羅省基督教會粤語堂的成员，不少的英語堂成员，國語堂成员，和青少年成员。2001年第一個主日亞凱迪亞教會正式在租赁的亞凱迪亞第一初中和亞凱迪亞婦女俱樂部開始聚會。本人在第一年担任創會主任牧師。
亞凱迪亞教會開幕慶祝崇拜於 2001 年 3 月 4 日星期日舉行，當時的市長 Gary Kovacic 先生也有出席。 教會繼續租用辦公空間和聚會設施，直到主奇蹟般奇妙地供應了為我們一座教堂建築。 因此，亞凱迪亞教會於 2008 年搬遷至緊鄰亞凱迪亞市的蒙羅維亞市的前聖保羅路德教會，並於 2008 年 7 月 20 日在新購置的教堂舉行了我們的第一次聯合禮拜，讚美主！ 這就是亞凱迪亞教會现今的家。
亞凱迪亞教會植堂20年來，教會在牧職人員和主任牧師方面經歷了許多波折和變化。 最近還在蒙特利公園植堂，建立了恩上之家教會。 主很信實地用祂的恩典保守我們，祂正在帶領亞凱迪亞教會進入一個更新和祝福的新階段。 祂最近供應了我們新的牧師同工，包括新的粵語和協調牧師林天顺牧師和新的青年部黃斐然傳道。 2021 年 1 月 24 日亞凱迪亞教會植堂20 週年紀念，我的主日講道是在 Zoom 上進行的，因為持續的冠狀病毒大流行對我們所有人和許多教會都非常具有挑戰性。 讚美主！祂仍然信實地與我們同在，祝福我們，供應我們，保護我們！
我相信主對亞凱迪亞教會未來會有更多的祝福。 幾年前祂給我和格蘭岱爾羅省基督教會的預言也是給亞凱迪亞教會的預言。 哈該書 2章9節：”這殿後來的榮耀，必大過先前的榮耀，在這地方我必賜平安，這是萬軍之耶和華說的。” 讓我們繼續以禱告和謙卑依靠祂和祂的恩典，靠著聖靈的能力和同在，透過亞凱迪亞教會來服事祂和祝福他人，因為祂在這個家中向我們展示了祂更多的榮耀。
在慶祝教會成立 20 週年之際，我祝亞凱迪亞教會所有的人得到主的上好又豐富的祝福，並將所有的榮耀和尊贵歸給祂！ 在未來的歲月裡，憑著信心走進主在亞凱迪亞教會要顯示祂的更大的榮耀和美好。 保重，保持健康，繼續努力，願主賜福给你們，保守你們在祂的恩典和平安之中！
(陳善養牧師)
Senior Pastor, First Evangelical Church Glendale, and Founding Senior Pastor, First Evangelical Church, Arcadia. 格蘭岱爾羅省基督教會主任牧師，亞凱迪亞羅省基督教會創會主任牧師