This is the column I wrote for last week:
I had a conversation with Mike Chung during a Timothy teachers’ meeting whether to do something special for the Father’s Day. We were mourning over the fact that there is always a huge hype over Mother's Day but we seem to just skim over Father's day without much celebration. Every Mother’s Day has been filled with special events and the church even sells special corsages for mothers. But we, the fathers, do not get anything special on Father’s days. As the conversation went on, I began to think about how the children usually do not appreciate their dads as much as their moms, especially when they are young. Perhaps one of the reasons is that the children see and receive more tangible love from their mothers. Mothers in general, are more closely involved with children's life whereas fathers tend to be less involved in their kids' life because of work schedule and other obligations. However, we know fathers have a very important role of bringing security and stability to their families. These are the situations that I see in many families but certainly do not apply to every family. So don’t be offended if you are a mother or a father who’s totally different from what I described above.

As i think back to my childhood, I remember my mom always being around. She was there to send me off to school in the morning, cook me a warm meal, dressed me in proper attire until i was old enough to take care of myself. Disciplining can spanking were almost exclusively done by mom except for a couple times when i got into major trouble and dad had to step in with a stronger force. However, as I entered middle school, I started to notice my dad being more involved in my life. I am not so sure whether he was intentionally doing it but my dad came into my life at a critical time when I needed him the most. Being a typical middle child did not help as I was going through the teenage years. I always felt incompetent in everything and felt like I didn’t get enough love and attention when my siblings were always the focal point of our family.
Whether my dad was being intentional or not didn’t really matter because he was able to embrace my longing to receive more love. He was exceptionally encouraging to me, or at least I felt like it. He not only talked about love, he went over and beyond in my opinion to carry out his love for me and my family. I simply cannot get into all the details in this short writing, but I have so many good memories of my dad within the first 2 years of my middle school years when our relationship was taken up to a whole new level. It has never been the same ever since. As I realized how much this man love me and cares for me, I not only became a good son, my attitude towards life and myself completely changed.
As I get older and became a father, I am appreciating the sacrifice and love my father poured upon my life even more. I pray and hope that I can show the kind of love that my father showed me to my own kids. It will be a true challenge but a worthy one because I want my kids to have the same love and respect for me as their father that I have for my own father.

From Pastor Brian’s Heart
June 23, 2013

We would not have been able to remain at NCFC today without God's promise that He will always be with us to the ends of the earth. Therefore, who would not fear God, and who would not praise God's name?  All praise and glory be to God, who with infinite grace and mercy is guiding our church.
We see many of our church members striving towards unity by encouraging one another even with differing opinions and feelings. In this, we have assurance that NCFC can remain as a church that 'makes disciples of all nations to give glory to God.’ Our church, focused on the gospel, desires to continue in advancing God’s kingdom through evangelism and missions with the dream of seeing His kingdom fully come here on earth as we await the return of our Savior, Jesus.  Nevertheless, we apologize for not having been able to tend to the needs of our struggling church members due to many issues needing our immediate attention. In the future, we will serve our church members with more humility, care and prayer.      
The resignation of Pastor Jamie, who steadfastly served with us for the past 23 years, brings NCFC much sorrow and sadness. However, we pray with earnest hearts that God will be with Pastor Jamie and continue to use him for His glory.
The Board of Elders would like to share our official position and clarification on several issues related to Pastor Jamie's resignation.
Firstly, no official documents prepared by or speeches made publicly by the Board of Elders in the past have contained the term 'embezzlement' in reference to Pastor Jamie.  Nevertheless, it is our sincere regret if these baseless rumors and assumptions by people both in and outside of NCFC have caused any damage to Pastor Jamie's reputation.
Secondly, should any information in official documents prepared by the Board of Elders be revealed as inaccurate, we will share the corrected information publicly.
Thirdly, we will offer Pastor Jamie payment toward his retirement that includes the retirement pension funds already paid to date and the amount equivalent to his salary for the remaining months of his sabbatical. We regret not being able to provide more generously due to the current difficult financial situation of our church. We pray for God's abundant blessings upon Pastor Jamie.    
Fourthly, we will repay the loan given to us from Covenant Christian School (CCS) after appropriate adjustments.
Other remaining issues not referenced above will be settled as soon as possible through discussions with Pastor Jamie.  Please pray for the Holy Spirit to guide the process so the outcome will be honoring to God and the church. 
Again, we would like to thank Pastor Jamie and Dr. Kim for serving our church for the past 23 years.  We pray expectantly for God's guidance to be upon Pastor Jamie, Dr. Kim, Jeremy, Stephanie and Elliott and for God to receive even greater glory through them in the future.
A farewell reception for Pastor Jamie will take place at VA campus at 5pm next Sunday, June 23rd.  Please join us to honor and remember Pastor Jamie and his years at NCFC. 
Lastly, we know that God, and only God, will receive glory through everything. Considering how all things in this world are under God's providence and plan, we eagerly pray for 'all things to work together for good' so He alone will receive all the glory through New Covenant Fellowship Church and Pastor Jamie.

June 16, 2013

NCFC Board of Elders