AAPI Month Spotlight: Jonathan Wen

Q: How has your experience as someone of Asian/Pacific Islander (API) origin shaped your relationship with God?

Something that I put an emphasis on is community. Growing up, I enjoyed going to Chinese school and gatherings as those were the spaces where the minority became the majority. Those communities brought a lot of comfort to me as these were places I knew I could find common ground with other similar American-Born-Chinese (ABC) people. As I moved away from home, it became difficult to find community with other ABCs at times. That's when God showed me that community can also be His people regardless of race as Christians all share an incredible connection through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. No matter where you go, God will always guide you to a community to find fellowship and let your faith grow.

Q: Are there cultural practices or values that have helped you see or understand God more deeply?

A key cultural value that I hold close has been hospitality and serving. Growing up, my parents would host biweekly bible studies and various gatherings at our house. They put a lot of effort into making sure the house was clean and prepared a lot of food for these events. Whenever there were new asian families moving into town, they would be some of the first to greet them and even invite them to a meal at my place. Inside church, they would do a lot of behind the scenes work and make sure there was enough food for church lunches/picnics and inviting non-Christian families to come out to events. Their love and willingness to outreach to others has shown me a lot of God's love, patience, and the heart of serving. They served with full hearts willing to pour out to others so that others may understand who God is and how it has changed their lives and many others.

Q: Is there anything you wish the church knew about the API experience?

I think taking the time to listen to the experiences of API people is one of the best ways to learn more. I recall having heard some of the hardships my parents have gone through growing up and it reminds me that God works through all things. We are all God's people and every person shares a unique perspective that shows how God has transformed our lives just as 1st Corinthians 12 says how the body is made up of multiple parts. The experiences you hear will point to God's plan of redemption for us and the power of cross.

AAPI Month Spotlight: Kenji Adachi

1. How has your experience as someone of Asian/Pacific Islander (API) origin shaped your relationship with God?

Being Japanese/Asian echoes the values of an honor and shame culture found in the Bible and  magnifies the gospel of Jesus and how: sin must be atoned to save face and restore peace (Simeon & Levi in the rape of Dinah), the righteousness of Jesus covers my shame, Christ’s crucifixion restores his honor, my union/status/relationship with Jesus grants me honor, and concepts of the importance of the firstborn and the double inheritance bestowed on the firstborn are concepts within the Japanese culture.

2. Have there been moments in your faith journey where your culture has conflicted with your beliefs?

Committing my life to follow Jesus and to obey his call to be his disciple and then His call for full-time ministry was costly cross bearing as Jesus said - in relation to my unbelieving parents

3. Have you ever struggled with feelings of shame or guilt related to your racial identity or cultural background? If so, how have you processed those feelings? How does your faith speak to that?

I’ve felt both pride and shame of being different - a foreigner who was born in one of the most homogenous countries in the world in Japan and moving to a white-black civil rights city in the South in Greensboro. We stood out with our culture - our language, food, and customs with my parents Japanese accents (southern btw), egg salad sando and katsu sando instead of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch, taking off shoes and eating with chopsticks and on and on. Even if I was born in NC, I would’ve most likely felt like a perpetual foreigner and faced the sting of racism. The Bible comforts me in that Ephesians 2:19 informs me of my true home, “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.” My home is the kingdom of God. I am a citizen of heaven - thanks be to Jesus Christ.

AAPI Month Spotlight: Evelyn Beckwith

1. How has your experience as someone of Asian/Pacific Islander (API) origin shaped your relationship with God?

I think in the ways that community, food and hospitality have always been so important in my Korean American culture, community, food and practicing hospitality also happen to be the ways I engage with my relationship with Jesus the most. I love the passage in John 21 when Jesus appears to the disciples after a fishing trip gone wrong. The disciples just witnessed Jesus be crucified and their scared for what will happen next. They are in hiding. They are isolated. And yet when Jesus appears to them for a third time he meets them with tenderness. He does this in the community of his disciples. He practices hospitality by inviting them to have breakfast with him. He feeds them bread and fish. This is the Messiah - the savior who comes to meet and redeem us in community, through hospitality, over food. What good news this is.

2. Have there been moments in your faith journey where your culture has conflicted with your beliefs?

Growing up as 2.5 generation Korean American, my family always wanted the best for me. My parents had always told me that my family immigrated here so that we could make a better life for ourselves. And though that came with caring intentions, that meant the "better life" was defined by their expectations for financial stability. So, when I felt God's call to go into vocational ministry, my parents had concerns over how that could possibly be God's calling for me when it didn't seem like that calling would provide stability. Being obedient to God's call for my life seemed to conflict with what my parents wanted for me. In the end, I knew that following God and His call for my life was worth any earthly cost - even the cost of the support from my parents who I love. So despite their initial concern, I continued to pursue this call into vocational ministry. And through pursuing the Lord's call, my parents eventually came around and now support me to this day. 

3. Have you ever struggled with feelings of shame or guilt related to your racial identity or cultural background? If so, how have you processed those feelings? How does your faith speak to that?

Haha YES 100%. Especially growing up in a neighborhood where I was the only one that looked like me, I felt super insecure about my racial and ethnic identity. Why did I have to spend my saturdays going to Korean school when all the other kids played outside? Why did I have to get made fun of the food I brought to school? Why do other kids keep squinting at me, my eyes don't even look like that? It wasn't until college where I started to unpack the shame and guilt that I was holding as well as the internalized racism I had experienced. And the people who helped me to process those things were a few other friends of color from my campus ministry. Not only did I start to feel seen in my ethnic identity by people in my community, but as I processed the shame and guilt, I realized how much God sees me in my ethnic identity! And the way He created me in His image and to be Korean American was no mistake.

4. Are there any cultural practices or values that have helped you see or understand God more deeply?

Communal lament. Even though sometimes it feels harder and harder to believe God is with our people (API communities) due to the rise of anti-Asian hate, I am brought back to God's tenderness and mercy and "with-us"ness when I am in spaces of communities lamenting to the Lord together. It is through the guttural lament, the resonance of tears and heartache, and yet the providence of community that I can be pointed back to the hope of Christ in the midst of suffering.

5. Is there anything you wish the church knew about the API experience?

Don't dismiss the powers of our stories and testimonies. Storytelling is a HUGE way many AAPI communities continue to communicate and be reminded of the larger story of God through our stories and the stories of our ancestors. Oftentimes, people just don't think to ask us.

Also include our people in the stories of faith heroes (especially as we pass down stories to younger generations). Growing up, I never heard of many famous API theologians, missionaries, evangelists or Christian authors that people would reference or look up to. But God is doing an incredible work in the lives of faithful API saints too!!

Member Spotlight: Angela Lamborn

I came to faith in Christ at a Texas Fellowship of Christian Athletes camp the summer of my junior year in High School.  My basketball coach had given me and a couple of my teammates brochures to attend this FCA camp and encouraged all of us to go.  I believe about 4 or 5 of us went.  It was a life changing event as it literally changed my attitude, my behavior and my outlook on life.  I was very fortunate to have had a Christian coach who not only taught me the fundamentals of basketball but the fundamentals of the Christian life:)

I happily serve with the prayer team at APCC.  It is an honor and a privilege to pray over our APCC family who are seeking God’s help through prayer. Prayer has become an integral part of my life the last couple of years after having seen miracle after miracle in my life and in the life of others.  The Bible verse that really motivates and guides me is Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  Prayer is essential, necessary and a useful tool we can use to seek God’s Will in our lives.

Member Spotlight: Raymond Luo

One year ago, I attended All Peoples Community Church after hearing from a college friend that it was the church that all the cool kids attended. Though I have indeed come to know and grow close with cool kids at APCC, what continues to draw me to continue walking with our church family is the openness and genuine love for Christ and one another that we share each week. We are not afraid to openly share our imperfections. We ask one another to pray for us in our struggles. And we celebrate our victories every week. I stayed at APCC because I can see God working in All Peoples.

I currently serve on the Media team by helping create the weekly connect newsletter (the other, less popular one). I am thankful to be able to help in any capacity with our digital ministries. The internet represents 5.03 billion people--63.1% of the world's population--a number that is quickly growing each day and more than double the number of Christians in the world. Hopefully, we can reach any portion of that number with God's love.

With Appreciation,

Raymond Luo

Family Spotlight: Kunnath's

We found APCC after searching for an Acts 29 Church for Chelsea to attend once she moved to VA as her first duty station for the Navy. After listening to a few sermons online during our drive from Ohio to move Chelsea here, we decided APCC would be the first church we/she visited (and it ended up being our last). I (Chelsea) was immediately drawn to the diversity and authenticity of the community here at APCC. I was also encouraged by the women I had been meeting and had confidence that Isac would find strong community with the men when he would someday move here after we got married as we were dating at the time. When Isac started attending he was struck by how centered the sermons and teaching were around the gospel. APCC did not dilute scripture to appeal to current culture and society; but rather preached about our loving, unchanging, and all powerful Father.

We are currently serving in the Prayer, RT, Children, + Security ministries. Chelsea has always had a heart for prayer, I (Isac) call her a prayer warrior and we love serving together as a family. We serve in RT and security because of our passion and experience in healthcare. Chelsea serves in the Children’s Ministry because of her passion for kids and as a practical way to give back + serve the families who are often serving us!

Family Spotlight: Houlahan's

1. Why did you decide to visit and stay at APCC?
   We love the fellowship and diversity of our church family. We keep coming back because it’s fun and important to us to walk with other believers in community.

2. What ministry do you serve with and why?
   We serve in Sunday school and Dhruvika is helping out in the women's ministry. Some of our greatest influences have been our Sunday school teachers and we want to serve our church and children by trying to display and teach the gospel to them!

3. How did you come to faith in Christ?
   Both of us were saved as little children. We’ve enjoyed the fruits of our parents teaching us to know and trust the Lord from a young age!

Volunteer Spotlight: Alex Kang

Why did you decide to visit and stay at APCC?

I didn’t want to go to a Korean church that a lot of my old friends in the area went to. Nor did I want to go to a megachurch where there’s a ton of layers between the pastor and I. I googled local churches and essentially went with the first one; I got lucky in that sense with APCC. I stuck around since I wasn’t invited to join communion immediately while I wasn’t a member and the sermons were Christ-centered more so than a “do this to live a good life” speech. Grace and redemption were a necessary focal point for the sermons at the church I decided I want to commit to. I wanted to find a church that I could settle down and allow roots to grow.

I liked the fact that the church I saw while visiting wasn’t mono-cultural; it was multi-generational and there were kids everywhere—which was a rarity when I was in Korea. My current CG has a wide array of life stages which definitely helps shed different lights on sermons and topics that we discuss weekly. I like coming to church on Sundays and hearing how involved other members are in the local community; it feels as though I’m always hearing about a new outreach activity. There are always constant reminders that the mission field isn’t far off in some distant land; it’s right in front of us.

1. What ministry do you serve with and why?

In my time with APCC, I’ve been with the Welcoming team; Hon [McBride] signed me up before I could say okay. I’ve also recently joined the children’s ministry; though, as of now my time may be a bit strained since I’m finally opening my own restaurant. Children see things differently and it’s refreshing being around minds that are open to possibilities. Growing up I was fortunate to have consistent older brothers and sisters in the church to really invest time into me; and I’d like to be able to do the same.

1. How did you come to faith in Christ?

I grew up in a Korean Presbyterian church in the South where the Korean community was small. Church was a mix of Korean culture and pseudo-Christianity thrown in on top of it. That’s not to say there weren’t believers there, but meeting other Koreans and finding comfort with other Korean immigrants came first for many people that attended. Actions speak louder than words and there was always an “us vs. them” with the church’s actions towards the surrounding community. “Counting the cost” of following Christ didn’t come to mind until college when I began to take my faith seriously. 

Post-college life was challenging in terms of my walk since I lived most of it in a foreign country be it Korea or Vietnam or other random country. Living a lifestyle that is so transient and uncertain doesn’t allow space to plant roots. These times were deserts in terms of my faith, but my time in these deserts only strengthened and confirmed my faith in Christ.

Family Spotlight: The Beckwiths

We first visited APCC in early fall of 2021. We had recently gotten married and had moved into an apartment nearby in Fair Lakes. When we visited, everyone was immediately welcoming and we could feel that people really cared about getting to know us. We also loved the community's focus on being a diverse church for all peoples and holding true to Scripture.

After our second visit we felt that this was where God was calling us to to be in community - and Hon was right behind Him with an invitation to join the Welcome Team where we are currently serving. Both of us have been really blessed by community in the past at our college ministries and here at APCC, so we have really enjoyed getting to work with the Welcome Team in welcoming people into our community. We're excited to see how God continues to work through APCC to make His name known in Fairfax!

Family Spotlight: The Marquardts

We decided to visit and stay at APCC after hearing a message from Kenji, who was a guest speaker at George Mason CRU. He talked about starting a church plant (APCC) and we felt like God really spoke to us through Kenji's talk that evening. We were looking for a church to plug into as we transitioned out of college and decided to check out Kenji's church. We decided to stay at APCC because we loved APCC's community, how the church lives life together outside of the Sunday service, and how biblically-centered all the teachings are.

Currently, we serve on the Welcome Team. We both have a heart to minister to others through hospitality and building relationships, and have really enjoyed getting to meet people and help them get plugged into the community. We've witnessed first hand how important it is to be involved in the community and feel passionately about helping others get plugged in.

Member Spotlight: Jordan Winkler

You may have heard of a really cool couple named Greg and Sara Fisher who started coming to APCC. Greg happened to be working with my father so Greg invited my father who in turn invited me! I had been serving in youth ministry at another church mentoring high schoolers who had finally grown up (mostly) and moved on to a new chapter of their lives in college and beyond! It was one of the most rewarding experiences in my life and I took the opportunity to start a new chapter for myself as well. I plan to serve in kids’ ministry at APCC to share God’s love and excitement (and patience!) with the kids in our church. I myself accepted Jesus into my life as a kid. After September 11, 2001, I realized Jesus is the only person in control of anything and my childlike mind understood the value of trusting someone else with my life. Did I understand everything? Of course not. But God can redeem anyone with faith as small as a mustard seed.

Family Spotlight: The Duans

I, Charlie became a Christian soon after I came to the US in 1987 for graduate school. It is God's people's love and my awareness of my sins that made me accept Jesus Christ as my savior. Through sharing gospel, I met my wife through a mutual friend. Pauline and I feel God's love and blessing in our long time Christian life. My daughter Iris and son Wesley grew up in the Church, and we can say we are God's saved people.

My family (I, my wife and my son) began visiting APCC late 2019. All of us enjoy APCC church a lot. The APCC name first attracted us. We are the same in God's eyes: the sinners but are saved and blessed with his love and mercy. We stay because APCC is the church for all of us. The hope and peacefulness of his people affect us. The communication with Christ is impacting my life and is enhancing my faith in Christ.

As part of the Welcome Team we try to show God's love to other people by showing our blessing and forgiveness from God. We also enjoy participating in Connect Group Bible Study.

Family Spotlight: The Fribleys

We first visited APCC in Feb 2021 because we were looking for a church community nearby to support us as we grew closer as a couple and were talking about marriage. The services were biblically based and gospel-centered, and the community was very welcoming! We felt at home when many people there intentionally came over to introduce themselves and get to know us. Our top priorities in finding a church family were to have a church focused on community with one another, outreach to others, and being a place where we felt comfortable recommending friends of all different backgrounds to come and experience God’s family. We very quickly found APCC to check all of these boxes and have enjoyed getting further connected with everyone there.

Once APCC became our church home, we wanted to serve on ministry teams where we could serve together! We initially chose the Greeting Team because we remembered how welcoming they were on our first few visits, and we wanted to be those same people for others now who are visiting. We are social people, so it was a perfect fit to meet everyone and get connected quickly. We also serve on the Slides Team because we heard of the need for more people to help out! A few of the Slides Team members are in our CG, so we had even more of a desire to step up and help out our CG brothers and sisters. In both areas we have been able to grow closer to the APCC family, and we enjoy being a part of making Sunday services special for both visitors and members who are there to grow closer to God and glorify His name.

Easter Week Photo Series

EASTER IN THE ORDINARY

By: Amanda Burke & Laura Cheng

In a world with as much hustle and bustle as the one we live in today, there are precious few moments that capture our gaze and bring us to a place of stillness & reflection. It’s only with great intention that we are able to find the mindfulness to set aside a moment to just be, and be with God. 

Holy Week is a moment that calls us to that place of reflection and for us, both creating and appreciating art are very meditative practices. We wanted to approach Holy Week in this way, and the process of ideating and creating a photo series was a practice that allowed us to meditate on the Easter story over several weeks. We’d love to take you through some of the symbols and ideas captured in this series in hopes that it would bring you to a place of seeing the work and glory of God reflected in His work on the cross. 

The first image, Palms, is based on the passage in John 12 that recounts Jesus’ final triumphal entry into Jerusalem. When brainstorming the best image to represent this passage, there was no better symbol than the palms themselves. This symbol not only reminds modern day Christians of the Sunday before Easter, but also ties a thread to the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem. In the other gospel accounts, the crowd was described as laying their clothes and palm leaves on the ground. We wanted to capture this very moment by laying the palms in dirt. This act was a sign of reverence and recognition to  Jesus as King.  As you examine this image, our prayer is that you are reminded of this simple impactful truth.

The second image is titled Supper and flows from Matthew 26:26-29 where Jesus has his Last Supper with his disciples. Of course, for any of us that practice communion, the bread and wine were important symbols that Jesus used to foretell his coming crucifixion and the sacrifice he’d make that would bring us, sinners, to be reconciled with God. It was important to us to show the wine being spilled, and the bread torn apart to allude to the horrific bodily experience he would have on the cross. The backdrop of a wooden table points to his hanging on a wooden cross, and yet the richness of the colors of the golden cloth juxtaposes the glory of God incarnate humbling himself to the death of a common criminal.  

The third image is titled Gethsemane and was drawn from Matthew 26:36-46 where Jesus goes to the garden of Gethsemane with his disciples before the incident he knows is to come. Over the course of the night he asks his companions to pray with him as he experiences great anguish and yet they keep falling asleep. In this image, we wanted to capture his emotional turmoil, reflected in the stormy sky, and his upward gaze demonstrates his communication with God, pleading for another way. We shot a person sitting alone because we wanted to show the loneliness he must have felt as his companions were sleeping, accenting the dark blues of the sky to represent the melancholy and dread of the moment. 

The fourth image titled Crucified draws inspiration from the account of Jesus Crucifixion found in Matthew 26:26-29. Unlike the previous images, we decided to represent this passage more symbolically. The crimson rose lying in the dirt with a fallen petal is meant to represent the body of Christ slain for our sins. The color red is meant to convey a direct correlation to the blood spilled. The thorns on the stem are meant to signify the crown of thorns. We chose to purposely keep this image in dark tones to convey a feeling of despair. On Crucifixion day, the Roman and Jewish authorities believed they had won. For the disciples, all hope seemed lost but there was a greater victory taking place. 

The fifth image titled In the Waiting is meant to represent the time between death and resurrection. We drew inspiration from the passage found in Luke 24:1 where it states the women had prepared spices to take to the tomb. We chose to use warm tones to represent the morning of resurrection. We imagine the women would have set aside spices and oils in jars to prepare for the traditional burial procedures. The disciples continued in their standard routines not aware of the great joy to come.

The last image is titled Alive and draws from Matthew 28:1-10. In this photograph, we wanted to capture the hope and bright future that we have to look forward to as a result of the completed work of Jesus’ death & resurrection. The tear in the cloth represents the temple curtain that tore upon Jesus’ death that now gives us access to approach God, because our sins have been forgiven. The sun peeks through the cloth to show the future hope we have in an eternity with God. And the purple color of the cloth represents the royalty or highness of God.

Member Spotlight: Zack High

I always love telling the stories of how I became a follower of Christ, and how I found APCC specifically. Both stories have a common theme! In the summer of 2016, I was out playing Pokémon GO, the newly released sensation that had swept the planet, when I met my friend Andre. He invited me to his church, and the sermon for the Sunday service that I attended was about finding pleasure in God rather than in material possessions. This was a topic that applied to me directly, and I felt convicted by the Holy Spirit and resultantly put my faith in Christ later that week. My spiritual life blossomed over the following years, but I eventually reached a point where I was looking for a change. Fast forward to the winter of 2019, when I was out playing Pokémon GO (again) and I met my friend Arnold Cheng, a fellow member of APCC. After exchanging church backgrounds, he invited me to APCC. I attended with curiosity, and I was immediately captivated by the welcoming nature of APCC’s congregants, its strong sense of community, and its mission to make and foster disciples for Christ. After attending a few more times, I decided to become a member! Moral of my spiritual story: God works in mysterious and often humorous ways—in this case through a silly video game!

I serve on the worship team as a percussionist. Playing music has always been one of my favorite ways to express myself. I played the saxophone all throughout middle school, high school, and college, and I loved every second of it. Additionally, my strong sense of internal rhythm (as well as the fact that my dad was a drummer, so it’s “in my blood”) meant I was always drumming on something. After joining APCC and having a conversation with Kirk An, our former worship director, I sat under his direction for a few drum lessons before getting “cut loose” on our worship team, where I have served ever since! Musical worship is my favorite way of communicating with God, so serving on the worship team has been a delightful and fulfilling experience!

Family Spotlight: The Smiths

Here's a little bit about us and our faith. We both started following Jesus in college, a bit over ten years ago. While we had both grown up in Christian homes, neither of us really understood the Gospel or our need for a relationship with God until college. For both of us, it was at our respective low points, that Jesus met us. Thankfully, we both had great friends and community that we could walk with and learn from. As time has gone on, our faith and relationship with the Lord looks a lot different than it did then, but we are thankful to be where we are.

We had originally started coming to APCC in 2019. At the time, we wanted to be a part of a church community that welcomed all different peoples, not just people that looked like us or came from the same background as us. APCC quickly became our home as we got plugged in with the Government Center Connect Group. We felt that we could be ourselves at APCC and didn't have to pretend to be perfect followers of Christ, but could come as we are. Getting to be a part of our Connect Group/Equip Group has been such a great blessing as we grow together and hopefully help others grow in the Gospel as well.

Family Spotlight: The Winklers

We currently enjoy greeting at the front entrance, and helping to set up the coffee/tea hospitality table. This is a great way to meet members of the church, but we will have to relearn everyone’s faces without masks! We attended the Children’s Ministry meeting a few weeks ago, and found ourselves drawn toward a ministry we are familiar with. We have taught 4th grade through 12th grade Sunday School, along with
Pre-K to 2nd grade AWANA programs. It's always a joy to introduce children to the Bible, and walk through its history. In addition, the teaching team provides another small group experience within the church.

Regarding how we found All Peoples. Scott enjoys connecting with Christians at his workplace, and asked Greg Fisher where he attended. Greg, Sarah, and Georgie were kind enough to introduce us to the church family. We were impressed at how everyone was so welcoming, not just the first Sunday but on each following week. We were excited to learn about the Connect Groups. These are not that common in most churches and always provide a great way to study the Word. We wanted a church where you could invite friends and family to hear the Gospel and see the joy of a Christian community. And we have found that at APCC.

Family Spotlight: The Goldmans

We came to APCC in search of a church closer to home since we had been driving far to our previous church and were missing community. We were immediately drawn to APCC by the warm and friendly people, how evident it is that they truly love God, the excellent and compelling teaching of the Word, the heartfelt worship, and the presence of the Holy Spirit. We are thrilled to have found this church close to home and to be able to engage in fellowship during the week.

We are currently serving in several ministries. Michael mentors in the sound ministry and has played trumpet for worship. Dede enjoys serving women by mentoring, encouraging younger wives, and teaching Bible study. We will soon serve together as premarital and marriage mentors. We have been happily married for over 40 years and have enjoyed many years in premarital ministry. We look forward to making new friends and building relationships at APCC.

Member Spotlight: Cassius Ali

Hey church family! My name is Cassius Ali and I have been coming to APCC since October 2016. I’m an Android developer from New Jersey who loves gaming, music, kung fu, and spending quality time with friends and family. In my time at APCC I’ve served in the Children’s Ministry, Worship Team, and more recently as a leader in my Connect Group. It’s been such a blessing to serve in these ministries as I’ve been able to witness things such as the children steadily getting to know Jesus and the Spirit moving mightily through the congregation during worship. As someone who grew up in a family of singers, it’s truly amazing to see everyone coming together to lift their praises to the Lord and an honor to be able to use my passion for music to play a part in it.

I first came to APCC after being invited by a fellow member, Jeff Lau, who was my co-worker at the time. It had been my first time going to church since moving here, and I was surprised by how kind and Christ-centered the community at APCC was. In my childhood I grew up going to church, but the churches that my family visited didn’t seem to have a clear focus on the gospel or on growing together as a community, which stunted my spiritual growth. Looking back now on the way God has shaped me through this church family makes it clear how much God loves me and that He’s made a place where I can participate in the Kingdom mission. I feel so blessed to be a part of this church family, and I look forward to seeing how God will continue to use APCC in the future!

Family Spotlight: The Lee Family

Tongil and Corinne were both singles when we joined APCC in 2016 to help start All Peoples. Tongil was one of the founding members and Corinne joined shortly after the church officially launched when she moved to the area after college. We both loved the Gospel-centered community as well as the mission to reach all peoples.

We co-lead Fairfax Towne Center Connect Group and Tongil serves as an Elder and in worship ministry. We love hosting our connect group and sharing meals with people. It is encouraging to hear how God is working in the lives of people across our church community and as new parents understanding a new depth to God’s love for us as we raise Josiah.