Written by Philip Cheung, Photo by Dennis Zhang
ComePassion is a ministry that holds events with powerful worship and Christ-centered themes portrayed in creative ways. We hardly ever, in fact, we’ve never, paid a speaker to come and preach to us. Instead we try to think outside the box to share our event’s theme or topic to our audience. Up to this point, we’ve tackled the issue of what it means to be satisfied by interviewing people close to us. Through drama, we’ve asked why a good God allows bad things to happen. We’ve asked ourselves what happens when we are confronted with peer pressure, both good and bad. And most recently, we had a unique prayer meeting with artists praying for people through photography, art, fashion, and song.
ComePassion is a group of people just like you. We come from different churches,different denominations, different cultures and different upbringings. But our most common denominator is that we come together without bias, longing to accomplish one goal only: worship Jesus Christ, our Savior.
Currently, we are graciously hosted by the First Chinese Baptist Church of Los Angeles (FCBC, LA), however we are unaffiliated with this church. The ComePassion leadership team is made up of six people. Our team ranges from people who attend one of the smallest churches in Southern California (i.e. a house church) to one of the largest churches (for example, Evergreen Baptist Church of Los Angeles). So you see, we are definitely without judgment in what we look for in a church, instead we stress to each other the importance of maintaining and growing a passion to praise God in every part of our lives.
Together, we are an actor, a videographer, a writer, a musician, a graphic designer, and a pastor. It is with these special gifts that we’re able to push ourselves to demand more than what is expected and hopefully, motivate others to do the same.
Assembling together for the first time, we asked each other, has the American church cornered our faith into believing that praise and worship of God is limited to preaching, teaching, singing, and giving money? We unanimously believed, that while all is well with these forms of worship, our minds should not be demarcated in the ways we can praise our Lord Jesus Christ, instead we should be liberated in the infinite possibility given to us. The underlying force driving us to start ComePassion was the fear of being complacent and the urgency to offer God glory.
Our vision is that praising God becomes a way of life that goes beyond what we see with our eyes. In the same way that we work and study, and to do this to see our parents proud of what we’ve accomplished, we should carry that same determination to make our Heavenly Father proud of what we’ve done. If that means worshiping with your guitar, working the cashier at Old Navy, studying for your biology test, or even taking the trash out, do it; and do it with praise in your heart so that the love of Christ shines through you like a ray of light bursting through the cracks. For this is where the notion of our name, ComePassion, comes from. It’s an invitation to everyone to use your talents and your passions to glorify God.
Especially with the technology available and the ever-evolving methods of media around us, ComePassion yearns for the day we can all praise God in our own little gigantic niches.
There’s a verse in 1 Timothy that reads, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young…” Our prayer is that people will understand what we are trying to accomplish and that we aren’t being judged by our age or by our lavish dreams. We know that it’s not only okay, but it’s a glorious thought that we aren’t confined to worshiping like everyone else but that our uniqueness defines us.
Our hope is that we can become a type of ministry that allows all who wish to honor the Lord to have the access and resources to do so. We hope to provide the direction they lack and the inspiration they thirst for. ComePassion wants to be a venue where neither taboo nor judgment is present, instead purpose and ambition is lifted as the glory of our God!
Imagine your faith with purpose. Come, passion.
Philip Cheung is the worship leader at San Gabriel Valley Alliance Church and the founder of ComePassion. He has been serving on a worship team since he was 14. He has led worship for youth camps, leadership and pastoral conferences, revivals, and college fellowship retreats. After studying biology at California State University Long Beach, he has been working at a compounding pharmacy for the past three years. He currently lives in Temple City with his wife, Candice and one-year-old daughter, Paige.
Head over to RE:NEW Magazine Issue 1 to read this story in its original format.
- Interview with Calvin Chu - November 27, 2013
- In God’s Eyes – The Story Behind the Song - April 12, 2012
- Living with Purpose! (Part 3) - March 2, 2012
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