80th Anniversary Sunday at Ontario Community Church

Well, hello and welcome to Ontario Community Church's Sermon Podcast.

! Today you're going to hear highlights from our 80th anniversary, stories of God's faithfulness,

! a vision for the next generation, and a short word pointing us to the hope in Christ. Let

us start where God began this work among us.

All right, turn the cats, turn the cats, we've got to stay on time here. I know, it's so nice

to see everybody. You can chat downstairs. Okay, there's a couple of announcements that

I wanted to make prior to the rest of our service. This day has been in the planning for months,

and there's just some people that I wanted to thank. This was definitely a team and a

group effort. So, Nora, Nora, where's Nora, and Diana Yano, and myself, we kind of were

the, we were the volunteered group to lead up the celebration, but there were so many

people that had their hands in today's work. So, I just want to draw their attention. Just

special thanks to Amber Daly, Chris Van Liff, Lita Gressley, Benny Carter, Jose and Liliana

Delgado, Mark Iceri, Katie and Hadley Grover, and Kathy Ida for all of the help in setting up,

and wait until you go downstairs if you haven't. It is beautiful. So, thanks to all those folks

who really had a part in making the celebration just truly what it is today. And for all of our

staff, thank you. Let's give a round of applause. So, I'm looking outside, and Bill, is it, did it

stop raining? Okay, so the plan is right after service, we are going to go outside and take

our photo. So, I'm here in front of the church. And so, we'll do that quickly, and then we'll

come back inside, and we'll have our lunch program. So, hopefully the rain will keep away, and we'll

be able to get the photo. We'll also say grace before we leave this sanctuary, so we can go

ahead and get in line and start the meal downstairs. And again, we just want to thank you all for

coming. So, now we're going to just really kind of calm our hearts and our minds, and gather

our thoughts, and come together in some prayer. Just a nice time for us to reflect. So, if you

could all join me in bowing your heads. Dear Lord, thank you for this day and the opportunity

to gather at this place of worship to enjoy fellowship and praise for our life eternal.

We are here today to celebrate a huge milestone for our church, acknowledging and praising you

for 80 years of blessings. Our church footprint, its congregation, identity, and mission has

evolved and changed over time. Today, Ontario Community Church is a growing fellowship of

believers, friends, and families who represent our diverse community and who honor and praise

our Lord and Savior. We've come a long way, and our rich history and past continues to mold

and shape our future. We honor and recognize all our past ministers, board members, volunteers,

staff, and friends who have considered this special place and call it their home. From our first

church bazaar to all the countless gatherings and events, happy and sad, this place, our church,

has been an important piece of the fabric of our community. We lift up all praises for God for this

special day. Father, please continue to watch over our community, those who are struggling with

medical, mental, and financial needs. Bestow wisdom, character, and compassion on our local and national

leaders. Bestow serving in our armed forces, our first responders, and all those who work in our hospitals

and medical facilities, and all those who take care of our underserved populations.

Thank you for watching over Ontario community, our church family, Pastor Patrick, Amber, and their family, our board, staff, and volunteers. Be with those who couldn't be with us here today. Heal those who are sick and hurt, and those in need of encouragement, strength, and faithfulness.

Please help us to remain faithful and hopeful in a world full of difficulty and challenge.

Thank you for bringing us here today. Let us honor, celebrate, and give thanks for Ontario Community Church and 80 years of blessings.

We ask all this in the name of our Lord, who taught us to pray and sing. Our Father.

Lord, Lord, and heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy glory be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread, and give us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

and lead us now into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

and the power,

and the glory of your forever.

Amen.

Thank you.

And now I'd like to call on our board chair, Craig Yano.

And as he is coming forward,

you know, many of you,

you all know who's on the board.

I'd like all the board members to please stand.

Board members.

Thank you.

I'm Cicero,

Ralf Kro,

Patty Faw,

Kathy,

myself,

and Aaron Reins,

who's not here.

So, thank you, Kathy.

Well, good morning, everyone.

Thank you for joining us today.

What a joy and blessing it is

to be standing here before you

to celebrate the 80th anniversary of our church.

and I have to warn you,

I'm not a public speaker.

I'm a farmer.

I spend more time with my dog than people.

And then they said,

you got 10 minutes to cover 80 years.

So, here we go.

I'd like to thank Kathy for,

for,

she was kind of the front person

in organizing a lot of the celebrations.

She did a lot of work

and she's a great facilitator.

So,

I think she deserves a round of applause.

Before we get going,

I'd like to introduce a few more people.

I'd like to introduce our paid staff

on our church,

at our church here.

and it's headed by Pastor Patrick Daly,

if you can mind standing.

And his wife,

Amber Daly,

who is head of our

chair of the ministry.

Also,

Nora Dean.

She don't call her.

She is fast.

Nora Dean is our

church secretary

and she makes sure

that the church is running well.

So,

thank you.

And,

in addition,

even in this little church,

it takes a ton of volunteers

to run this church.

And,

there are just way too many

for me to mention.

I just want you to know

that you're greatly appreciated

everything you do

for this church.

Whether it's

taking care of the audio video

or doing the worship music

or taking care of the,

the events downstairs

or Sunday school.

There's just

volunteers everywhere

and that's the only way

that this church can function.

And,

I know that the board

and,

and I do,

I,

I greatly appreciate

the work that you put in.

So,

thank you.

Yay.

Also in attendance today

is,

um,

our former pastor,

Tom Greco

and his wife,

uh,

Gid.

Would you please stand?

Thank you.

Thank you.

Pastor Tom and Gail

put their retirement

on hold

in order to serve

as our 14th

pastor in the church.

He provided,

uh,

critical leadership,

uh,

during the pandemic.

And,

I know that it was all

part of God's plan

for bringing him here.

Uh,

thank you for your

attendance today.

Thank you for your

selflessness

and your,

uh,

faithful service.

Thank you.

Um,

over the course

of 80 years,

um,

we've had

15 pastors.

Each of these pastors

have brought their own

gifts,

um,

their own vision,

their own love

for the congregation.

And we're grateful

for each of them

for their leadership,

um,

their faithfulness,

and their legacy

they left in our hearts

and in our church.

The last group

that I'd like to

recognize,

um,

is there,

there are a few,

uh,

Nisei generation,

uh,

Japanese Americans

here.

Nisei means

second generation.

So,

they are the,

um,

second generation

Japanese Americans

and between them

and the Nisei,

they were the first

generation.

They were the foundation

of our church.

And there's a few

of you here

and if you wouldn't

mind standing for me,

uh,

my aunt,

T.I.

Kido.

Um,

I see George

and Dorothy Ita.

Margaret Morita.

And David Sherry

and I.

Junior Asinda.

You might stand

for your best

thanks to me.

Thank you all

for your time

and talents

and support

of this church

over the years.

You've made

that church meaningful

and what it is today.

We'll be playing,

we'll be playing

a video shortly

with many pictures

and,

um,

of the past

and present,

but I'd like

to go over

a few milestones

in history.

We were established

in,

on Easter Sunday,

April 1st,

1945,

as Boise Valley

Community Methodist

Church.

At the end

of the Second World War,

Japanese Americans

were released

from internment camps

and many of them

settled in the valley

here to,

um,

work in the fields.

Among them

were our founding members

who had the foresight,

the faith,

and the fortitude

to plant the seeds

of this church.

We were one of the main

Japanese American

Christian churches

in the valley.

In 1946,

construction started

on this church

with a dedication

a year later

in 1947.

And parts of the

original church

are still here,

including this

beautiful stained

glass window.

A parsonage

was built

a year later

adjacent to the church.

And,

um,

the cost

for both of those

was $33,706.

About $400,000

in today's dollars.

And to help

pay for that mortgage,

the church

established

what they call

the Lord's Acres.

and,

um,

this was a local

field of sugar beets.

And,

it was tended to,

uh,

church,

it was tended to

by church members

growing for the church.

Um,

many of the inputs

were all,

um,

were donated.

And that,

that went on

for two years

and that,

um,

project netted

$4,728.49.

That's how precise

they were.

And that helped

them pay

them more

to drop

than four years.

in 1947,

as Kathy,

remember,

mentioned,

we,

we held

our first,

um,

bazaar

and,

um,

and we still

hold it today.

To the best

of my knowledge,

it's been held

every year

with the exception

of 2020

and 2021

during the pandemic.

In addition

to fundraising,

um,

we are using

this event

to reach out

to our community

and share

God's love.

Approximately

20%

of the proceeds

are donated

back into

our local

community

for local

missions.

In 1966,

the church

went through

a remodel

and the changes

reflected the

generational growth

of our congregation,

mainly the third

generation,

the Sanse.

They added space

for classrooms,

for worship,

and for fellowship.

It was completed

a year later

at a cost

of about $80,000

and that debt

was paid

by the end

of 1969,

three years

ahead of the plan.

The next 44 years,

we were faithful

and supportive

members of the

Methodist denomination,

but in 2010,

we took a significant

step of faith

by choosing

to separate from them.

this was by far

one of the most

difficult decisions

I've been a part of.

Our primary goal

was to preserve

the unity

of our congregation.

And amongst the board

and the congregation,

there was much

prayer and discernment,

but we decided

to separate ties.

And when that happened,

the Methodist

denomination

wanted all of our

assets,

and we said no,

and they didn't

like that.

And so they sued us.

And after a brief

legal vow,

we were required

to buy back

our church.

And the total

due was $358,000,

of which the church

had $205,000.

And we needed

$150,000

in six weeks.

And we were able

to raise that

with God's help.

And we were able

to buy back

our church.

And since then,

we've been

a non-denominational

church.

In 2014,

we remodeled

once again.

And this time,

the major change

was adding

the elevator

and handicapped

restrooms.

and the church

was built on

the church.

And I know

that sounds

small to some,

but we were

committed to

providing a place

of worship

that was accessible

to all.

The original church

was built on three

levels with no

wheelchair access.

And the capital

fundraising campaign

was started in

2014,

construction started

in 2015,

2015,

and the project

was completed

and dedicated

in February

of 2016.

Total project

cost was $797,000

and was completely

paid for

by 2017.

I highlight

these events

just to show

the resilience

and faithfulness

of past

and present

church members.

But mostly,

they are examples

of God's

never-ending

and everlasting

love.

Through every

hardship of time

and uncertainty,

or time of

uncertainty,

God has

always provided

for us.

And today,

as we look back,

we honor the

elders who came

before us.

We remember

their sacrifices,

their sadcastness,

and their

unwavering belief

that God was

with them,

even in the

most difficult

times.

80 years ago,

we started out

as a church

of singular

ethnicity,

and today,

we represent

many.

Another sign

of God's

wonderful plan.

God's

love.

And I saw

a quote in

some of the

documents of

a church leader

way back in

the 1940s,

and it simply

read,

the future of

the church is

not easy to

predict.

And that simple

statement still

holds true today,

especially as we

look forward,

knowing the many

challenges that

we face in our

modern times.

God has been

with this church

from the beginning,

and I'm positive

he'll be with us

in the future.

On a personal

note, in

preparing for

this day,

I looked over

many documents

and photos,

and it became

evident very

quickly that

through this

church, God

has touched

the lives of

many people.

There are

hundreds and

hundreds of

people who

have served

this church

or been

served by

this church.

It's

overwhelming

when you

think about

it.

More importantly,

God has

provided 80

years of

blessings,

his steadfast

love is

overwhelming,

and I know

the story of

this church

is still being

written,

and I'm

truly honored

to be a

small part of

it.

Thank you for

attending today.

I hope you

enjoy the rest

of our

celebrations.

Thank you.

Wow.

That was

amazing.

Looking back

at all those

pictures,

truly 80

years of

blessings.

amazing.

I just

wanted to

shout out

to,

special

thanks to

Diana and

Craig and

Pastor for

helping put

together that

amazing video.

Imagine all

the pictures and

all the videos

that went into

trying to put

that all and

condensing it

together.

Thank you so

much.

What a beautiful

reflection.

thank you.

Chris Van

Leap put

together some

of our old

photo albums and

some different

things from our

past, and it's

right down as

you go down to

the steps.

So please,

I already checked

it out and looked

at some of the,

gosh, when I was

in middle school and

high school, and we

had church

conferences, and so

lots of great

memories.

So please, Chris,

thanks for doing

that.

So please go down

and look at all

of those photo

albums and some

of our memories.

The sun is

shining.

Praise God.

And so when we

finish the

conclusion of the

service, we are

going to go outside

and take our

photo.

Also just a short

reminder that we

have a freewill

offering box just

right as you are

going through the

meal.

So if you want

to donate and

help us with the

meal today, that

would be

much appreciated.

And now I'm

going to turn the

time over to

Pastor Patrick,

and we'll start

with Amber.

All right.

So churches, we

celebrate 80 years

of faithfulness.

I'm excited to

share what God is

calling us in our

families and

children's ministry.

And I say for the

next 20 years,

because this church

will be here for

its 100th celebration

in just 20 years.

So we're just,

we're dreaming and

calling on God and

asking him to just

prepare our hearts.

And as Craig had

noted, we don't know

what the future does

look like.

We don't know.

But we can faithfully

pray and see what is

going on in our

community and who the

people are in our

community, who the

children and the next

generation of people

are and what they

need.

And so with that, a

vision for our family

and children's

ministry is to have a

generation rooted in

Christ.

We envision children

growing up to know

Jesus, not just on

Sundays, but at home,

at schools, and in

their neighborhoods.

And our goal is that

every child at OCC has

a personal connection

with one of you in

this service.

And that is going to

be so important to

passing on our past,

our present, and

building for our

future.

In today's world,

sometimes people turn

a blind eye to things.

They don't know the

past.

So I think it's been

beautiful to learn the

history of this church

and to learn where we've

come from so that we

don't make mistakes that

have happened.

Sometimes we are.

We're going to have

that happen as well,

but we can pull upon

the wisdom and

knowledge of those

before us.

So we would really

like to see that as

something going forward,

a part of the

children's and families

ministry is to connect

one child with one

person in the church.

And you guys can write

letters.

You guys can share

stories.

I know Miss Mary,

she's always there with

my kiddos, and my

kids just love that.

They talk about Miss

Mary.

Playing marbles all the

time, and that

connection that they

have with another

person in a completely

different generation.

And I think of all the

wisdom she will pour

into my kids throughout

their lifetime.

So just keep thinking

about that.

Maybe there's a kid in

our church right now

that you just connect

with for some reason.

They remind you of you,

or they're so opposite of

you that you're intrigued,

and you just want to

share a story with them.

You bring a coloring page

or something, you know?

Just having that personal

connection with the

children of our church,

because our children are

going to need that

building block.

Many of you sitting here

were children in this

church.

And that's a beautiful

thing that you guys were

raised up in such a way

that built what we have

today.

And our second piece of it

is that multi-generational

discipleship.

So families are important

to discipleship.

Families are critical.

And today we don't see

many complete families,

and that's okay.

We would love for there

to be complete families,

but we have to go with

what we have to give them,

the tools and the skills.

So we do that by partnering

with Building Healthy

Families.

We have dad cafes and,

excuse me, parent cafes.

And we do, now we're going

to be doing our second

annual Strengthening

Families class.

And this gives parents

practical tools.

It gives the kids

practical tools of how to

live with each other.

Don't you wish you had

like a playbook to how to

talk to your mom or your

dad when you were little?

And so it's just creating

this relationship.

So we really are leaning

into that ministry.

That we're able to partner

with them and just be that

presence.

It's held here in our church.

And while it's not a

Christian program, we get

to pour into them and pour

our stories and our wisdom

into them.

And so I think it's just a

wonderful thing that we are

doing and we'd like to

continue doing.

We want to connect

grandparents, parents, and

children, as I noted.

number three, a place where

every child belongs.

And this is something that

in the last year has really

been on my heart.

Seeing children walk into

our church that have needs.

They have a special way they

like to learn.

They have special interests.

And so we really are, we're

working on creating sensory

spaces for them.

Our partner, Building Healthy

Families, gave us a kit to help

kids with sensory processing

things and just helping them.

So we really want to be a

place where people are

welcomed, our children are

welcomed, and they are loved.

And they know that they're

loved.

That's so important to us.

Give them the tools that they

need.

For preparing the next

generation, we are not just

raising children to attend

church.

We're raising children who

have a heart for Jesus.

Who they want to help their

community.

I look out and I see critical

people in our community.

Whether that be at the

community college.

Whether that be at the

cultural center.

May that be in the chamber of

commerce for Fruitland or

Ontario.

There are movers and shakers in

our congregation.

And that is one piece.

If you can just give them that

wisdom and that heart for

serving their community, it

will make such a big

difference.

And so we pray for the

children and families that

come into our church.

We want to have a mentorship

program.

And Lord willing, we're able

to connect in the schools, get

some youth programs going.

For some of them right now,

we've got a slew of littles.

And that's okay.

But we want to connect with

our youth as well.

As we go to the next

generation of godly leaders.

And I just want to invite you

guys to participate.

I know it can be scary with a

bunch of little toddlers

crawling and hugging you and

holding on you.

And they just want to love on

you.

But they just have the

sweetest hearts.

And they want to know and

love Jesus.

They talk about Jesus all the

time.

And it's such a beautiful

thing.

And I know that will touch

your heart.

If you just step in,

teaching or mentoring, or

maybe you can't lift up.

And that's okay.

We can, you know, maybe you

can pray the snacks.

Or you can make copies for

the kids.

Or, you know, different

things.

Coloring books.

You can think of a craft and

come and talk to me and we

can get that going for them.

But I really want you guys to

think about how you can

connect with our children and

our families and our church.

church.

It's important.

And it is the future.

It is the future of the

church.

But you guys are building into

that future.

So, as the next 20 years of

our family and children's

ministry is growing, we know

that Jesus will work in their

lives faithfully.

And that Jesus will enact in

them this heart to serve.

So, we are committed to that.

And church, I'd love for you

guys to join in that mission

with us.

To serve our children.

Thank you.

Is my microphone on?

All right.

Well, we're going to go over the

book of Ezekiel real quick.

You didn't get the jump in,

right?

No, I've got only a few minutes

here to just kind of go over.

You know, God has worked in this

place in such great capacities.

God has, the spirit of God has

been moving in so many people's

lives throughout 80 years.

It seems like it's such a long time, but

at the same time, it's such a short

amount of time that has gone by.

It's kind of like, where did all the

time go?

And there's a famous saying that goes, time

flies when you're having fun.

And there's a lot of truth in that.

I want to, I put further 80 years of God's

faithfulness, which is very connected to

blessings that we have received from the

Lord, that God has been with us, with this

congregation, with this community all along.

It hasn't been the perfect ride, but it's

been a ride nonetheless, because God is

with us in every season of our life.

The good, the bad, and even the ugly.

Amen?

Amen.

So I want to, I only have a few minutes

here, so I'm just going to go through

this.

Let's go to that next slide here.

When we look at 2025, we've had four

baptisms and 13 child dedications, and we

praise God for that.

There are going to be, at least last time

I checked, there's going to be four more,

four or five more children that will be

dedicated to the Lord.

And that's going to show you, as Amber was

talking about the future of this church

body, the future of Christianity, we have

to double down on raising the next

generation of children who know the Lord,

who are strong in their faith, but also

deal in love with others.

So this is a praise, my friends, just

kind of seeing what has been going on in

this place.

Let's go ahead and go to the next slide

then.

Our attendance has an average of 62, with

the peak so far of 102, but I think we

broke that record in celebration.

Amen?

So that's been great.

And one other thing that I think has been

really profound, it's been incredible to

see is that we have been posting our online,

we don't post our online services per se,

but we've been posting our online sermons.

And it's been incredible.

Oh, looks like someone's locked out.

We opened the door.

Someone's locked out.

So, as we have been posting our online

sermons, we have been, by the grace of

God, given this opportunity to go onto

TikTok.

And just to encourage you, over the last,

in the month of August, we had reached

almost 5,000 people.

That's about 1,000 people that we are

reaching.

People that are just scrolling aimlessly

on their phones.

Maybe they might have the seed of God's

word planted into their hearts.

We've had people, sometimes you get

trolls, sometimes you get people who are

really strange, but that's okay.

We want them to come to know Jesus too,

amen?

There have been a lot of people from

different areas, from Virginia.

We've had people from around the world

who are tuning in, showing the profound

impact of what our church is having,

not only in this place, in this town,

in this community, but also a much

greater reach.

And so that's really encouraging when

we're thinking of the next generation

for Christ.

Statistically speaking, who we are

reaching online is under 40.

Over, I think it's over 60%, Amber,

is under 40.

So it's that demographic of people,

of young people, who need to come to

know the Lord.

So that's another praise here.

And here, Amber kind of touched on

this.

We've been serving families and the

communities by partnering with other

organizations, other nonprofit organizations,

and just being present, right?

It's so important for us as Christians,

for us to come to know Jesus Christ,

for us to grow in our faith and our

understanding of God and his word,

but also to be salt and light for the

world.

And what that looks like can be serving

in the local church, but also serving

in the community.

As Amber was saying, we have these,

we partner with Building Healthy Families

for the Parent Cafe, the Dad Cafe.

There's the Community Baby Shower that's

coming up and the Strengthening Families

course.

These are all opportunities, not just for

us, but think of the profound impact that

we can have on people.

People who may not know the Lord or people

that may have even been hurt in the past

before by people.

What I like explaining to people is that

very often people will fail you, but God

will never fail you.

And sometimes you need someone who might have

experienced some sort of hurt or some sort of

just situation that was just not good.

We pray for comfort, transformation, and healing

that comes from the Lord.

Let's go to that next slide then.

And so what's next coming on is on November 2nd

for this year, we'll be having our annual bazaar.

I hope that if you are visiting or if you're local

or even if you're online, that you can come and

join us for our continuing tradition of our bazaar.

And also we're going to be going into our next

sermon series going through the book of Revelation.

For many of you who have been attending, we went over

the parables of Christ.

That was almost 40 weeks of going through the teachings

of Christ and the parabolic language.

Things such as the Good Samaritan, the Good Shepherd,

the Ten Virgins, the Sheep and the Goats,

all of these type of parables and how they are

connected within the Word of God and how we,

as people, we can learn, we can grow,

and we can act upon this.

This is the, so the parable series was Thy Kingdom Come.

And we find that a lot of the apocalyptic language

in Revelation is very similar to what we find

in the parables of Christ.

And I'm very excited to go over this because for many of us,

let's be honest here, how many of us have read Revelation

and we think it's confusing and it's an outright scary book?

Right?

You see a lot of newspapers and it's at the end of the world.

Here, how many of you remember the Y2K scare?

Yeah?

Some of you weren't alive.

Some of you were, right?

You remember the Y2K scare.

Or my favorite one is the Mayan calendar that the world would end

in 2012.

When we really think about it, there is hope in Revelation.

There is a lot of symbolism, but there's also a lot of connections.

And what we are going to focus on is the hope in Jesus Christ.

We're going to go into Revelation and we're not going to fight over,

you know, what is the beast?

Is it Russia?

Is it Iraq?

Is it the United Kingdom?

I have no idea.

We're going to focus, though, on the significance of the beast,

the significance of the mark.

What is it?

Where have we found it within Scripture?

So we're going to focus more on that rather than the timing,

because let's face it, a lot of us, we will argue and fight over when.

But what's so important is that even in this kind of apocalyptic language,

there's victory at the end.

And that victory, my friends, is in Jesus Christ.

Can I get an amen?

Amen.

So it's so important for us as we will be going over Revelation.

And in conclusion, I want to show this next slide here.

One thing that I've really enjoyed being here in Ontario Community Church,

do you know that in Japanese, Ontario means grace overflowing?

It's not interesting.

And it's something that is such beautiful language.

I believe it's pronounced on teru.

I hope if I get that right.

If I haven't, please forgive me.

But grace overflowing.

And what a wonderful representation of God and the love that he has for us,

the truth that he has for us,

that it is in abundance.

When we think of God's salvation for us,

that it is available for all.

When we think of John 3.16,

whosoever believes.

Is it talking about only tall people or only short people

that will enter the kingdom of heaven?

Last time I checked, no.

We have to think that God's grace is in abundance

and it is available for all who believe.

And this image here,

how many of you know what this is?

It's kintsugi, right?

Some of you may have seen the broken plate.

They take it and they put it back together with gold.

And what happens is it makes the bowl more valuable

than it was when it first began.

And what a powerful representation

when we think of, for a moment, who we are.

How many of us are broken?

How many of us need to be picked up, as it were,

and put back together?

For many of us, that was a representation of our lives

before we knew the Lord.

For some of us, it's,

that's still my life today

and I need the Lord to put me back together.

It's so important to see this imagery of the broken plate

putting it back together,

representing how God cares for that which is broken

and makes it whole and brings it and restores it

and transforms it,

just like how it is in our own very life.

That is on a personal note.

But we also have to think

when it comes to the world that we live in today.

My friends, we've had a lot of headlines,

news that has broken out,

an assassination that has just recently happened,

school shootings that have been happening.

And for a lot of us, when we read that,

we get discouraged.

We get depressed.

We get filled with anxiety in these moments,

thinking, why would such evil exist?

We turn to the Lord in times such as this.

We turn to God and we think for a moment,

if God is going to bring us together as an individual,

it is God who will help transform this land,

who will help transform this nation

and essentially the world.

We think of Christ as the transformer of culture,

the sovereignty of God being the ruler of all,

but also the responsibility of man

to follow in the footsteps of Christ,

standing firm on the truth of God's word,

but also dealing in love.

My friends, how some of you may have responded

or reacted to some of these tragic events,

may we be reminded.

We trust in the living God.

We do not condone violence.

We do not condone division.

Instead, let us seek God

and the unity that comes from him,

the peace that surpasses all understanding from him,

regardless of what your background is,

regardless of who you are or what you have been through

or what you are going through.

Let us seek God and his righteousness.

Let us focus on the hope of Christ

and transforming culture

rather than these terrible things that have been happening.

It is in Christ that there is healing

and there is transformation.

And I'm reminded as we're going to be going into our time of revelation,

it's going to be a 42-week sermon series, my friends.

As we go through that,

I want you to know

Revelation 21, verse 5,

Revelation 21:5

where it says,

Behold, I am making all things new.

When we trust in the living God,

let us trust in that transformation

that will happen in our lives

and let us be empowered

to make a difference in our community,

with our families,

and essentially within the world.

Let's pray together

and the worship team will be coming on up.

Father God,

we thank you for these 80 years of blessings,

your faithfulness.

We thank you for this time together,

this time where we celebrate the legacy

of how you have been there

for this community,

for this congregation,

and for this church for the past 80 years.

May we recognize that

it hasn't been a perfect ride,

but you have been there

in every single season.

From the moments of victory,

the moments,

those good moments,

to trying and testing

and tribulations

that have happened in our lives,

as well as this congregation,

this church body.

We just pray, Father,

that we will turn to you

in every season of our lives.

When bad things happen to us

or bad things happen around us,

may we look to you.

Just as your word says,

I look to the hills.

Where does my help come from?

And Father,

may we respond in recognizing

that our hope comes from you.

Or just as your scripture says,

that though we may walk through

the valley of the shadow of death,

may we fear no evil.

So we ask, Father,

for transformation.

We pray that your Holy Spirit

will convict us,

lead us,

and guide us

in our very lives individually,

but as a church body as well.

Mend our lives with your mercy.

May we,

that which is broken,

be mended in you.

We love you,

we praise you,

we glorify you,

and we honor you.

It is in the name of Jesus Christ

that we pray,

and we all say together,

Amen, Church.

Amen.

Thank you for tuning in

to Ontario Community Church,

where we are encouraging,

equipping,

and engaging lives for Christ.

My name is Patrick Daly,

and I am the pastor

of Ontario Community Church.

To learn about our church

and how you can get involved,

go to

www.ontariocommunitychurch.org.

We hope that you will join us

as we begin next week,

September 21st, 2025,

through the Book of Revelation.

May God bless you

all the days of your life.

And you will find you

Thank you.